While it's common to think of bacteria as a negative thing, the truth is that your body contains both good and bad bacteria. Good probiotic bacteria are important to your microbiome, they allow your gut to stay healthy and thriving by fighting off bad bacteria when you have too much of it⁸. While everyone’s microbiome is slightly different, probiotics can assist in maintaining balance within the body⁹.
What are Probiotics?
Probiotics are bacteria in foods or supplements. These foods and supplements contain live microorganisms intended to maintain or improve the "good" bacteria in the body⁴.
What are the Benefits?
Easy Ways to Get Probiotics through food
Common Strains of Probiotics + their Benefits
Lactobacillus is used to ease symptoms of various gut-related issues. Specifically, it can aid in treating symptoms of lactose intolerance, prevent gastrointestinal ulcers, restore normal intestinal flora, and more⁷.
Bacillus Coagulans (BC30) is one of the most beneficial strains of living probiotics and is also the one that Garden of Flavor uses. Bacillus Coagulans is used to improve immune and digestive health by supporting protein absorption and utilization in the body. The makeup of Bacillus allows it to survive in extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, giving it easier access to the gut³.
Enterococcus This strain is used to help treat and prevent symptoms of IBS and intestinal diseases. It also has wonderful immune regulation benefits¹.
Saccharomyces This strain has been used to treat acute bowel conditions as well as chronic conditions such as IBS, Chron’s Disease, and Ulcerative Colitis⁵.
Not only can probiotics be added to your diet through certain foods, but also by taking probiotic supplements. It is important to note that probiotic supplements usually contain high doses of probiotic strains, as a high amount is required for benefits to be effective. With this being said, make sure to check that probiotic supplements include CFUs at the end of the probiotic’s shelf-life to guarantee that the benefits of living probiotics will last after the product is purchased. The recommendation for CFUs per gram is at least 1 million in order to benefit. Finally, talk to your doctor about whether adding these supplements to your diet is appropriate and research probiotic supplements to find which strain is best suited for your needs⁶.
Our Juices with Probiotics
Not only do our juices give the digestive system a much-needed break while providing you with vital nutrients, but our added living probiotics help to balance the gut for an extra immune boost. In 2014, garden of Flavor was the first to include probiotics in a cold-pressed juice and we've continued since! Each of these juices provides living probiotic cultures at 1 billion CFUs.
View them here on our website
Sources
1. Hanchi, Hasna, et al. “The Genus Enterococcus: Between Probiotic Potential and Safety Concerns-an Update.”Frontiers, Frontiers, 1 Jan. 2001, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01791/full#:~:text=Enterococci%20probiotics%20can%20be%20used,et%20al.%2C%202011).
2. “Health Benefits of Taking Probiotics.”Harvard Health, 13 Apr. 2020, https://www.health.harvard.edu/vitamins-and-supplements/health-benefits-of-taking-probiotics.
3. Jäger, Ralf, et al. “Probiotic Bacillus Coagulans GBI-30, 6086 Improves Protein Absorption and Utilization.”Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins, Springer US, Dec. 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6208742/.
4. Katherine Zeratsky, R.D. “Probiotics and Prebiotics: What You Should Know.”Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 10 July 2020, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/probiotics/faq-20058065#:~:text=Probiotics%20are%20foods%20or%20supplements,as%20food%20for%20human%20microflora.
5. Kelesidis, Theodoros, and Charalabos Pothoulakis. “Efficacy and Safety of the Probiotic Saccharomyces Boulardii for the Prevention and Therapy of Gastrointestinal Disorders.”Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology, SAGE Publications, Mar. 2012, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3296087/.
6. Kubala, Jillian. “The Best Probiotic Supplements of 2022 and How to Choose.”Healthline, Healthline Media, 22 Apr. 2022, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-probiotic-supplement#probiotic-basics.
7. “Lactobacillus Acidophilus.”Lactobacillus Acidophilus - Health Encyclopedia - University of Rochester Medical Center, 2022, https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=19&contentid=Lactobacillus.
8. “Probiotics: What Is It, Benefits, Side Effects, Food & Types.”Cleveland Clinic, 9 Mar. 2020, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/14598-probiotics.
9. “Probiotics: What You Need to Know.”National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Aug. 2019, https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/probiotics-what-you-need-to-know.