Step 3: Supplement with Broad Spectrum Probiotics
Probiotics are an important component of the Clean Cuisine Natural Detox as they have been shown to support liver function and assist in your body’s natural ability to detoxify.
What are Probiotics?
Probiotics are living organisms found in foods and dietary supplements that are similar to the friendly bacteria in our guts. These microscopic organisms work hard to alter the overall intestinal environment to a favorable one by crowding out bad bacteria that might otherwise dominate and harm health. Even though they are bacteria, probiotics are “good-doers” and actually help protect your body from infection.
Helping to restore intestinal integrity, probiotics work round the clock to balance the “good” and “bad” bacteria within our GI tract, which can easily be upset by all sorts of things including antibiotics, chlorinated water, poor elimination of waste, stress, oral contraceptives, a diet rich in refined foods, too many animal foods (including too much animal-based saturated fat), too much sugar, poor digestion, etc. When the delicate balance between “good” and “bad” bacteria is unfavorably altered, your body can become overloaded with toxins, setting the stage for disease and illness.
Probiotics can work with your immune system to improve your health and prevent, or even treat, certain diseases. There is strong evidence probiotics (and prebiotics) can help lower triglycerides and cholesterol, including “bad” LDL cholesterol, thus reducing your risk of heart disease. Probiotics are also helpful for rheumatoid arthritis, skin conditions (including dermatitis) and high blood pressure. Probiotics have even been linked to a reduced risk of colon cancer.
Probiotics Boost Nutrient Absorption
When your good and bad bacteria are out of balance, vitamins are not properly absorbed. In fact, good bacteria are critical for the production of vitamin K as well as a number of B-vitamins. Regular consumption of probiotics will help your body to properly digest, process and utilize the food you eat and can increase the bioavailability of certain nutrients, especially fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E and K.
How Do Probiotics Support a Natural Detox?
Probiotics help detoxify carcinogens and filter toxins in our gut before they can get into our bloodstream. Their presence also supports digestion and speeds the transfer time of toxic waste in our colon, thus preventing toxins from being reabsorbed and helping to keep bowel movements regular. Note: having a regular bowel movement at least once a day is essential to a healthy natural detox.
Can Probiotics Help with Weight Loss as Part of a Natural Detox?
Maybe. We believe the research on probiotics for weight loss is promising. For example, studies have shown probiotics can help control insulin resistance and insulin resistance is a known contributing factor of obesity. There is also existing evidence that there is a direct link between gut bacteria and weight loss (1) and that supplementation with probiotics can help decrease belly fat (2). Some researchers theorize our gut bacteria may affect the way the calories we eat are digested and utilized by the body, including whether or not they get stored as fat. A recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that modifying gut bacteria can in fact dramatically modify the gut’s ability to absorb calories (3).
What Should You Look for In a Probiotic Supplement?
Supplementing with probiotics is a good way to maintain the normal ecology of your gut and reduce toxins produced by imbalances in gut bacteria.
When looking for a probiotic supplement it is important to realize not all probiotics are equal from a quality or bioavailability standpoint (meaning your body doesn’t always absorb the probiotics that the label claims it has.) Many mass market probiotic supplements contain a limited number of good bacteria and are manufactured in such a way that the good bacteria cannot necessarily survive –such as being exposed to heat and light–or contain fillers and added sugars that interfere with their bioavailability.
We have recently discovered Dr. Ohhira’s premium broad-spectrum probiotic supplement brand containing 12 strains of friendly bacteria, including E. faecalis TH (which is scientifically established to be more than 6 times stronger than any other bacteria known to bacteriologists.) Dr. Ohhira’s award-winning brand was developed by Japanese microbiologist Dr. Iichiroh Ohhira, PhD, and, to our knowledge, is the only manufacturer that relies on a natural fermentation process using ancient Japanese traditions. We are sure there are other good probiotic supplements on the market but Dr. Ohhira’s is definitely a superior choice.
For more information on probiotics and foods containing probiotics, Click Here
Clean Cuisine’s Natural Detox Step 4 -[intlink id=”9791″ type=”post”] Click Here[/intlink]
Missed the early steps? [intlink id=”9644″ type=”post”] Click here to go back to the Introduction to the Clean Cuisine Natural 4 week Detox.[/intlink]
Resources:
1) Ley RE, Turnbaugh PJ, Klein S, Gordon JI. Microbial ecology: human gut microbes associated with obesity. Nature. 2006 Dec 21;444(7122):1022-3.
2) Y. Kadooka et al., ‘Regulation of abdominal adiposity by probiotics (Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055) in adults with obese tendencies in a randomized controlled trial’. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010, Vol. 64, No. 6, pp 636 – 643.
3 . Jumpertz R, Le DS, Turnbaugh PJ, Trinidad C, Bogardus C, Gordon JI, & Krakoff J (2011). Energy-balance studies reveal associations between gut microbes, caloric load, and nutrient absorption in humans. The American journal of clinical nutrition PMID: 21543530