Once upon a time in a land uncomfortably close to home, was a beautiful babe with a pimple; well, make that several pimples. The story is rich with clever, adorable, loveable and important characters. However, the story takes a terrible twist as the main character is forced to reconcile a war that rages between rivaling kingdoms; The righteous, do-gooders of Face, it’s peace loving neighbor Body and the corrupt, sinister and super annoying miscreants from the North, Acne.
Our skin is an excellent indicator of what is happening inside of us. Exterior products can help particular battles, but to win the war, a focus on what is eaten can be waged from within to subdue these foul invaders from the North.
Who is this so called “invader?” (Conveniently you ask so that I can continue on). These invaders are toxins and their 2nd cousin- bad bacteria. Your colon contains roughly 3 to 4 pounds of non delicious bacteria. These mean little critters need to be kept in their respective dungeon. Who has the courage and strength to do such a nasty job? Just imagine probiotics as a superhero in tight, revealing spandex complete with a big letter P on his chest. Valiant and stall word P enters your body through your mouth and delves down into your stomach. While there, he goes fisticuffs with harmful bacteria that live deep in your body’s deepest darkest crevasses. This battle fought in the trenches contributes to a healthier, balanced and beautiful digestive system.
These beneficial, beauty boosting probiotic bacteria need to make up 85% of the bacteria within our stomachs, or our ecosystem pays an acne ridden price.
If we let the bad guys overrun our super hero, then we have a disrupted volatile environment that causes some serious health problems. Some of the unpleasantries of such an imbalance in the land include constipation, mal-absorption, poor digestive function, skin disorders, allergies, Candida overgrowth, parasitic infections, and weakened immune function.
Your Beneficial Bacteria are Responsible For:
· Proper function of your immune system
· Protection against over-growth of disease-causing microorganisms
· Aiding in the digestion of food
· Producing specific vitamins
· Absorbing minerals & amino acids
· Eliminating toxins
· Preventing allergies: Your flora helps your immune system to distinguish between pathogens and non-harmful antigens. The increased number of allergies, especially in children is directly correlated with the ratio of beneficial bacteria to harmful.
Probiotics for Acne Removal
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Proper pH balancing Skin Care
More ways to get skin loving probiotics!
Foods
“The best, most natural forms of probiotics are fermented foods,” says Ganjhu. Fortified foods, such as probiotic-enhanced dough, may deliver less of a health infusion since the manufacturing process can kill off many of the healthy live cultures. Besides yogurt and kefir, some common foods made using fermentation include sauerkraut, kimchi (spicy pickled cabbage), and pickles.
The amount and kind of live cultures per bite vary, but words like raw,lacto-fermented, or unpasteurized on the packaging will indicate that the bacteria haven’t been killed off in the manufacturing process, says Jenny Sansouci, a certified health coach with Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York City. Yogurt with the “live active cultures” seal indicates that it has not been heated after the fermentation process and contains at least 100 million cultures per gram (or 10 million cultures per gram for frozen yogurt). Unless it contains one of the bacterial strains that have been studied, however, it still may not have proven probiotic benefits.
“It’s great if you can eat some fermented foods every day, but two or three times a week is a good place to start,” says Sansouci.
TRY:
DanActive ($3, at supermarkets) Some research suggests that it can help ease some types of gastrointestinal distress.
Lifeway Frozen Kefir ($6 for a pint, at supermarkets) Kefir can improve digestion and restore beneficial bacteria after a round of antibiotics.
Mama O’s Premium Kimchi ($32 for two jars, including shipping,kimchirules.com) Lactobacilli, found in kimchi, can help prevent yeast infections.
Real Pickles Organic Sauerkraut ($6.49, at natural-food stores andrealpickles.com) A study published in the British Journal of Nutritionfound that eating sauerkraut may help prevent cancer.
Supplements
If you aren’t sure that you’re getting enough probiotics from your diet, a daily supplement can be helpful, says Sansouci. (It’s nearly impossible to OD on probiotics.)
Most probiotic supplements include Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, two of the most well-studied strains. Products with more bacterial strains—sometimes called “mega probiotics”—aren’t necessarily better, but some experts say it’s a good idea to switch supplements every month or two.
Recommendations vary, but Sansouci says she has found supplements with at least 20 billion live organisms per dose to be the most effective in her practice.
You can choose among powders, pills, and liquid shots. Some are sold chilled and must be kept that way to maintain their effectiveness. But the success of a product has more to do with the specific microbes it contains than what form it takes.
TRY:
Align ($40 for 42 capsules, drugstore.com) It contains Bifantis, which helps maintain digestive balance.
Florastor ($46.50 for 50 capsules, drugstore.com) A study found it alleviates antibiotic-related diarrhea and may help aid the immune system, so it’s smart to take when traveling, says Reid.
RepHresh Pro-B ($30 for 30 capsules, at drugstores) The only probiotic clinically shown to balance yeast and bacteria daily.
Dr. Frank Lipman’s Be Well Probiotic Powder ($44 for 60 servings,bewellbydrfranklipman.com) Can be helpful for chronic indigestion and bloating. Add a teaspoon to your smoothie or mix with water.
Culturelle Digestive Health Probiotic Chewables ($25.29 for 24 chewable tablets, at drugstores) Has been shown to boost general digestive health.