What Probiotic is Right for You?
By Leah Kleinschrodt, MS, RD, LD
November 2, 2020
Do you or does someone you know suffer from heartburn, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation? You’re not alone. As nutritionists, we see clients everyday with these symptoms. Many have endured them for years and even decades. When we work with these clients, we are happy to finally help them find relief with the help of proper food and supplementation to right their digestive systems and find relief from these symptoms.
What Do We Mean By Digestive System?
We’re talking about our intestinal tract which has a shocking amount of bacteria living in it – 75 to 100 TRILLION. Yes, trillion. Some are good bacteria (probiotics) and some are bad bacteria, and when the scales are tipped in favor of good bacteria this equals better overall health. When the right balance of probiotics is achieved your intestinal tract can digest and absorb the nutrients from the food you eat.
When you absorb those nutrients, you support your immune system, your brain function, and much more. There’s also a powerful connection between your mood and your intestinal health. Interestingly, most of your feel-good brain chemicals are made in your digestive system. Because all of these functions rely on a healthy gut, you can see why digestive health is so important.
On the other hand, when the intestinal tract is out of balance, the intestinal wall can be damaged. That leads to cracks in the lining of your intestinal tract which allows undigested food and bacteria from your intestines to escape into your blood stream – creating their own set of health issues.
What Causes Your Digestive System To Be Out Of Balance?
Well, have you ever taken antibiotics? Or maybe you drink tap water, were born by C-section, weren’t breastfed, take medication to manage acid reflux, or have stress in your life (and in these times, who doesn’t?)? Even the pesticide residue from non-organic foods affects the balance of the intestinal tract. All of these scenarios wreak havoc on your digestive system, creating a compromised intestinal tract. No wonder heartburn, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation are such common concerns! In our modern world, it’s really hard to avoid every one of the mentioned scenarios (don’t worry.. there’s good news coming…)
Beyond the physical damage to the lining of your intestinal tract, an unbalanced intestinal tract results in many more unwelcome symptoms such as:
- Heartburn
- Bloating/cramping/pain
- Sugar cravings
- Indigestion or gas
- Constipation or diarrhea
- IBS
- Crohn’s or colitis
- Colon cancer
- Brain fog or memory loss
- Anxiety and depression
- Joint or muscle pain
- Autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s (low thyroid function), rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, etc.
- Obesity
- Frequent illnesses and infections
- Asthma
Probiotics Help Digestive System Balance
So you determined you could be out of balance … now what? From a nutrition perspective, removing inflammatory foods like sugar, refined carbohydrates, and vegetable oils is enormously helpful. Adding fermented foods with naturally occurring probiotics like sauerkraut, kimchi, and yogurt also helps supply more beneficial bacteria. Often, however, clients also need a therapeutic dose of a quality probiotic supplement to heal the intestinal wall, restore balance, and feel better quickly.
What Probiotic Is Right For You?
Here’s a quick rundown on our probiotics and how they’re unique:
Bifido Balance (Capsules) or Bifido Powder
- What it is: A pure strain of bifidobacteria, the most prevalent good bacteria in your intestinal tract, making up (ideally) about 70% of your gut bacteria. That’s why we tend to start people here. Bifido Balance works amazingly well for eliminating those cravings, especially when paired with L-Glutamine.
- Who should use it:
- Dosage recommendations:
- What it is: Six different strains of bacteria and a beneficial yeast that cleans out other pathogens (bad microbes) in the gut so good strains of bacteria can colonize the intestinal tract instead.
- Who should use it:
Those struggling with yeast overgrowths like candida can benefit, because the beneficial yeast listed above helps kill off the yeast overgrowth. Signs of candida could be sinus issues, skin conditions, toenail fungus, athletes foot, yeast infections, a white coating on the tongue, itchy ears and more.
- Dosage recommendations:
Acidophilus (Capsule Form) or Dophilus Powder (Powder Form)
- What it is: This pure strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus works in targeted areas, specifically those that line the stomach, bladder and vaginal tract. For severe symptoms mentioned on this post we recommend the powder over the capsules.
- Who should use it:
- Dosage recommendations:
- What it is: A 50:50 blend of patented acidophilus and bifidobacteria, two of the most thoroughly studied probiotic strains.
- Who should use it:
- Dosage recommendations:
Whew, lots of options to consider! To pick which probiotic is right for you, feel free to contact our friendly and knowledgeable staff at 651-699-3438. They are happy to help!
Choosing the right probiotic is important because supporting your gut health will also improve your immune and brain function. For more information on that amazing connection, check out the blog post, What is the Microbiome? What Does it Do and How to Keep It Healthy? and consider investing in your health by making a nutrition counseling appointment with one of the nutritionists at Nutritional Weight & Wellness. We’re here to make the connection between what you eat and how you feel – starting with how your intestinal tract is functioning!
Sandra Brown
I've been taking bifado balance and L Glutamate for several years now. They seem to help some but doesn't get rid of the heart burn for me. I get heart burn from fried foods, macaroni, mayonnaise, tomato products and most foods. It's actually difficult for me to eat. I have to wash most foods down with water or it burns. Yes, have seen a dr and had my esophagus stretched 3 times. Should I try a different product? I also take acidopholus.
November 5, 2020 at 4:33 pm
admin
We would recommend a consultation in order to get to the root cause of what is causing the heartburn. You did a great job starting with bifido, acidophilus, and L-glutamine, but there’s obviously something more going on that needs to be addressed.
Sue E Allen
Leah did a great job explaining what probiotics to consider for what symptons you may be experiencing .
November 8, 2020 at 7:37 am
admin
Thank you! We're glad you found this article helpful.
Verna Vansickle
Lactobicilllcus. Acidophilus is it good for acid reflux and IBS-D
March 13, 2022 at 10:58 am
admin
For a client experiencing IBS-D, we'd recommend acidophilus for a probiotic but without a consultation we can’t provide a blanket statement that it is good for IBS-D. It does seem to help many clients with acid reflux.