Over the past couple of years, I’ve noticed a lot of yoghurts and yoghurt drinks being advertised as containing probiotics or prebiotics.
These adverts often make claims about the product reducing bloating and digestive discomfort, and boosting the immune system. Many of my friends and colleagues now believe that cheese and yoghurt are necessary for a healthy gut and immune system.
I am confused: I feel healthier since becoming vegan, and have not heard of anyone experiencing gut or immune problems
How important are these pro/pre-biotics? And are there vegetal sources?
Probiotics are dietary supplements containing potentially beneficial bacteria or yeast.
They are sometimes recommended by doctors, after a course of antibiotics.
There is no published evidence that probiotic supplements are able to replace the body’s natural flora when these have been killed off; indeed bacterial levels in feces disappear within days when supplementation ceases
Maintenance of a healthy gut flora is, dependent on many factors, especially the quality of food intake. Including a significant proportion of prebiotic foods in the diet has been demonstrated to support a healthy probiotic flora and may be a more effective and sustainable means of achieving the desirable health benefits promised by probiotics.
Prebiotics are food that stimulates the growth and activity of bacteria in the colon. Most potential prebiotics are carbohydrates (such as oligosaccharides).
Typical dietary sources of prebiotics are soybeans, Jerusalem artichokes (which contain inulin), raw oats, unrefined wheat and unrefined barley
I make my own sourkraut, netto and cultured veggies. I don’t bother with commercial yogurts because they are pasteurized. I eat high-fiber foods and probiotics in order to keep my good bacteria well stocked. I don’t eat sugars or refined carbohydrates because they produce the bad bacteria, putrifaction and health problems.
The problem I have with keeping a healthy auto-immune system is my sleep apnea. That is very damaging to the auto-immune system.
I’m starting a water fast this week to get some weight off because sleep apnea is obesity-related. During an extended water fast, I will lose most of the bacteria in my gut. After the fast, I’ll go back to restocking the good bacteria with fermented veggies, and avoid the bad bacteria by abstaining from sugar. These are major, major lifestyle changes for me.
I drink a Activa everyday and find it to help my immune system, as well as digestion. I also am thinking about adding colloidal to my daily regiment of supplements. It is supposed to help in removing toxins from what I understand. I haven’t done enough research on it yet though.
