Probiotic Supplements

Last week I talked about probiotics.  To reiterate, probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health. This is for the fact that within our microbiome (i.e., our gut) there are over 100 trillion bacteria that are essential to our survival and quality of life.  We usually think of bacteria as something that causes diseases. But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called "good" or "helpful" bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. 

It is imperative to maintain a healthy gut.  Over the past 20 years research has shown repeatedly that an unhealthy gut is a precursor to most, if not all modern ailments such as autoimmune diseases (i.e., Type 1 Diabetes MS, Celiac Disease, ALS etc.) metabolic diseases (i.e., type 2 diabetes and Obesity), neurodegenerative disorders (i.e., Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Prion disease etc.) and so on.  This is for the fact that a precursor to many of these diseases and disorders is chronic inflammation, and a precursor to inflammation is an unhealthy gut.

Probiotics are naturally found in your body. You can also find them in some foods and supplements.

Last week I spoke about some of the foods that naturally have probiotics in them.  This week I will illustrate the 5 most important probiotics to look for in supplements is you choose to supplement with a probiotic according to Dr. David Perlmutter, a leading neurologist and MD in the field.  If you would like to learn more about the microbiome (the gut bacteria) and probiotics, a great book to read is Brain Maker by Dr. David Perlmutter.  Later this week I will post an article review on probiotics and prebiotics, but if you would like to learn more until then Dr. Perlmutters website www.drperlmutter.com.

The 5 Probiotics to look for in Probiotic Supplements

  • lactobacillus acidophilus
  • lactobacillus planetarium
  • lactobacillus brevis
  • Bifidobacterium lactose
  • Bifidobacterium longum

 

Article Review: Fitness Trackers Aren't About Losing Weight

Fitness trackers are commonplace in the health and fitness industry. So much so that smart-watches of today (apple watch, etc.) are expected to have heart rate and step trackers. As great as these tools seem, a recent study, and article review by The Atlantic, shows they don’t benefit people as much as they could.

A “health halo” has developed with using these trackers, where the idea of being so healthy and doing something good for yourself has led to bargaining into rewards that negate the progress made. People are relying on devices too much and can’t figure out the health benefits and habits on their own. They rely too much on the ability of the tracker to make physical decisions for them, and it gives them too much credit for things they didn’t necessarily make themselves do. The fitness trackers are good about getting people moving and seeing how much work they do, but the psychological work that would be put in if they didn’t have something telling them what to do is lacking. They aren’t forming these habits on their own and aren’t seeing the bigger long-term picture.

Fitness trackers are simply a reference in the process of weight loss and management. They aren’t to be the only thing that is used to gauge progress. If individuals want to form life-changing behaviors, they can take this information into account but should be the ones noting when it’s time to move or know how much they’ve moved within a day and not relying on technology to do it all for them. We’ve become a society that is lazy due to the advancements in technology, where we could be using them to our benefit, not our detriment.

Another thing this article brought up was focusing too much on exercise and not enough on a diet. Working out isn’t going to cover up a bad diet and people need to realize that healthy eating habits have a much bigger impact on weight loss/management.

“If you want to keep a car in good condition, drive carefully, but doing that doesn’t mean you can put [soda] in the gas tank.”

Also, when working on diet habits looking at the quality of food instead of the quantity can help stay on track more efficiently. We’ve become so consumed with “counting calories” that we can trick the system by filling our daily intake with calories that aren’t necessarily healthy. The quantity should follow if the focus is put on the types of food that are eaten. But until then, there needs to be some sort of education on what is good and what is bad.

Overall, fitness trackers are a good accessory in the process of life-changing habits. They shouldn’t be the sole instrument in determining progress but should be used as a tool to help foster change.

Article Link: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/09/fitness-trackers-arent-about-losing-weight/500819/