Warning signs from your body that you need more probiotics

We need good and healthy bacteria, like probiotics, to keep our bodies healthy. Here is some expert advice and warning signs to look out for that might suggest you need to increase your probiotic intake

Probiotics are clever little microorganisms that are essential when fighting off bad bacteria and improving gut health.

They’re made up of a combination of live beneficial bacteria and yeasts that naturally live in the body.

Gut health is key to our bodies impacting both short and long-term health, making probiotics an important part of our overall health.

Although probiotics mostly occur naturally in our bodies, sometimes we lack probiotics due to a range of underlying reasons.

Anna Mapson, Registered Nutritionist and owner of Goodness Me Nutrition, explains what probiotics are and what signs point towards your body needing more probiotics to improve the health of your gut.

Warning signs your body needs probiotics

Mapson explained that signs of poor gut health include digestive symptoms such as bloating, food sensitivities, irregular bowel movements and excessive gas.

Some non-digestive issues like eczema, low mood, anxiety or poor immunity can also be linked to gut bacteria.

She added: “Things that can disrupt the gut bacteria include some medication (especially antibiotics), high stress, alcohol, low fibre diet, high fat diet (e.g. keto).

“Antibiotics kill off the bacterial infection, and may also damage your gut bacteria, so this is a case when supplementing with probiotics could be warranted, but please check with a health provider first.”

Taking probiotics can help improve gut health, but it needs to be used “as a targeted intervention to support a range of health conditions,” — not something for the long-term.

Mapson also advises that having digestive issues doesn’t necessarily mean you need probiotics, explaining: “Sometimes you might be better off looking at your overall diet pattern to get a balanced mix of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

“Important factors also include the basics such as getting enough sleep, managing stress levels and exercising daily.”

What are probiotics?

“Living inside our gut we have trillions of microbes, made up of bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses. Probiotics are the friendly bacteria,” explained Mapson.

She added that each probiotic has a different action in the gut, and different strains of probiotics should be used for different conditions.

These clusters of live microorganisms when administered in sufficient amounts give a benefit to the host, but it needs to delivered in the right amounts for a positive effects.

How to incorporate probiotics to into your diet?

Probiotics can be found in various supplements including capsules, pills, powders and liquids.

However, Mapson warns that some of the supplements are not well manufactured and the bacteria will be dead by the time you consume it, as she stresses on the quality of the product.

The best way to increase your intake of the good bacteria and is by incorporating probiotic-rich foods into your diet.

Yogurt

Yogurt which contains live bacteria is one of the common probiotic foods.

Mapson asks that people look for the words ‘bio’ or ‘live’ on the packet to ensure it’s the right kind of yogurt.

The easiest thing to increase probiotics in your diet is to incorporate probiotic yogurt as a breakfast with berries, flax seeds, and nuts.

Fermented foods

There is some amount of probiotics in fermented foods like sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), natto (fermented soybeans), kombucha (fermented tea), kimchi (spicy fermented vegetables) or kefir (fermented milk drink).

Try drinking probiotic-rich beverages like kefir or kombucha as a light but healthy mid-morning snack as well as serving sauerkraut as a side dish to different main meals.

Miso

Miso is a versatile ingredient that’s another great source of probiotics so you can never go wrong by incorporating miso into soups.

You can also add fresh, sour dill pickles or olives into your meals for added probiotics.

Tempeh

Tempeh stir fries are a great dish to add more probiotics into your diet.

However, when cooking a stir-fry, its always best to incorporate the tempeh at the end because excessive heating can destroy the active cultures.

Plant foods

A fibre rich diet which allows you to intake atleast 30g of fibre a day is key for your gut health.

Eating different plant foods including vegetables, different grains, fruits, nuts or seeds is a really great choice to promote more gut diversity which is associated with a healthier immune system and digestion.