Quote:
Originally Posted by
sf.girl
Ive googled and read loads, but can anyone explain the benefits of taking probiotics? I have changed my eating habits over the last 5 weeks (no meat,fish and very limited dairy) My problem...lots of gas! I dont know why or whats causing it. Im not eating lots of beans either!
Any advice greatly appreciated!
Probiotics are the friendly bacteria that live in your gut and help you to digest. In a healthy system, the friendly bacteria keep the unfriendly bacteria (like e-coli) and yeasts in check (we always have some in our intestines). Antiobiotics can kill the the friendlies along with the unfriendlies. Then you can get an overgrowth of yeasts, which grow quickly before the friendlies are able to counteract them. What you end up with is yeast overgrowth and poor digestion. I think also, that you'd be more susceptible to becoming ill from unfriendly bacteria (think e-coli outbreaks) when you don't have enough friendlies to counteract them.
A poor diet also allows the unfriendlies and yeasts to grow wildly (e.g. yeast LOVES sugar) while not supporting the friendlies. Taking probiotics, acidophilous, bifidus, to name two of them, helps build the population of these allies in your gut.
If you've EVER taken antiobiotics or have had a poor diet, such as eating too many sweets,or maybe you've had a yeast infection, but never fortified your diet afterwards with probiotics (or yogurt), you may still have a yeast overgrowth and a lack of enough friendly bacteria for proper digestion.
That said, beans aren't the only food that causes gas, either. If you radically changed your diet, you may need more than 5 weeks for your body to adjust. Are you eating lots of vegetables? Grains? Did you eat lots of them before you changed your diet? Are you drinking a lot of water? You should probably be drinking 1/2 to 1 gallon per day. Are you constipated, the opposite, or normal in your bowel movements?
I remember when I quit eating meat about 20 years ago, not really knowing how else to eat, I was eating mostly all raw veggies. I had terrible gas. I also didn't drink nearly enough water either.
So, taking a daily probiotic supplement for a week or two won't hurt you. You could probably take some everyday long-term and not be harmed by it. And if you're not drinking enough water, you should up that, too. (Best if it's clean filtered water, not tap.)