Did you know that 80% of our immune system resides in our guts? Its true! That’s why it makes perfect sense that the state of our guts is what helps determine how we feel, physically and mentally!

When your gut is truly happy, it means that you have a thriving population of beneficial bacteria residing there, helping to promote the proper function of your immune system. When this balance is thrown off, digestive issues, immune imbalance and weight fluctuations can naturally occur. You may also begin to experience symptoms like occasional gas, bloating and constipation, as well as sleep/mood disturbances and food sensitivities.

With COVID stealing the spotlight and with flu season not far behind, now is the perfect time to reevaluate your wellness routine to ensure your gut is happy and your immune system is functioning at its best! One very easy way to ensure that your gut is happy is to add a daily probiotic to your morning routine! Florajen Probiotics allow me to do this!

Florajen Digestion is a multiculture blend of probiotic strains that aid in the healthy functioning of the digestive tract! With 15 billion live cultures per capsule, Florajen Probiotics helps ease the unpleasant side effects of antibiotics, restores the natural balance of good bacteria, naturally regulates the digestive system, and provides increased levels of healthy bacteria in the gut!

These probiotics are dairy free, gluten free, allergen free, non-GMO and kosher! The best part is that 1 capsule taken daily is equivalent to 10 cups of yogurt! I know that I will personally be recommending Florajen Probiotics to my patients!

These capsules should be taken daily, with or without food, and should be kept in the refrigerator. For patients who are taking antibiotics, take Florajen at least 1 to 2 hours before or after your prescription and continue taking it for at least 2 weeks after completing the prescribed course of antibiotics! The contents of the capsule can also be opened and sprinkled into cold food or beverages!

If you are interested in what probiotic might be best for you, ask your pharmacists to discuss probiotics with you the next time you visit your local pharmacy!

There are several other great benefits to taking daily probiotics, one of those being that they help prevent diarrhea and decrease its severity. We know that one major side effect of antibiotic use is diarrhea and when a person is sick, this can negatively effect the balance of beneficial bacteria in their guts. Several studies have evaluated probiotic use in these cases and one even found that probiotic use reduced diarrhea associated with antibiotic use by 42%!

Other studies even suggest that daily probiotic use can positively impact mood and mental health. Improvements is memory, depression, and anxiety have been seen, along with reduced inflammation and symptoms of OCD.

More pre-clinical and clinical trials need to be conducted to further evaluate their effectiveness in the prevention of depression, but these results provide evidence that supplementation with probiotics may help reduce negative thoughts that are associated with sad mood.

Probiotics may also offer heart healthy benefits by helping manage cholesterol levels in the form of LDL. LDL is known as our “bad cholesterol” and certain lactic acid producing bacteria contained in probiotics will work to break down bile. This prevents bile from being reabsorbed in the gut and therefore prevents it from entering the blood as cholesterol!

Other studies have found that probiotic use may help reduce allergy severity and even eczema. One study found that children who were born to mothers who supplemented with probiotics during pregnancy were 83% less likely to develop eczema during their first two years of life. This is another area that needs more research but the results seem promising.

The best way to experience all the benefits from probiotics is to consume the majority through your diet and supplement as you feel necessary. Taking a daily probiotic can only help you so I would recommend that to anyone interested in elevating their wellness routine. Live probiotic cultures can be found in yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut and other fermented foods like tempeh and miso. Evidence suggests that daily dosages of 1 billion to 100 billion live organisms or colony-forming units (CFU) per day is plenty. The Florajen Probiotics discussed in this post contain 15 billion live cultures per capsule.

To learn more about Florajen products, visit https://www.florajen.com/ or Florajen.Amazon