What is up with the Probiotic Craze?

Evidently, this is one of the biggest health kicks since fish oil became so popular. Probiotics have slowly been gaining steam, but the last couple of years it has hit the market running - and fast! There is literally a probiotic craze going on right now, and I'm confused at why there is suddenly a high demand for such things. If you are not aware, probiotic supplements supposed to increase the healthy, "friendly" bacteria in your gut for better digestion, intestinal health, disease prevention, etc. They even claim that it helps fight off the common cold, flu, reduce cholesterol, aid in weight loss, you name it!

First of all, the human body supposed to already have billions of these organisms in the intestines/gut. A lot of folks don't realize this, but even if a person has some long bout of flaming diarrhea and intestinal stress that flushes away or kills a lot of your healthy bacteria, your appendix (if you still have one) acts as a "good bacteria warehouse" and replaces what you lose, to help keep a balance. If you are one of those people that still think the appendix has no purpose, go here: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071008102334.htm

Anyway, eating a healthy diet alone, helps keep a balance of this much-needed intestinal bacteria. Fruits and vegetables are great for this, and especially raw vegetables. Hell, even certain types of teas and pickles are a form of probiotics, even though you don't hear about those very often. Yogurt has long been known to have probiotic power, but not everybody sits around and eats yogurt all day. Oh, one of the worst things for healthy gut bacteria is to take antibiotics for long periods of time. You are destroying both the good and bad bacteria when you do this, so think about it. I doubt if eating junk food and fast-food most of the time is good for your levels of friendly bacteria, either.

To make matters worse, it has been found that many of these probiotic supplements are not living up to their name and you are not getting anywhere near what you are paying for. If you'd like to read more about how the consumers are getting lied to and totally ripped off, go here: healthyliving.msn.com/nutrition/are-your-probiotics-a-sham [link is no longer active]

What will the next health craze be? Drinking toilet water for boosted immunity? LOL!

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