a peek inside the fishbowl

09 Apr, 2012

Tummy troubles?

Posted by andrea tomkins in: Fishbowl patrons

This post has been written with the support of Fishbowl patron, Swiss Natural.

I think the Monday after a weekend of chocolate-related gluttony is a fitting time to write something about stomach issues. I am ALL OVER good gut health (remember this post?) and the fact of the matter is that if you don’t have a healthy gut, you ain’t got nothin’.

So this leads me to my next question: how much do you know about probiotics and what they can do for you?

Probiotics is basically a ten dollar word that refers to friendly bacteria that are an important aspect of our intestinal health.

Our bodies are teeming with tiny organisms. The digestive system alone is home to hundreds of different bacterial species. This bacteria helps help break down our food and keeps intestinal linings healthy. But when the balance of friendly bacteria in the intestines becomes disturbed… well, digestive issues may result.

Probiotic supplements restore healthy flora in the intestinal tract that die off naturally with sickness or antibiotics, and they may help fight off organisms that cause diarrhea too. There also evidence that probiotics assist in maintaining a strong immune system. (If there’s anything I need it’s a strong immune system.)

Two things I did not know before:

  • Probiotics come in many strains, so taking a multiple strained probiotic increases the likelihood of it working for me.
  • Probiotic Age offers seven times more active cells than the leading probiotic yogurt.

Food for thought eh?

I thought you’d also like to know that Swiss Natural has a cool contest in which you can win a mouth-watering trip to New York, San Francisco or New Orleans. Check it out!

Here’s a question: are you familiar with probiotics? Would you consider taking a natural supplement?

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5 Responses to "Tummy troubles?"

1 | Tina

April 9th, 2012 at 9:50 am

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I always take a probiotic supplement, as does my whole family. But we usually aim for at least 8 strains, and at least 25billion live cells. I know that when we forget, we are more susceptible to colds and flus.

2 | coffeewithjulie

April 9th, 2012 at 11:23 am

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I choose to take a probiotic supplement any time I need to take an antibiotic. Seems to do the trick well. Other than that, I let our diet supply what our body needs.

3 | Cathy

April 9th, 2012 at 12:27 pm

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Yes I would consider taking probiotic supplement….. Because I take a lot of medications( chronic pain) I am always cautious and ask the people at our local drug store, the same one that I get all of my med’s from. Guess I should get on that!

4 | Heather

April 9th, 2012 at 8:23 pm

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Andrea, we take Swiss Natural Probiotic Age and it works very well.

My DH is on medication that really plays havoc with his system and would not and could not be without the probiotics.

5 | Tricia

April 13th, 2012 at 9:08 am

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I always take probiotics with me when I travel overseas. I take procautions with my food and beverage consumption, but there are lots of unfamiliar bacteria introduced into your system. I think the probiotics help.

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My name is Andrea and I live in Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Sunny who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. During the day I work as a freelance writer. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

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