Stellar Health
  • Home
  • About Mary
  • Work With Mary
    • Healthier Habits Hour
    • 90 Days to Better Gut Health
    • Heal your bladder
    • Ease your gut, beat the bloat
    • Corporate Wellbeing
  • Clinical testing
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
    • Recipes
  • Get in Touch

Mary's Stellar Health Blog

What’s the difference between probiotic supplements and probiotic rich foods?

9/11/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture

​Firstly, what is a probiotic?

Probiotics are “friendly” bacteria that can promote health in the host they reside in (you!)

What are probiotic supplements and when are they used?

Probiotic supplements are capsules and powders containing researched strains of bacteria that confer a health benefit and are proven to reach the gut alive. They usually contain a mix of commonly researched bacteria like L-acidophilus and Bifidobacterium.

Probiotic supplements can be used to support a specific health outcome.


​Many people consume probiotics in supplement form to achieve specific health outcomes. For example:
  • Saccharomyces boulardii is shown to reduce the duration and severity of diarrhoea 
  • L-Rhamnosus Rosell 1 is shown to balance the gut during antibiotic use. 
  • Other probiotics are formulated to target the bladder and vagina microbiomes.

So as you can see, not all probiotics are the same. This is why I would really recommend consulting a nutritional therapist first before blindly popping pills but here’s a rough guide to what to look for in a probiotic supplement.


​What are probiotic foods?

Picture

​Probiotic rich foods are fermented foods and include:
  • Raw sauerkraut
  • Miso paste
  • Kefir
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Kimchi (pictured above)

Due to their natural preservation method, fermented foods are teaming with a rich array of probiotic bacteria and yeasts. These foods can have a much broader and varied profile of bacteria that’s unique to each batch (some bacteria won’t even have names yet!)

Probiotic rich foods and probiotic supplements both have their place.


​For some of my clients, fermented foods are too strong to start with. For instance, if histamine intolerance or yeast intolerance is suspected, we may need to do some work on the gut before exploring fermented foods. This is when probiotic supplements can be helpful as part of a gut healing plan to help support and rebalance the gut environment. That’s why I love to work with people for a period of 90-days so we can implement changes gradually. Find out more about my 90-Day Gut Health Plan here.

Remember, unpasteurised foods and probiotic supplements are not suitable for everyone e.g. immunocompromised individuals. If you are on any medication or receiving treatment for cancer always check with your doctor first.

Lastly, probiotic supplements and powders are very different to yoghurt drinks (e.g. Yakult) which are usually very sugary and use a lot of single use plastic packaging. These wouldn’t be my first choice.

Interested in making your own fermented foods? Check out the videos in my Facebook Group, The Gut Health Club. You’ll find them saved under “units”.

Want to find out more about probiotics? Check out my previous blog post here.
​Fancy making some probiotic rich soup? Get the recipe for my probiotic ribollita (a delicious, Tuscan "leftovers soup" with a healthy twist) here.
Picture
1 Comment
Michael link
13/12/2021 05:21:44 pm

Great Article! Thank you for sharing this is very informative post, and looking forward to the latest one.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Categories
    Recipes
    Latest News

    All
    90 Day Gut Health Plan
    Bladder Health
    Cancer Prevention
    Digestion
    Digestive Health
    Grow It Yourself (GIY)
    Gut Bacteria
    Gut Health
    Heal Your Bladder
    How I Became A Nutritional Therapist
    IBS
    IBS Help
    IC
    Irritable Bowel
    Meal Planning
    Seasonal Health
    SIBO
    Stellar Beauty
    Stellar Health Kitchen
    Stellar Health Kitchen Garden
    Stellar Recipes
    Stellar Snacks
    Travel
    Travel And Lifestyle
    TV And Radio
    UTIs

    Photo of me

    Hello! Welcome to Stellar Health.

    Here you can follow my thoughts, opinions and ideas on all aspects of nutrition. If you have any questions please get in touch.  You'll also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    April 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    July 2017
    March 2017
    May 2016
    April 2016
    November 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014

    RSS Feed

    Privacy policy here
    Cookie policy here
Mary Cotter, Registered Nutritional Therapist, mBANT, CNHC
Appointments are online by Zoom.
Privacy and cookie policy
Copyright @2022 Stellar Health
  • Home
  • About Mary
  • Work With Mary
    • Healthier Habits Hour
    • 90 Days to Better Gut Health
    • Heal your bladder
    • Ease your gut, beat the bloat
    • Corporate Wellbeing
  • Clinical testing
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
    • Recipes
  • Get in Touch