FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

Probiotics: Beneficial or a Waste of Money?

FitSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Probiotics certainly were a health buzzword of 2008. These healthy bacteria can now be found in all sorts of products from dairy products to energy bars, from cereals to dietary supplements. These probiotic products claim to help with high blood pressure, digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and constipation. The question is, are they worth the money?

Many of the probiotic products on the market don't contain enough of the types of bacteria that studies have found offer health benefits, so they're not worth buying. Products worth your money should contain purified strains of specific microbes, such as B. Animalis (found in Dannon's Activia yogurt), or other specific strains of Bifidobacterium, or Lactobacillus. Check amounts as well. Studies show that doses between 100 million and 1 billion colony forming units (CFU) are effective for improving immune function, intestinal infections, and digestion. Acidophilus Pearls contain 1 billion CFU of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum bacteria, so they're a great option. Since needs differ among people, some folks may benefit from one strain of microbes over another; if the Pearls aren't working for you, here's a list of some other probiotics to try.

Fit's Tip: While probiotics are in no way necessary for normal body function, if you're having digestive issues, you may benefit from taking them. Just so you know, in order to feel the effects you need to take them daily, and it may take a week or two to experience results.

If you have a probiotic product that you use, tell me about it in the comment section below.

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DrSugar Answers: Probiotics?

DrSugar — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:30:00 -0700

DrSugar is in the house and answering your questions.

Hey DrSugar,
Lately I've started seeing various dairy products boast of their products' probiotic content, and they say that two weeks of eating their product daily will fix irregularity. What happens after those two weeks? Are you "cured," or do they expect you to continue consuming probiotics daily to stay regular? Is it possible for your GI system to become "dependent" on these probiotics?
— Pro Probiotic?

This is a great question, since probiotic foods and supplements seem to be everywhere. To see what DrSugar has to say on the subject just

Gut Feeling: Probiotics For Immune Health

FitSugar — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:45:00 -0800

Probiotics seem to be the "functional food" darling of the moment, but it seems to me these healthful microbes might really deserve their super star status. Probiotics add good bacteria to your intestines, helping to maintain the balance between the good micro-organisms and the bad. New research shows that they might be beneficial to more than just your guts. It seems keeping your intestinal flora balanced is good for the overall health of your immune system. The tiny, yet powerful microbes bolster the immune system helping stimulate the production of more killer cells that attack viral infected cells. Sounds like there is a war being waged in our intestines.

To ensure that the good bacteria have a fighting chance, eat foods like yogurt bearing the live and active cultures label or take a probiotics supplement. Don't just go with your gut feeling (sorry about the pun) when shopping for a probiotics. Read the label and make sure the supplement contains at least one billion (yep, one billion that is not a typo) organisms.

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Latest Healthy Dessert Craze: Yogen Früz

FitSugar — Tue, 22 May 2007 02:30:00 -0700

While traveling abroad a while back, I came to know and love Yogen Früz. But have you tried it?

OK, the name sounds weird right -- So what is it? Well, Yogen Früz is an amazingly delish frozen yogurt treat that also contains probiotics, the bacteria that's good for you. You can get low-fat, non-fat or no-sugar-added frozen yogurt and have your choice of fruit blended in and it's really tasty. Yogen Früz has stores all over the world, but none in the U.S. until now. They're finally opening one up over here and guess where? San Francisco! Yipee! I am sure it's going to be a huge hit, which means if you're not lucky enough to live in the city by the bay, I'm sure more will be popping up soon. Check it out online at YogenFruz.com.

Are Functional Foods Worth the Extra Cash?

FitSugar — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 02:00:00 -0700

A lot of us (including me, guilty as charged) are shelling out extra cash for so called functional foods.

Functional food are foods that do more than just feed your hunger, they offer the promise of allowing you to be more regular, get full with extra antioxidants or drop your levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. New studies are finding that these foods may not be worth the extra cash (about a third more per serving extra), if you're already getting a healthy diet rich in fiber.

From yogurt to water to margarine, we're seeing lots of foods labeled to have supposed benefits from things like probiotics to antioxidants. As a consumer it is hard to identify between what we need, what we think we need and what we want. The outcome is simple: If you want to spend the extra money on these functional foods, it certainly won't hurt anything but your wallet. However, if you are eating a diet full of fruits, veggies and dietary fibers (your basic healthy diet) you don't necessarily need to shell out the extra cash.

Probiotics Put to the Test: Which are Worth the Dough?

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 03:30:00 -0700

A lot of us have jumped on the probiotic bandwagon. With all the claimed benefits of those little buggers, how could you not? Problem is, like vitamins, all probiotic supplements are not created equal.

ConsumerLabs.com, an online resource available to help consumers and healthcare professionals evaluate health, wellness, and nutrition products, has put 22 popular probiotic supplements to the test and the findings were not pretty. Seven of the 22 did not meet quality standards of having at least a billion bugs; yup ONE BILLION BUGS while others were sub par for other reasons. The three that passed the test with flying colors in all their bacterial glory are:

Culturelle with Lactobacillus GG ($16.99)
Enzymatic Therapy Acidophilus Pearls ($29.96)
Kal Acidophilus ProBiotic-5 ($7.85)

Buy all three from the VitaminShoppe.com.

Probiotics and Prebiotics: Bugs You Should Love

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 08:45:00 -0700

Are you a fan of probiotics? Maybe prebiotics? What's the difference anyway?

Probiotics - dietary supplements/foods containing good bacteria - are a big trend in supplements today. This is because they can help regulate your digestive system by managing lactose intolerance, preventing colon cancer, lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, improving immune function and preventing infections, reducing inflammation, improves mineral absorption, prevents harmful bacterial growth under stress and improving systems of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Colitis. That is quite a list!!!

The reason is because probiotics assist the body's naturally occurring gut flora (useful microorganisms that live in the digestive tract) that often get out of whack from the foods we eat to the antibacterial soap we use. That's one good bug. Probiotics can be found in yogurt (live & active cultures) and yeast, but they are most commonly consumed in supplement form. You can buy probiotic supplements from The Vitamin Shoppe.

While probiotics are getting increasing popular in the United States, evidence supports that the benefits of prebiotics - Non-digestible food ingredients that selectively stimulate the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon, and improve host health- are a better way to increase good bacterial growth in the gut. Prebiotic foods include soybeans, Jerusalem artichokes, raw oats, unrefined wheat and unrefined barley. Prebiotics naturally occur in breast milk and are believed to play an important role in the development of a healthy immune system in infants.

Label Able: Live & Active Cultures

FitSugar — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 02:00:00 -0800

The labels on food today were standardized to make it easier for us to figure out what exactly we are putting into our bodies. The fact is, reading the labels is still downright confusing so let FIT make you label-able.

When it comes to yogurt, all things are not created equal.

We know yogurt is good for us, but a lot of us are clueless beyond that. You may want to start buying Live & Active Culture Yogurt. To find out why,