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Posts Tagged ‘Health’

Choosing Probiotic Supplements

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

If our diet does not provide us with enough probiotics then we may feel the need to take a probiotic supplement. Probiotics maintain digestive health and comfort by digesting particular substances in the diet and enabling efficient nutrient and mineral absorption. A normal healthy gut has a good balance of friendly bacteria over bad bacteria; however, this balance is fragile. Factors such as stress, dietary habits, medication can all have an adverse effect, increasing the need for some of us to take probiotic supplements daily.

Before getting in-depth into the factors that need consideration, let us understand the myths related to probiotics. Antibiotics differ from probiotics. Antibiotics are taken to sweep out the bacteria present in the digestive track. Antibiotics can disturb the bacterial equilibrium present in the digestive track while probiotics have the power to restore the intestinal flora in human beings. To reap the benefits of thissupplement, you should know how to take probiotic supplements the right way.

Pre-biotics and probiotics are not similar and differ a lot from one another. While Pre-biotics refer to the indigestible carbohydrates that occur in nature, probiotics refer to the healthy gut flora. However, both are very vital and aid in the growth of beneficial bacteria in the digestive track of human beings. Versatile micro organisms colonize the intestine in case of human beings. Some of them are friendly while some prove to be harmful. Practically, human beings cannot get rid of the deleterious bacteria altogether. However, a balance of the harmful and beneficial bacteria can be maintained within the digestive path of the human body. This would keep the body hail and healthy on a long term. Ideally, the beneficial bacteria should constitute 15% of the total bacteria within the digestive path of humans.

This bacterial balance can be well achieved by the probiotic supplements with ease. Of the many hundred types of bacteria that is present in the human gut, the most vital and helpful species is the lactobacilli. This variant of bacterium secretes lactic acid. Commonly found in yoghurt, they help in maintaining the acidic ambience within the digestive track particularly the intestine. Such an environment is very helpful in keeping the deleterious bacteria at bay comfortably.

The hectic and hurry burry lifestyle forces many of us to opt for junk and fast food. The digestive system being very sensitive gets affected due to this unhealthy food intake. Sometimes, it is overstressed as we are amidst the pressurized lifestyle which we are into. This greatly disturbs the gut bacterial balance very badly. Antibiotics prove to be futile since they end up killing all types of bacteria within the body. Birth control tablets intake, caffeinated beverages intake, chlorinated water consumption, inclusion of preservatives and unnatural coloring in food can wipe out the bacterial equilibrium altogether.

Amidst this, taking probiotic supplements is definitely a very wise and a healthy move. But before you choose the probiotic supplement, ensure that the product that you choose has many strains of bacteria in it. The bacterial suspension present in the probiotic supplement should emulate the bacteria in the intestine. The density of bacteria present in the supplement should be high and should never be less than one million per gram of the supplement.

Align daily probiotic supplement can help restore your natural balance, building & maintaining a strong, healthy digestive system. Align is intended for people with healthy digestive function who are looking for help with occasional digestive upsets or who are interested in promoting their digestive health. With Align, you can reclaim your freedom to travel, eat out, and enjoy life without the same interruption of these occasional digestive upsets, and help restore the natural balance of your digestive system. Get more information on Align, please visit at Aligngi.com.

Adding More Color To Your Meals

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

As you learn more about nutrition you may find the issue of eating an appropriately balanced meal to be a bit confusing. There isn’t any, single super food that provides the body with all that it needs. Instead we need to nourish the body with balanced amounts of good, whole foods which provide a variety of nutrients and other beneficial nutritional components to promote good health. Amazingly enough, nature was designed to give us some clues. Many fruits and vegetables are color coded to help identify the types of nutrients found within. By striving to eat a more “colorful” diet, we can better achieve a balanced intake of healthful food and benefit from better nutritional support.

The antioxidant Lycopene provides a red color to some fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes. When the tomato is vine-ripened the color of the meat inside is a very deep red indicating higher levels of Lycopene than what is found in green-harvested varieties. Lycopene has been shown to protect the DNA from free-radical attacks which reduces mutation and incidence of cancerous cell development.

An orange color indicates the presence of Carotenes which are converted to Vitamin A inside the body. Studies have shown that while chemically isolated Vitamin A supplements may exhibit liver toxicity at very low levels, carotenes derived from food have been shown to be safe even at very high dosages. Carrots are an excellent source of carotenes, but remember that cooking damages this antioxidant so raw, or lightly cooked carrots are necessary for optimal nutritional support.

Yellow is the color of Lutein and Quercitin. These nutrients are beneficial for clear vision and good health of the retina and have also been found to have anti-inflammatory properties. They are found in corn, bell peppers, apples and pears, but are also found in many green, leafy vegetables like kale and spinach. Antocyanines are found in foods influenced by the purple color. These antioxidants are important for good blood circulation and health of the retina. Many berries are rich with this antioxidant and again they should be eaten raw for the best nutritional benefit. Finally a scarlet color comes from foods containing the antioxidant Beta Cyanine. An excellent source of this color comes from the beet and has an anti-anemic benefit to those who include this regularly in the diet.

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