The term probiotics comes from the Greek word “for life.” When ingested these living micro-organisms replenish the micro-flora in the intestinal tract. In the past, people ate foods like fresh yogurt and sauerkraut to support their intestinal and overall health. But today the American diet in general is not supported with these types of foods. Instead diets consist of processed, pasteurized and sterilized foods which destroys the helpful bacteria that promote intestinal health. Luckily increased understanding of bacterial effects on the gastro-intestinal (GI) and immune system has led to increased credibility in the use of probiotics over the past thirty years.

Maintaining great intestinal health is akin to maintaining great overall health.

 

Here are some statistics about the intestines:

Some of these bacteria are referred to as "good" and some as "bad". The ideal balance between them is 85% good and 15% bad. The ratio between the good bacteria and the bad bacteria is one of the critical factors in determining optimal health. This ratio is determined by all the things that make up our lives – environment, food, age, stress, health, exercise, etc.  Taking probiotics every day will help maintain this balance.