Probiotics - Good for Your Gut

Probiotics are the good bacteria in our intestines that help maintain the natural balance of organisms (microflora).  Our digestive tract contains about 400 types of probiotic bacteria that reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and promote a healthy digestive system.  The largest group is lactic acid bacteria, of which Lactobacillus acidophilus, found in yogurt with live cultures, is best known.  Yeast is also a probiotic substance.

For hundreds of years people have been treating stomach and intestinal issues with probiotics through foods such as yogurt with live cultures, fermented soy foods, etc.  There is still a great deal of research to be done to understand what strains of bacteria and yeast actually do work and which ones work most effectively.  However, the good news is that there is currently a lot of research focused on the benefits of probiotics.

A review of 22 studies involving 3,096 patients presented at an annual meeting if the American College of Gastroenterology showed that taking probiotics while on antibiotics may cut the risk of developing antibiotic-associated diarrhea by about 60%.  Another study that pooled 28 studies involving 3,338 patients showed 56% less likely to develop antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

Why?  For all the good that antibiotics do, they also kill “good” bacteria along with the bacteria that causes illness.  A decrease in beneficial bacteria may lead to digestive problems.  The decrease in good bacteria may also lead to other infections such as vaginal yeast and urinary tract infections.  Taking probiotics may help replace the lost beneficial bacteria and help prevent diarrhea and other infections.

Probiotics may also be used to help with other causes of diarrhea, prevent infections in the digestive tract, and control immune response (inflammation), as in inflammatory bowel disease.  Probiotics are being studied for benefits in colon cancer, skin infections, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Are They Safe

Most probiotics are like what is already in a person’s digestive system.  Some have been used for a very long time, such as fermented foods and cultured milk products.  These do not appear to cause illnesses.  More studies are needed on the safety of probiotics in young children, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems.

I am a Mom who saw the benefits of probiotics in my very young son when we seemed to have every tummy issue that a child could have.  I have also seen probiotics help children not only with diarrhea from antibiotics, but general health recovery after being sick.  This is of course the reactive side of health, where we start taking a probiotic supplement to prevent diarrhea, intestinal issues, yeast infections, etc.  But could we prevent some issues if we were more focused on getting and keeping the beneficial bacteria environment in our digestive system with the foods that we eat?  Here are some foods that can help you keep the beneficial bacteria working for you:

Yogurt

Yogurt is the most familiar source of probiotics, or “good” bacteria like lactobacillus or bifidobacteria that keep a healthy balance in your gut.  You can pay extra for special digestive yogurt brands, but any with “live and active cultures” listed may help.

Sauerkraut

This fermented cabbage contains the beneficial microbes leuconostoc, pediococcus, and lactobacillus.  Choose unpasteurized sauerkraut because pasteurization (used to treat most supermarket sauerkraut) kills active, beneficial bacteria.  Sauerkraut, and the similar but spicy Korean dish, kimchi, is also loaded with immune-boosting vitamins that may help ward off infection.

Miso Soup

This fermented soybean paste really can get your digestive system moving.  Probiotic-filled miso reportedly contains more than 160 bacteria strains.  It is often used to make a salty soup that is low in calories and high in B vitamins and protective antioxidants.

Soft Cheese

While potentially good for your digestion, not all probiotics can survive the journey through your gastrointestinal tract.  But research finds the lactobacillus strains in some fermented soft cheeses, like Gouda, are hardy enough to survive.

Kefir

According to legend, kefir dates back to the shepherds of Eurasia’s Caucasus Mountains.  They discovered that the milk they carried had a tendency to ferment into a bubbly beverage.  Kefir is thick, creamy, and tangy like yogurt and has its own strains of probiotic bacteria, plus a few beneficial yeast varieties.

Sourdough Bread

San Francisco’s famous sourdough bread contains lactobacilli, a probiotic which may benefit digestion.  Maybe you should give the tangy bread a try on your next sandwich.

Milk with Probiotics

One of the easiest ways to get probiotics in your diet is by adding acidophilus milk.  This is simply milk that has been fermented with bacteria such as lactobacillus acidophilus.  Sometime it is labeled sweet acidophilus milk.  Buttermilk, generally milk that is cultured with lactic acid bacteria, is also rich in probiotics.

Sour Pickles

For a probiotic-packed pickle, opt for naturally fermented varieties where vinegar was not used in the pickling process.  A sea salt and water solution encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria and may give sour pickles some digestive benefits.

Tempeh

Tempeh is made from a base of fermented soybeans.  This Indonesian patty produces a type of natural antibiotic that fights certain bacteria.  Tempeh is also very high in protein.  It has a smoky nutty flavor, similar to mushrooms, and can be marinated and use in meals in place of meat.

Probiotic Supplements

Besides finding probiotics in food, you can also find probiotic supplements in capsule, tablet, powder, and liquid form.  While they do not provide the additional nutritional value that food can offer, they can be useful if you do not consume many of the probiotic containing foods.  If you are interested in taking probiotics, talk to your doctor.  If you are acutely ill or have immune system problems, you may want to be cautious about consuming probiotics.

Prebiotics

While probiotic-foods contain live bacteria, prebiotic foods feed the good bacteria already living in your digestive system.  You can find prebiotics in foods such as asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, bananas, oatmeal, red wine, honey, maple syrup, and legumes.  Consider eating prebiotic foods on their own or with probiotic foods to perhaps give the probiotics a boost.

Resources:  “Probiotics May Help Prevent Diarrhea in Patients on Antibiotics” by Charlene Laino – WebMD Health News; Best Sources of Probiotics – WebMD; “What are Probiotics” - WebMD

WORKING PROBIOTICS IN...

Here are some great ways to incorporate some probiotic foods into your diet:

• Yogurt topped with low-sugar/low-fat granola and fresh berries
• Nitrate-free turkey breast sandwich on rye bread topped with sauerkraut and provolone cheese
• Add a dollop of yogurt on your favorite chili or soup
• Smear some warm toasted whole grain bread with a soft cheese and serve with soup or top with veggies to make a delicious vegetable sandwich
• Top sour dough bread with soft cheese and your favorite sandwich toppings and pop it into a toaster oven for warm and toasty lunch

Personality Traits and Extra Pounds

Recently there was an article in the Wall Street Journal regarding personality traits and how they may encourage extra pounds and certainly make it difficult to achieve weight loss.  The great news is that the more research that is done on the connection between personality and habits that lead to obesity, the more we can focus on ways adjust or change our personality and habits to achieve success.

Losing weight is simple:  Eat less and exercise more.  Why that's so difficult for so many people is embedded deep in the human psyche.

A growing body of research is finding intriguing connections between personality traits and habits that can lead to obesity.  The same parts of the brain that control emotions and stress response also govern appetite, several studies have shown.  Early life experiences also set the stage for overeating years later, researchers have found.

"If we can understand how personality is contributing to weight gain, we can develop interventions to help people deal with it," says Angelina R. Sutin, a researcher at the National Institute of Aging who led a study published last year comparing the body mass index, or BMI, and personality traits of nearly 2,000 Baltimore residents over 50 years.

In the study, those who scored high on neuroticism - the tendency to easily experience negative emotions - and low on conscientiousness, or being organized and disciplined, were the most likely to be overweight and obese.  Impulsivity was strongly linked to BMI, too:  The subjects in the top 10% of impulsivity weighed, on average, 24 pounds more than those in the lowest 10%.  People who rated themselves low on "agreeableness" were the most likely to gain weight ove the years.  The study was published in July in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

The link between emotions, food and weight control starts at a very early age.  Toddlers who had low-quality emotional relationships with their mothers are more than twice as likely to be obese at age 15 as those who have closer bonds, according to a study of 977 children funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and published in the journal Pediatrics this month.

Untangling emotions about food may seem daunting, but some therapists say it can be effective in the long run.  "You don't have to change your whole personality.  You just need to change your thinking, which allows you to change your behavior," says Judity S. Beck, president of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Bala Cynwyd, PA.

Several personality traits and behavior patterns set people up for weight gain, sometimes without their knowledge:

The Night Owl

Unless they have the luxury of sleeping late, night owls are often sleep deprived.  That drives down levels of leptin, the hormone that signals fullness, and drives up ghrelin, the hormone that fuels appetite, particularly for high carbohydrate, high calorie foods, numerous studies show.  Even short-term sleep deprivation can make healthy people process sugar as if they were diabetics, according to research from the University of Chicago.  Night owls also tend to skip, or sleep through, breakfast, missing an important chance to get their metabolism going early, and they often snack far into the night.  That sets the stage for "night-eating syndrome," when people consume a significant portion of their daily intake after dinner, which is associated with obesity and diabetes.

• The Fix:  Shifting one's biological clock is tricky.  Start by foregoing caffeine after noon, keeping lights, TV and other electronics low in the evening and scheduling can't-miss appointments very early.  Or simply declare the kitchen off limits after 9pm.  Staying up late may lose some of its appeal.

The Stress Junkie

People who thrive on competition and deadline pressure may seem high-powered, but what powers them internally are adrenaline and cortisol.  Those stress hormones supply quick bursts of energy in fight-or-flight situations, but when the alarm is unrelenting, they can cause health problems, including obesity.  Cortisol stimulates a brain chemical called neuropeptide Y, which boosts carbohydrate cravings.  It also makes the body churn out excess insulin and accumulate fat, particularly in the belly where it raises the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and other diseases.  People who feel chronically stressed often use food for energy and comfort and rationalize that they've earned it.

• The Fix:  One of the best ways to burn off excess cortisol is exercise, doctors say.  And almost anything that pampers, distracts or relaxes you can serve as a reward, says Cleveland Clinic psychologist Susan Albers., author of "But I Deserve This Chocolate!" and "5 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food." (No. 26: a hot bath; No. 34:  knitting)  "Really, what you deserve is to feel good in your clothes," she says.

The Mindless Multitasker

People who habitually work, read, drive, watch TV or do anything while dining often eat more than they realize.  "Anything that takes our focus off the food makes us more likely to overeat without knowing it," Brian Wansink, an expert on food, marketing and consumer behavior, wrote in his 2006 book, "Mindless Eating:  Why We eat More Than We Think."  He now directs the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University.  His research shows that few people overeat because they're hungry, but because of myriad of other subconscious cues, from family and friends to plates and packages.

• The Fix:  Keep track of everything you eat for several days, then make a committment to only eat sitting down, giving the food your full attention.  Eat slowly.  Put your fork down and assess your fullness level between every bite.  You will likely eat far less without ever trying to diet.

The Giver
People who constantly put other people's needs ahead of their own often become emotionally depleted and seek solace in eating.  Eating coach Karen Koenig, author of "Nice Girls Finish Fat", writes that many of the clients in her Sarasota, FL practice are "untranurturing, self-effacing, unselfish, generous and caring to a fault."  Food works because it's close, it doesn't require burdening others, and it signals comfort and love.  But because it doesn't really fill the emotional void that givers have, they keep eating more and more.  Some "givers" also live in fear of disappointing other people or engaging in conflict, so they try to stifle their own feelings with food.

• The Fix:  Among Ms. Koenig's "de-nicing" techniques are to set reasonable limits on your time and energy; identify your frustrated yearnings and find new ways to take care of yourself.  Venting unpleasant emotions - in a journal or in the mirror - will diffuse them faster than food.

The Perfectionist

Like givers, people who drive themselves to be perfect often use food to relieve the pressure.  And many set themselves up for failure with impossible weight and fitness goals.  Bariatric surgeons say they see a high correlation between perfectionism and obesity; experts in eating disorders say perfectionism is often at the root of anorexia, bulimia and binge eating.  Many perfectionists also engage in all-or-nothing thinking that leads them to get discouraged easily with dieting and seek solace again in food.

• The Fix:  Try to set realistic goals; strive for progress, not perfection, and remember that many people are loved just as much for their flaws as for their best attributes.

The bottom line is that you don't have to let your emotions win the battle, you can adopt behaviors that help you achieve your healthy mind and body.  If you want help in deciphering your emotions and the behaviors that are holding you back, then contact me.  I specialize in helping you understand and change bahaviors so you can achieve health in all aspects of your life.

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?
Here is a quick and easy dinner that also enables you to add some extra veggies into everyone's diet.  This actually works best with leftover rice, so don't forget to make a double batch when you make it on another night.

Chicken Fried Rice
Servings:  4

Ingredients:
2 T Extra virgin coconut oil
1 egg
2 chicken breast halves, diced
1 t garlic, chopped
1 t ginger, chopped
1 lb bag peas and carrots
1 bunch green onions
2 cups brown rice, prepared
3 T low-sodium soy sauce or Liquid Aminos

Directions:
Heat a wok or a large skillet over medium high heat.  Beat egg in small contain and add the chopped white part of the green onions to the eggs.  Add 1 T of oil to pan and quickly scramble egg.  Remove egg from pan.  Place pan back on heat and add 1 T of oil.  Add garlic and ginger and saute briefly.  Add chopped chicken breast and saute until cooked through.  Add 1 T soy sauce and stir.  Add rice, peas and carrots and 2 T of soy sauce.  Stir together and heat veggies through.  Add scrambled egg back to pan and stir to combine.  Serve immediately.

Tip:
This recipe stores great in the fridge.  Make a double batch and store for another night in the week or a great lunch.

Here's to fresh, fast, and fantastic food!