What’s the Deal with Probiotics?


Thank you to Yakult USA for sponsoring this article. Learn why Yakult’s exclusive L. casei Shiorta probiotic strain can make all the difference for digestive health.

Perhaps you are like me and keep hearing about probiotics and wondering what the deal is. I knew they were in yogurt and, well, that is about it. I began learning more when some relatives started making kefir. I even made my own for a while but it never tasted as good as store bought so I never wanted to drink it by itself (although I loved it in smoothies, baked goods and pancakes.) It also took some time every evening and I ended up with way more than I could really use. Still, I knew probiotics were important but wanted to learn more about why. I started doing some research.

What are Probiotics?

“Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a benefit on the host.” Basically probiotics are bacteria, good bacteria, the kind you want to have. These good bacteria help build your immune system and help you stay well and fight disease. To learn more, check out this YouTube video below.

 

How Can I Take Probiotics?

I named a couple ways above, but another way is by consuming a probiotic drink called Yakult. The Yakult brand is special for a number of reasons. Did you know that the probiotics have to reach your stomach alive AND survive the harsh acids in your stomach to do any good? The bacterial strain in Yakult can!

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Do you Know the Strain of Your Probiotics?

Did you know that the strain is important? Take a look at the different probiotics out on the market today. You should be seeing 3 words, the last is the specific strain. Many do not list the strain, only the first two parts and that doesn’t tell you enough. The benefits of a probiotic are strain-specific so get specific when selecting a probiotic! What’s awesome about Yakult is their probiotic drinks contain a specific strain, Lactobacillus casei Shirota, that has 75 years of research behind it. As I mentioned above, it has the ability to actually get to your digestive system alive which is extremely important.

Why Should I Take Probiotics?

Probiotics are important to me for my family because I want us all to be healthy and well, of course. I’m guessing you want the same for your family! We try to eat real, whole foods and build up our immune system with nutrient dense foods. Adding a probiotic drink like Yakult can help balance our digestive systems and, in turn, improve our immune systems as 80% of our immune system is located in the digestive system.

image(2)We recently had the flu bug going around, and we all caught it. The awesome part was my husband and daughter were sick only one night! I normally get sick and stay sick for at minimum of a full week whenever I catch anything. However, I was surprised when I started feeling better by Day 4 and was completely recovered by Day 5. For me, that is pretty good! I think perhaps the fact we had started drinking Yakult the week before made a difference in the length of time we were sick. I can only imagine that perhaps we would have avoided it all together had we been drinking Yakult longer than that.

Test Your Newfound Knowledge!

Let’s see what you’ve learned! Go take Yakult’s Probiotic quiz, and you’ll be rewarded with a free trial offer so you can try Yakult yourself! My family has tried both Yakult and Yakult Light and have enjoyed the delicious citrus flavor. I prefer the regular Yakult but if you prefer not to consume sugar, Yakult Light (sweetened with Stevia) might be more to your liking.

This is a paid post sponsored by Yakult USA and Technorati. I received a free 10-day supply of Yakult Probiotic Drinks to complete my review. Although I have been compensated to help spread the word about strain-based probiotics, all opinions expressed here are genuine and my own.

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