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Dissecting Probiotics - Acidophilus and Bifidobacteria for Gut Health

It’s good to know a little about different probiotics strains when shopping for a probiotic supplement. Probiotics support the natural microflora balance in the intestines. Probiotic strains promote digestive regularity, healthy bowels, and immune health, but they do not all perform the same health function.

Lactobacilli Probiotics
The best known of this probiotic genus (family) is Lactobacillus acidophilus, a probiotic strain commonly found in yogurt and in many supplements. But there are many types of Lactobacilli, mainly present in the small intestine, and they help:

• Support carb and fat digestion in the small intestine by processing bile acids

• Produce B vitamins and certain enzymes to support digestion

• Support the health of the intestinal lining

Nutri-Health’s Flora Source® features 9 Lactobacilli strains, including L. acidophilus, to provide wide-spectrum small intestine and digestive support.*

Bifidobacteria Probiotics
This family of probiotics is exclusive to the large intestine (colon), and is important for supporting healthy bowels and a healthy transit time through the colon. Bifidobacteria help:

• Produce essential B and K vitamins and amino acids

• Alleviate occasional constipation and support healthy bowels

• Promote a healthy, balanced colon

Flora Source features 5 different Bifidobacteria strains, including B. lactis HN019, which is clinically researched to support colon and immune health.*

There's More!
There are other types of probiotics outside the Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria families. Flora Source includes two of these – Lactococcus lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus – which help break down lactose and promote regular digestion.*

Resveratrol – Not Just in Your Wine

Many people associate the nutrient resveratrol with red wine. And it’s no wonder because resveratrol has been getting a lot of attention in discussions about the “French Paradox” and the health benefits of drinking small amounts of red wine. Part of red wine’s health benefit is in the resveratrol it contains. Read more about the nutrient in Mairi’s blog article here.

But red wine is not the only substance that contains resveratrol. In fact, our power-antioxidant product, Steady Step™, features resveratrol from a different source: Japanese knotweed root.

Resveratrol from Japanese Knotweed
The Japanese Knotweed plant is an excellent source for this nutrient because it grows well year-round and produces potent resveratrol with high antioxidant properties.

The Japanese knotweed plant has been used for some time in Eastern medicine because of its beneficial health properties. Reseveratrol is extracted from the plant’s root.

Antioxidants in Action
Antioxidants help protect cells from free radical damage, which is associated with premature cell aging. Resveratrol is a known as a particularly powerful antioxidant for its free radical fighting properties.

As an antioxidant, resveratrol slows down oxidation (free radical damage). Oxidation breaks down cells causing premature cell aging. The best part about resveratrol is that it works as a protective nutrient for overall cellular health, supporting healthy muscle cells, tissue cells, and healthy circulation in your body.

Don't forget, you can send me your nutient and product questions using the submission form at the right! We love to hear from you! 

Nutri-Health Supplement Ingredients

I get a number of questions on whether our products are vegan (free of animal products). While our products are not certified vegan, most of our ingredients are from non-animal sources.

For example, while many digestive enzyme supplements contain animal pancreatin, we’ve decided to use 100% vegetarian digestive enzymes in place of animal sourced enzymes as a safe and natural alternative. Our herbal formulas are sourced from the finest botanical ingredient providers, such as pure Korean Red Ginseng for the best in herbal support.

We do feature Pure New Zealand Colostrum in select formulas, which is bovine sourced, Lactoferrin – also bovine sourced – and a few other non-vegan ingredients. Our Product Development Team works hard to find ingredient manufacturers that share Nutri-Health’s philosophy of the finest nutrients available with an eye on quality and non-generic alternatives.

If you have any questions about the ingredients in our products, just let me know by posting a comment or using the form to the right.

Probiotic Products and Moisture

The #1 enemy of shelf stable (no refrigeration required) probiotic products is moisture. Moisture activates the probiotic cells in your supplement to begin working in your body, and this is fine as long as the moisture exposure begins after you swallow your probiotic.

But, if your probiotic is exposed to moisture before you swallow your capsule or powder serving, the probiotic cells may become activated too early. Early activation can result in a less potent product.

Where Should I Store my Probiotic Products
It’s important to store your shelf-stable probiotic products in a cool, dry place. I recommend against storing our shelf-stable Flora Source® Multi-Probiotic® and other shelf stable probiotic products in the pantry or a cabinet. Avoid storing your shelf-stable probiotics in:

• the refrigerator (condensation)

• freezer (thawing)

• near the stove (steam)

• the bathroom medicine cabinet (steam)

What's in Your Supplement Capsule?

You might not pay much attention to the capsule that surrounds the nutrients in your supplement, and you could be surprised at what it’s made of.

Many supplement capsules are gelatin based. Gelatin is made from the connective tissue of animals such as hoofs, ligaments, cartilage, etc. This can be a concern for those wishing to avoid animal products in their diet, including their health supplements, but there are alternatives.

Nutri-Health Supplements
Nutri-Health supplements are encapsulated in an all-vegetarian cellulose capsules. Cellulose is the fibrous substance that builds the cell walls in green plants, and so is recommended for vegetarians or anyone else hoping to avoid animal products. Cellulose has no odor or taste and dissolves easily in water, making it an ideal encapsulating agent for health supplements.

Questions? Use the form to the right of this article to send me an email or leave a comment below.

New Zealand Colostrum and Natural Fat

Colostrum in its natural state contains a high amount of fat.  Although this allows it to be easily absorbed by the body, it also requires constant refrigeration so that it doesn’t turn rancid. Some companies remove the fat for shelf stability, which makes it more difficult for the body to absorb. They then must add a certain amount of fat (from vegetable oil or animal fat) back into the product in order to fix that problem.

Nutri-Health New Zealand Colostrum
Our method is to use partially defatted colostrum that allows for absorbability while also allowing for shelf stability. We only use New Zealand colostrum, which has been backed by many clinical studies for human use. New Zealand colostrum is free of steroids, pesticides and growth hormones.

It is important to consider surrounding farms and what they may be using that can leech into water and food supplies when choosing a colostrum product. This is not a worry with New Zealand colostrum as the country is ‘green’ in its farming and ranching methods.

Probiotics for Kids

I sometimes receive questions from our adult customers on whether their children can take Flora Source® Multi-Probiotic®. The answer is yes! Flora Source is great for children of all ages. Based on these suggested serving sizes, it may be easier to purchase our powder version of Flora Source. Or, you can open Flora Source capsules to measure out the quantities below.

Here are the doses we suggest for each age group:

• 1/8 teaspoon for children 4 and under

• 1/3 teaspoon for children ages 5-12

• Ages 13 and above, follow adult suggested use

Taking Supplements on an Empty Stomach

Here are a few benchmarks for taking supplements that suggest you "take on an empty stomach:"

• An empty stomach means to take the supplement at least 30 minutes before a main meal to help support absorption of the nutrients in your supplement.*

• The "optimal" time to take a supplement varies from person to person. Begin at the 30 minute mark but listen to your body.

• Ask yourself a few questions as you experiment: How do I feel if I take my supplement in the morning versus the afternoon? How about first thing, after I wake up? It helps to be flexible at first to determine the "optimal" time for you.

Let me know if I can answer any of your questions!

A Few Flora Sinus Questions

With spring just around the corner, our customers are turning to our Flora Sinus® Seasonal Support probiotic product for effective, natural support during "sinus season." Here are a few of the more common questions I receive on our Flora Sinus product:

Q. Can you tell me more about Flora Sinus Seasonal Support?

A. Flora Sinus® is a clinically based, patent-pending formula combining the support of 4 targeted probiotic strains with the sinus support of N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) for nasal and bronchial health.* Click here for more on Flora Sinus and my personal sinus story.

Q. Are there any known side effects for Flora Sinus?

A. There are no known side effects for Flora Sinus. Flora Sinus contains all natural ingredients, inluding NAC to help break up mucus.*

Q. How soon can I expect to see results with Flora Sinus?

A. Our customers say that they typically see results within 2-4 weeks after beginning Flora Sinus. I tell customers they should definitely know if the product is helping within one bottle (a 30-day supply).

Probiotics and Other Products

A customer recently asked me if our Flora Source® Multi-Probiotic® product would react with any medications or other supplements.

This is a concern for many people beginning a new supplement, and the good news is that there are no known contraindications between Flora Source and any other medications or dietary supplements.

Keep your questions coming! Send them my way using the form in the upper right side of this page or using the comment field below.