In my never ending search to find the most natural ways to support my family's bodies and lives, I have been amazed to discover the wonders that are probiotics. As science expands it's research on the brain, we are learning more and more about how the body really works; and we are finding that one of the most important systems to keep healthy is the gut. The gut, it turns out, affects SO much of our overall health. And the simplest way to maintain the gut? Probiotics.
Probiotics are foods or supplements that provide the body with healthy bacteria. Many people know the gut's health is related to proper digestion, but it actually does so much more than that. Studies have shown links to the gut's role in the immune system, bone growth, memory, learning capabilities, and mental health. Healthy bacteria in the gut help maintain the system, but these bacteria can easily be destroyed by antibiotics or lack of nutrition. Probiotics (whether taken supplementally or through fermented foods like yogurt) restore these healthy bacteria to the body, thus restoring health to the gut and helping balance the body's systems. Studies have shown that restoration of a healthy gut can help treat mental health disorders like anxiety and depression, digestive disorders like food sensitivities and irritable bowel syndrome, and promote proper functioning of the immune system.
So how do you get a baby to take probiotics? Well, Jarrow, for example, makes a baby formula in powder form. My son used to take it in applesauce, although he suddenly hates that now. So, I dissolve it in a little bit of water and add orange juice, which he loves!
