To Be a Healthy Kid, Takes Guts – Prebiotics, Probiotics, Postbiotics

Birgit Sund
April 25, 2018

ARTICLE SOURCE: https://www.livegrowplayaustin.com/blog/it-takes-guts-to-be-a-kid-how-to-stay-healthy-with-prebiotics-probiotics-and-postbiotics

Boost your immune system, enhance digestion, and fight off any bad bugs that come along

Oh, the tummy troubles of a constipated child. Not fun at all.

While we try to eat healthy, our two little humans do not always agree with our food choices. That being said, it is even harder to add natural prebiotics and probiotics to our diet. Even I cringe at some of them.

Here’s what scientists suggest:

Include more prebiotics, the so called “good bacteria promoters”, in your diet by eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains such as bananas, onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, soybeans and whole-wheat foods.

Include more probiotics, the so called “good bacteria”, in your diet by eating fermented dairy foods including yogurt, kefir products and aged cheeses, and non-dairy foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, or tempeh.

Luckily, if the natural way is not entirely possible, there’s the possibility of adding prebiotic and probiotic supplements to your diet.

It takes guts… to be a kid!

Today’s lifestyle keeps the entire family active from youngsters to their hard-working parents. A strong immune system helps us fight off seasonal illness and maintain healthy energy levels. Like your mother’s advice, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” the best way to deal with the common cold is to avoid it entirely!

It is not just germs that cause kids (and grown ups!) to get sick. A big factor is the strength of their immune response that, believe it or not, starts in the digestive tract where over 70-80 percent of immune system cells reside. Probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that live in the gut, help support the function of these crucial immune cells.

An important aspect of health is how successfully your immune system recognizes and destroys bad bacteria and other pathogens. According to Ross Pelton, pharmacist, author and holistic health expert, one study indicated that people who ingested probiotics for three weeks were shown to have immune cells that were twice as effective as those who did not.

The friendly bacteria help support the function of immune system cells by, among other things, crowding out unfriendly guests like bad bacteria. Probiotics also enhance digestion, which means the body better absorbs all the nutrients it needs from food and supplements. That alone equips the body to stay healthy and more efficiently fight off any bad bugs that come along.

Good Gut Bacteria vs. Bad Gut Bacteria

“Unfortunately, due to overuse of antibiotics, stress, and other modern environmental and dietary issues, most people of all ages have a compromised probiotic population,” Dr. Fred Pescatore, author of the best seller Feed Your Kids Well, said. To maintain good health, the ratio of good to bad bacteria needs to stay at 85 to 15. This ratio is almost impossible to maintain without supplementing with a high-quality probiotic. Dr. Pescatore encourages his patients to look for a supplement that encapsulates the probiotic and its nutritious culture medium as well as the postbiotic metabolites created during the fermentation process.

Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics – Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Postbiotics

Unlike other probiotics, Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics are not cultured in a laboratory. Natural crops and spring water are fermented for three years with 12 distinct probiotic strains that encourage your body’s innate ability to grow its friendly bacteria. This rich culture medium (PRE-BIOTICS) Is then encapsulated along with the beneficial lactic acid bacteria (PRO-BIOTICS) that have developed together over the three-year period, and the resulting nutrients from this fermentation process (POST-BIOTICS).

Postbiotics is a term that refers to the vast array of compounds that are produced by the metabolic activity of your probiotic bacteria. These postbiotic compounds play vital roles in the regulation of health and the maintenance of a healthy microbiome.

Different strains of bacteria produce distinctive metabolites. This is why diversity, meaning many different types of probiotic bacteria, equates to a healthier microbiome and better health for the individual. Dr. Ohhira’s is a multi-strain probiotic, utilizing 12 strains of probiotic bacteria to support the production of a broad range of postbiotics.

With both prebiotic, probiotic and postbiotic supplementation in place, the body’s immune system can see some real benefit, which translates into fewer sick days. That’s great news for the whole family.

Quality Over Quantity

When relying on probiotics to help support immune response, it is vital to pick the right supplement. There are products that claim to contain “billions and billions” of bacteria. That’s not always a good thing though. Providing too much of a single bacteria strain, can actually trigger an immune response; the body treats the supplemented bacteria as a threat. Consumers should also look out for probiotic products that may have undergone manufacturing processes or shipping conditions that render them useless. Avoid some of these pitfalls by finding a brand that has had studies conducted on its own finished product.

Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics and Children

Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics are safe for children. It is a whole food supplement and nothing but fruits, vegetables, and water fermented together for 3 years.  The capsules are very small and easy to swallow or they can be put in a spoonful of yogurt. Some parents use it by rubbing the capsule on their newborn’s gums. Some mothers open up the capsule and spread the probiotics on their nipples when breast-feeding.

Yes, it’s not just germs that make people sick. Poor digestive tract balance can lead to a compromised immune response, making the body especially vulnerable to daily germ exposure. A high-quality probiotic supplement can be a big step toward sound health for the whole family throughout the year.

As healthy micro-ecology is restored, digestion improves and all the body’s organs and cells are able to receive nutrition more efficiently. That can have an incredible effect on whole health and energy helping the entire family to manage a demanding lifestyle.