'Tis the season for breaking bread, communal festivities,
travel and - yikes - spreading germs!
The holiday season taxes more than our pocket books. Our immune system is
working overtime to fight off the colds and flues
that circulate en masse
this time of
year. As a mom, it can feel overwhelming. With so many negative
messages in the media and on popular brand labels - anti-viral tissues,
antibiotics, anti-bacterial cleanser,
anti- everything - it's hard not to become paranoid about your children getting sick. Instead of playing into the fear, why not focus on boosting
your family's immune system, taking
positive steps to strengthen yourself and those you love.
Through a series of articles, Mindful Mama will be exploring easy ways for you
to support your family's immunity. Sign up for our e-newsletter
to ensure that you receive our weekly health tips, and learn what our
experts have to say about staying healthy during the winter season.
In addition to the three S's - getting
enough sleep, reducing stress and limiting sugar - our experts recommend that you boost your immune system by
adding probiotics to your diet. "Probiotics" are good bacteria that
balance the microflora of your intestines, and literally mean for life. Did you know that more than 70% of our immune system is in our
digestive tract? According to Dr. W. Allan Walker of the Department of
Pediatrics at Harvard University's Division of Medical Sciences, "The
largest component of the immune system in the body resides in the gut ... [and]
major stimulus for the normal function of immunity is the bacteria that
colonize the intestine." And, since "gut bacteria operate on having a
positive balance of good to bad bacteria, the good bacteria will be able to
protect against pathogenic bacteria. Taking probiotics helps support the immune
system by keeping that bacteria that makes us sick at bay," says Hanh
Batt, Pharmacist & Holistic Wellness Counselor.
So where should we turn for probiotics?
While yogurt is often thought to provide an adequate dose of probiotics, most
brands that claim to contain live and active cultures actually contain
probiotics that die before we open the package, and definitely by the time they
reach the stomach. In
order to populate our gut adequately, Dr. Caitlin O'Connor, a Naturopathic
Doctor that
specializes in children's health, encourages daily
probiotic supplementation for everyone, especially breastfeeding mothers and
children of all ages. But probiotics in the form of powders and capsules are
not always easy to get into children, which is why Mindful Mama decided to talk
to Steve Demos, who created GoodBelly.
GoodBelly serves up a healthy dose of
probiotics (20 billion CFUs or 50 billion CFUs guaranteed, depending on the
product) in a juice base. "The way we process food now, since the
Industrial Revolution", says Demos, "eliminated a big source of this
essential component of how our body takes in nutrition. GoodBelly created a
vegan probiotic option, backed by substantive scientific verification in 17
human clinical trials, to effectively deliver what our bodies need to be healthy."
Your kids will love this tasty beverage, and so will you. Because GoodBelly
products are juice-based, they are vegan and will not cause upset if your child
is lactose intolerant. GoodBelly Plus
adds other vitamins and minerals too, which are more easily absorbed because of
the synthesizing qualities of the probiotics.
Making Probiotics Work for You
Not all
probiotic strains are created equal - experiment with what works for you.
GoodBelly's primary strains are Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (Lp299v), which was
originally identified in healthy human mucosa - and is therefore recognized as
a friend to the human gut, and the more familiar Bifodobacterium lactis (Bi-07).
GoodBelly's probiotics have been proven to be safe and effective in over 17
clinical trials documenting their ability to improve digestion and strengthen
immunity. For more information on the different probiotic strains, check out
Enzyme Stuff. http://www.enzymestuff.com/probiotics.htm#5
Know what
strain you're buying and what clinical tests have been done on that strain to
be sure it will have the effect you're looking for.
Look for
the guaranteed probiotic count upon consumption (not just sale). For example, GoodBelly guarantees 20
billion CFUs (colony forming units) per serving. For someone with digestive
flare-ups or who is especially run-down there is GoodBelly's Bigshot 50 with 50
billion CFUs per 2.7 ounce serving. The Bigshot is also great you if you are
already sick or looking for a juice-free, lower sugar option.
Pick a
product that fits your lifestyle. If you are traveling find a product that
doesn't require refrigeration, or drink GoodBelly on the go. GoodBelly Plus is
an excellent addition to lunch boxes, whether for yourself or for your
children.
Follow
the product's directions for dosing and storage.
About GoodBelly
GoodBelly is a proprietary blend of organic fruit juices and
clinically substantiated probiotics. It is dairy-free, soy-free, wheat-free,
and is the first of its kind to be offered in the United States. Since yogurt
is the assumed go-to product for consuming good bacteria, GoodBelly's juice
delivery is a great option for dairy-free, vegan diets.
Plus, kids love the smiley face on the cap. For more product and company
information, go to www.goodbelly.com and
use the site's Store Locator
to find GoodBelly.
Featured Video: How GoodBelly Probiotics Work
(sponsored content)
Take the GoodBelly 12 Day Challenge
Looking for coupons to start you and your little ones on the journey
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