All about probiotics, IBS, how probiotics can help IBS symptoms and a great probiotic for IBS!
Today, we’re going to talk about probiotics and IBS. People with IBS often seek relief, and probiotics can be a beneficial tool in controlling IBS symptoms. Learn more about probiotics, IBS, what is my favorite probiotic, and how probiotics can help IBS symptoms.
What is IBS?
IBS is the short name for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which is a common disorder that affects the gastrointestinal tract, including the stomach and intestines. There are varying severities of IBS, including mild to more severe. Common symptoms of IBS include bloating, gas, diarrhea, cramping, stomach pain, and constipation. It is a chronic condition that people have to deal with throughout their lives. IBS can be controlled by managing what you eat, your lifestyle and your stress. If you have more severe IBS, you may need medication.
What is digestive health?
Your digestive system contains trillions of bacteria. Most bacteria are considered good bacteria—the kind that keep you healthy. But you also have bad bacteria. More bad bacteria can cause problems that lead to uncomfortable, even debilitating symptoms, as well as stress that comes from having to deal with those symptoms.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are live bacteria and yeast that are beneficial to your gut health. Probiotics can boost your immunity against infections. To keep it simple in my house, we call it “good bacteria.” Probiotics can be very helpful during and after taking antibiotics. You can choose to take a probiotic supplement or take probiotics in food in less concentrated forms.
What foods have probiotics?
- Yoghurt
- Fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi
- Kombucha
- Pickles
- Hate soup
How do probiotics help IBS?
Our digestive system has trillions of bacteria – some good and some bad. People with IBS have more bad bacteria than good, which can cause many negative gastrointestinal symptoms. Taking probiotics can be beneficial to add more good bacteria to your digestive system to help manage IBS symptoms. It can also help reduce the immune response caused by bad bacteria.
Which probiotic is helpful for IBS?
VSL#3® is an advanced probiotic that has multiple strains of bacteria and more good bacteria that can help balance bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. VSL#3® has 450-900 billion CFUs, while some over-the-counter probiotic brands have 20 billion CFUs or less. It uses 8 different strains of bacteria. It is a refrigerated product that helps keep bacteria alive to increase its effectiveness.
In March 2022, gastroenterologists were surveyed and 93% said their IBS patients were satisfied with VSL#3. These symptoms improved when people with IBS received VSL#3: they had less bloating, overall improvement in symptoms, less pain, and less diarrhea.
Besides yogurt, my favorite way to get probiotics into my diet is VSL#3® in powder form. It’s so easy to add to smoothies and I love knowing my family is getting their probiotics for gut health.
I have been taking a probiotic for years for gut health and what I love about VSL#3® is that it is available in capsules and packages to suit whatever format and power you prefer. Pro tip: you can also open the capsules and mix them into any cold, non-carbonated liquid or food. VSL#3® is special because it is a high-potency probiotic medical food that helps improve gut health and for people with chronic digestive problems such as ulcerative colitis or irritable bowel syndrome.
VSL#3® is a specially formulated probiotic medical food that provides multiple strains of beneficial live bacteria to create the better microbial balance that is so important to digestive health. Many other probiotics on the shelf are single-strain probiotics, however, VSL#3® capsules (112.5 billion CFU) have approximately 10 times more bacteria than the leading OTC commercially available probiotics and a variety of 8 strains of beneficial bacteria. It is refrigerated to maintain potency and uses 8 different strains of bacteria so more good bacteria can survive in the gastrointestinal tract. No wonder it’s the #1 recommended high-potency probiotic brand by gastroenterologists!
*Compared to Culturelle® and Align®
Where to buy from? VSL#3®
You can Buy VSL#3® at www.vsl3.com or in store behind the pharmacy counter at large and independent pharmacies nationwide
Recipes using probiotics
Smoothie bowl with peaches and cream
Homemade yogurt recipe
Give away
The giveaway will be a VSL#3 box to one winner!
This post is sponsored by VSL#3. All opinions are my own.
