It’s important to recognize that the term “probiotic” refers to a broad category of all the various beneficial bacteria and microorganisms found in the gut. That means every probiotic supplement is unique in terms of the effects it will have in the body and on the individual.
It’s also important to recognize that not all types of probiotics are equal. For instance, there are many different strains of lactobacillus acidophilus which research shows has differing effects. So just because a person took something with acidophilus and didn’t notice any benefits, doesn’t mean another strain like the DDS-1 couldn’t be highly beneficial.
Some studies have even shown different people taking the same probiotic supplement had vastly different results. Since the area of probiotic supplementation is fairly new, this means that it will likely take some time for science to really get a handle on how to diagnose which probiotic someone would benefit from the most.
I firmly believe the best place to start healing the gut and getting the benefits of probiotics is through the inclusion of cultured foods like sauerkraught, kimchi, kefir, and other fermented foods. These foods also provide far more bacteria per serving than a typical over the counter supplement will. So consider supplements to be just that, a supplement to a diet already rich in good bacteria from foods.
Best Supplemental Probiotic Products
Here is a list of some of my favorite probiotics. Note, there are plenty of other good ones out there and this is not mean to be an exhaustive list of every good probiotic supplement.
1. Saccharomyces Boulardii
Saccharomyces Boulardii is a great probiotic yeast to start with because it stimulates sIgA production. (see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11021572) This is important for signaling to our immune system what bacteria are in our gut. To make a long story short, this enhances the benefits of all the other probiotics you will take. Without adequate sIgA signaling however, the probiotics won’t do their job as well.
2. Lactobacillus GG
Lactobacillus GG (brand name Culturelle) is one of the most researched and time-tested strains of bacteria with over 400 studies done on it. It’s well noted for its immune enhancing effects, improvement of digestion, and it’s ability to successfully survive the digestive track intact to colonize the gut. It has been shown to aid in fighting infection and improve the skin with conditions like eczema. It is my number #1 recommendation when starting probiotics as there are few if any that can match the research backing it has.
3. Bifantis – Bifidobacterium infantis
Bifantis (brand name Align) is well-known for its benefits on digestion. It is great for those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. This is typically the first probiotic to recommend for digestive issues.
4. L. Acidophilus Strain DDS-1
The DDS-1 strain is a highly researched strain of L. Acidophilus that is of human origin. This means it works well within the human body and can tolerate transition through the digestive track. Like other strains, research has shown it is extremely beneficial for gut-health as well as enhancing the immune system.
Utilizing formulas are a good way to introduce a variety of strains into the gut. While I recommend started with the previous single-strain probiotics due to their extensive research, these following formulas may offer benefits to those looking to experiment with other popular strains of bacteria.
Custom Probiotics
One of my trusted health mentors believes this to be one of the absolute best probiotic supplements he’s ever used. He’s stated that the response people get when taking it is almost instantaneous in how they feel.
Jarro-Dophilus EPS
Called the #1 probiotic in the US. It is shelf-stable with a good mix of 8 different bacteria strains.
Natren Trinity
Natren is also the only company I’ve seen to have the Malytho superstrain of Bifidobacterium bifidum. While the product is expensive, some people swear by it.
We here at Excuse Proof Fitness (Derek and Shane) LOVE our goji berries, also known as wolfberries or by their Latin name Lycium Barbarum.
Not only are they great because of their delicious taste, but they have some incredible health benefits. Goji berries are one of the most prized herbs in Chinese medicine for longevity. They are an adaptogenic “herb” which means they help balance the body’s chemistry and resilience to stress.
Now, I won’t go overboard and claim they are going to fix all of one’s health problems like some overzealous health gurus out there are saying, but a few thousand years of successful use in China for improving overall health and well-being leads me to believe there really is something to this fruit, and anyone who’s tried them on a regular basis can likely attest the same. I’ve even heard stories saying that Tibetan monks who study Chinese medicine have said if one is going to start studying any herb in Chinese medicine, study the goji berry first.
But if you’ve ever tried Goji Berries bought from a local health food store or vitamin store, you may find them to be very dry, somewhat bitter, and not particularly all that enjoyable by themselves.
I felt the same until I found what I consider to be the best Goji Berries out there, Dragon Herbs Heaven Mountain Goji Berries. I have no association with Dragon Herbs, but we as well as some other goji fanatics found them to be the best because they are:
A) Much more moist than the typical hard-as-a-rock gojis
B) Fresher
C) Come from the original source of Goji Berries in Tibet.
Best Places To Buy Goji Berries Online
Having a local Dragon Herbs here in LA makes getting access to them easy. But you can actually find them at the best price online through iHerb, one of my favorite online supplement retailers. Considering they are pretty much the same price as most other goji brands, I figure you can’t go wrong.
Note: First time iHerb customers save $5 on their first order through that link
Other Places To Purchase Goji Berries
Goji berries are popular enough that you can find them in most major health food stores like Whole Foods and supplement retailers. The price will be higher and typical gojis don’t taste that great, but if you buy in bulk or just before expiration you can find good deals and the health benefits are still there in the drier gojis.
How Much To Take
The health benefits of goji berries can be obtained with just an ounce or two a day. That makes a typical 8oz bag last a week. So factoring that in, you’re looking at spending a few dollars a day to get your goji fix. Not bad when you can consider them a “supplement” that far exceeds any multi-vitamin. But that being said, we realize they’re not within everyone’s budget.
If you’re looking for a good alternative adaptogenic herb that’s more budget friendly, I highly recommend the herb Ashwagandha as the Sensoril extract. It amounts to a few bucks a month and has been shown in research to have a pretty powerful effect at reducing excess cortisol, the primary stress hormone. This is due to its adaptogenic nature similar to goji berries. While they don’t offer quite the exact same health benefits, Ashwagandha is worth taking regardless as an all around general health tonic.
Note, some cortisol is necessary and the beauty of herbs like Ashwagandha is they keep things in balance without dropping hormone levels too low or raising them too much.
It doesn’t get much easier (or tastier) than this!
Getting Raw Greens To Taste Great
I have a confession… I HATE raw dark leafy greens like spinach. Despite their numerous health benefits, I had the hardest time finding a way to make greens like spinach taste good.
If I decided to cook spinach, I’d end up with a slimy nasty mess. And if I kept it raw and made a big salad, it was time consuming, boring, and something I would have to force myself to eat.
So what’s a health fanatic to do? Well, I developed a super ninja tactic that turns any leafy green like spinach into a downright delicious meal, all in about a minute. Using this technique, I’ve unlocked the secret of how to make spinach taste great and I actually look forward to chowing down on a bunch of greens.
Granted, I may just be weird for not liking spinach and perhaps you love raw greens. But either way, when you learn how to make any healthy food like spinach taste better, you’re far more likely to eat healthier on a regular basis.
But before we get to the recipe, let’s cover briefly why you should be making an effort to get a crap-ton more dark greens and spinach into your diet.
Health Benefits of Spinach and Dark Leafy Greens
Chlorophyll – Chlorophyll, the pigment that give greens their green color, is a wonder compound all in its own. Chlorophyll can increase the production and quality of red blood cells, has been associated with reduction in cancer, it prevents free radical damage (aging), detoxifies heavy metals, helps fight infection, provides magnesium, and does more than could possibly be listed here. All-in-all, eat more greens!
Cancer Protective – The abundant flavonoids in spinach have been linked to protecting against cancer. Leafy greens are some of the most powerful cancer fighting foods on the planet.
Nutrient Dense – Spinach and other leafy greens are constantly ranked as some of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. That means you get a lot of nutrition without a lot of calories. This is particularly important for fat loss as the fiber in these greens can fill you up while the vitamins and minerals can nourish you so you don’t feel deprived even if you’re eating less calories.
Bone Strength – Spinach is one of the richest sources of vitamin K which works to keep the bones strong.
Quick and Easy Sixty Second Spinach Salad Recipe
See video above for the basic run-down of how to make the salad.
The basic recipe is as follows:
Ingredients:
6-8oz of leafy greens, spinach was used in this video
1/2 teaspoon of unrefined salt
Toppings of choice (dried fruit, berries, garlic, chopped cucumber, etc.)
Dressing of choice (coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, dried spices, salsa, etc.)
Directions:
1. Add a pinch of salt to spinach and crush down with your hands.
2. Add toppings as desired. In the video, I use salsa, dried “Italian spices,” and a little bit of curry powder.
3. Mix the wet toppings like the salsa with the spinach and enjoy!
This recipe is great not only because it improves the flavor of the spinach, but also because it condenses it down into a much smaller size making it easy to eat quickly. Now you can easily get in 8 – 16 ounces of spinach in a single sitting or all in a matter of about 5 minutes. Try to eat a regular spinach salad with a pound of spinach and see how long it takes you!
Variations of The Sixty Second Salad
1. Use Kale, Romaine Lettuce, or any other dark leafy green in place of spinach.
2. Add coconut oil for enhanced fat loss.
3. Use healthy homemade sauces like greek yoghurt combined with onion soup mix for a “onion spinach dip.”
4. Get creative and add in whatever spices, flavorings, and sauces you can think of.
As a special free gift to my readers, Dave Ruel and Karine Losier has provided a free pdf ebook with 7 great fat loss cooking tricks to download including some great home-made salad dressings to use on the sixty second spinach salad. Just right-click this link or the image and save to your computer.
What Is Hypothyroidism and Do You Actually Have It?
Hypothyroidism is one of the most common reasons people give for not being able to lose fat. While it can be scoffed at as merely an “excuse” for not following a proper diet or exercise program, it is nevertheless a very real condition that is relatively common.
Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones. It is usually characterized by having insufficient T4 (thyroxine) and raised TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) which has increased in order to raise T4 levels. While this is a simple explanation, it is extremely insufficient to cover the wide range of thyroid problems as there are many variations of hormone imbalances that could be responsible for an under active thyroid.
Difficulty losing weight is the most notable symptom of an under performing thyroid, but some other common symptoms include constipation, sensitivity to cold and cold skin, fatigue, dry skin, brittle nails, and decreased immune function.
Home Test For Thyroid Insufficiency
A simple home test that can be done is something called the “Barnes” test. It is done by taking your temperature under the tongue first thing in the morning. 97.2-98.2 is considered normal. If you find your temperature falls below this, that may be a sign of under-active thyroid. Menstruating women should only take this test the 2nd or 3rd day after menstruation begins.
The Best Supplements To Increase Thyroid Function Naturally
Perhaps you’ve done the Barnes test or ideally gone to a Dr. and determined your thyroid function isn’t what it could be. While drugs are a potential fix, they doesn’t always address the underlying root cause of a thyroid condition.
Luckily, there are many great natural things that can be done to boost thyroid function safely, and improve health at the same time. The great thing about these supplements is that they are safe and effective for anyone to take regardless of their thyroid health.
Natural Thyroid Booster 1 – Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is quite possibly my favorite herb to take for overall health and healthy weight loss. It is an adaptogenic herb which means it helps the body cope with stress, reduce cortisol levels (another cause of abdominal weight gain), and improve the thyroid function. It is safe, affordable, and the extract has been shown to be highly effective both in reducing cortisol levels and in subjective experiences of increased energy. Given that it helps not only the thyroid but the adrenals as well, it makes an excellent all around “must-have” tonic herb that everyone can take.
Iodine is the most important mineral for thyroid function. Without enough iodine the body cannot produce enough T3 (thyroxine) a thyroid hormone. While it’s been said in mainstream medicine that iodine deficiency is usually not a problem, the work of researchers such as Dr. David Brownstein and Dr. Guy Abraham have shown that supplementing with higher doses of iodine is not only safe, but very effective in treating many thyroid conditions.
Considering that in many Asian countries the intake of iodine rich sea vegetables is much higher than in other countries and they don’t suffer ill effect, it leads me to believe that increasing iodine can be beneficial and prudent when done through quality sea vegetables like kelp or dulse. Taking Lugol’s or Nascent iodine is another option, but one I recommend a bit more caution with as it can be too powerful for some.
Dose: 2-4 tablespoons of kelp or dulse, or 1mg iodine and work up to more a day.
NOTE: Iodine works with other minerals like zinc, magnesium and selenium. Adding in a few brazil nuts for selenium can help assist the functioning of iodine in the thyroid. Magnesium is an extremely common deficiency and I suggest taking 200-400mg a day.
What better way to improve the thyroid than to take an actual thyroid? It may sound strange, but taking glandulars (the glands of an animal) has actual been shown to improve the same gland in the body. The reasons for this could be many, but the take home point is that freeze-dried bovine thyroid could be beneficial for those needing a boost to their own thyroid function. It’s also worth noting that our ancestors would have eaten the organs and tissues of the animals they ate. This obviously goes without saying, but this supplement choice is not vegan friendly so if that’s an issue, stick with the other options as this isn’t necessary.
Coleus Forskohlii contains an active compound called forskolin which has been shown to improve thyroid function and increase fat breakdown with little to no side effects. It increases thyroid hormone production as well as stimulates the release of the thyroid hormones. It is also useful for other conditions such as cramps, high blood pressure, boosting the immune system, and for improving blood flow to the brain.
10-30 mg a day.
Getting Tested For Your Unique Supplement Needs:
While I can offer general advice for addressing various deficiencies, getting objective analysis of your own needs is often the best course of action. Getting a test done to determine any potential nutritional deficiencies can help you find what you’re low in, and avoid wasting your money supplementing on things you don’t need or worse yet, getting too much of something and throwing things off-balance.
Check out http://spectracell.com and schedule a mineral analysis to find what you may need to supplement with.
Top Foods and Diet Tips For Thyroid Health
A healthy diet is one of the most critical aspects of a health body and healthy glands. Luckily, there are a few things we can do to improve the diet to boost thyroid function. These things include what we can add in, as well as things to look out for and minimize.
Natural Thyroid Booster 5 – Coconut Oil
Using coconut oil in place of vegetable oils and other fats can not only offset the negative effects of those oils, but provide its own benefits. In fact, this fat can actually help you lose fat! Well if you’ve been following the natural health movement in recent years, you’ve probably already heard about the benefits of coconut oil. If not, check this out.
Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain triglycerides which have been shown to reduce fat and improve insulin sensitivity.
Dose: 1-3 tablespoons a day.
Bonus Natural Thyroid Booster – Goji Berries
While goji berries aren’t directly a “thyroid boosting food,” their indirect benefits make them incredibly worthwhile. They’re rich in antioxidants, are associated with longevity, and are powerful adaptogenics which help bring everything back into balance. You’ll see that I’m a big believer in adaptogens as they work with the body rather than forcing it to do something like a drug does. This means over time they help correct disorders and are safe for anyone to take regardless of their specific health concerns.
Whether or not a person suffers from thyroid problems, taking more foods like goji berries can have a huge impact on overall health and well-being.
Foods To Watch Out For
Goitrogens – Goitrogens are found in foods like the cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, kale, brussels sprouts) and are best limited for those suffering from hypothyroidism. That being said, so long as these foods are cooked that will significantly reduce the level of goitrogens.
Soy – Soy also has a negative effect on thyroid function. It’s best to be reduced or eliminated.
Vegetable Oils – The oxidation caused by vegetable oils like canola, sunflower, and soybean oil can reduce tissue response to thyroid hormones.
Overcoming Weight Issues
A sound diet and exercise program are the best bets to overcoming weight issues for anyone regardless of their thyroid health. The problem however with typical recommendations to “eat less, exercise more” is that, when a person has a underactive thyroid, simply eating less won’t do. They must take the necessary steps to boost thyroid function, and engage in a diet that doesn’t cause metabolic shutdown.
You can also just follow the healthy eating and lifestyle tips found in my free survival guide which will give you a good start.
Getting Professional Help
If you’re truly worried about the health of your thyroid, please seek the professional care of an integrative physician. You can find a physician through acam.org or ICIM.
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Reader Comments: What are your favorite natural thyroid or metabolism boosters?
