Picture your gastrointestinal tract, meaning your stomach plus your small and large intestine, as Dodge City in the western movie. There is a constant battle going on between the good and bad bacteria in your gut. The good bacteria, known as probiotics, keep your gut a balanced, happy, and healthy place for the “town folk” to live. While the bad bacteria, if allowed to take over your gut, like the bad guys in the western movie, will create havoc and make your gut a bad place to be.

We obtain good bacteria in our gut from foods like: yogurt, fermented and unfermented milk, miso, tempeh, and some juices and soy beverages. Culturally traditional fermented foods like German sauerkraut and Korean Kim Chee are also rich in probiotics.

Sauerkraut contains good bacteria or probiotics

Antibiotics kill good and bad bacteria in our gut. If you have a history of taking antibiotics, or if you are taking one now, you will definitely need to take probiotics to reintroduce to get the “good guys” back in your gut. Also, “unfriendly” disease-causing bacteria like yeasts, fungi, and parasites can also upset the delicate balance of good and bad bacteria in our gut. So eat more probiotic rich foods. Choose organic diary foods like cheese, milk and yogurt which do not contain antibiotics. Use antibiotics only as directed by your physician.

Having enough good bacteria in your gut, such as lactobacillus acidophilus (a common probiotic), has been shown in recent studies to assist with greater weight loss following weight loss surgery and following pregnancy.  Additionally, probiotics are used to treat diarrhea; prevent and treat bladder, intestinal, and vaginal infections; treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); reduce recurrence of bladder cancer; and to prevent and control eczema, especially in children. All this from bacteria? Absolutely!

Following any type of weight loss surgery, I recommend you take 5-15 billion cfu (units) of lactobacillus acidophilus per day to maximize your weight loss potential following surgery. My recommendation is based on a 2009 study published in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, which shows significantly greater weight-loss following gastric-bypass surgery in patients who were placed on probiotics. In fact, the study showed 4.5% greater weight loss at 6 weeks post-surgery and a stunning 9.1% greater weight loss at 3 months post-surgery, in those patients taking probiotic supplements.

All you need to do is add just ¼ teaspoon of our UltraFlora Plus DF probiotic powder to a 4 ounce glass of water or add ¼ teaspoon to your daily protein shake to get your daily dose of 15 billion units of good bacteria. You’re now getting the good guys (bacteria) working for you, helping you lose weight and protecting your intestinal health!