Friendly Flora

1
Friendly Flora
2
Gut Flora?

• 100 trillion bacteria in our body
• Most are not harmful
• Why do we have bacteria in our gut?
• Digest food
• Protect against illness

Probiotics
3
What are Probiotics?

• For Life
• Health benefits to humans
• Cultured or Fermented foods
• Found in yogurt, kefir, some cottage cheese
• Live and Active Cultures
• Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium

4
Benefits of Probiotics

• Health benefits
• Different types of bacteria have different health
  benefits
• May help with
• Healthy digestive tract
• Immune system

5
Health Benefits

• Replenish good bacteria in gut
• - Immunity
• Most of our immune system in our gut
• More good bacteria less sickness
• - Antibiotic-related diarrhea
• Prevent or reduce length and severity
• - Inflammatory and irritable bowel
• conditions
• Relieve constipation

6
Other Potential Benefits

• H. pylori
• Cancer
• Allergy (Milk)
• Cholesterol
• High Blood Pressure

7
Where Can I Get Probiotics?

• Yogurt
• Yogurt drinks
• Frozen yogurt
• Cultured soy products
• Kefir
• Cottage Cheese
• Sweet Acidophilus milk

8
Lactose Intolerance

• Difficulty digesting sugar in milk (lactose)
• Nausea, cramps, bloating, gas, and diarrhea
• Bacteria in fermented dairy digests lactose
• If you are lactose intolerant
• Introduce fermented foods slowly
• Allergy is NOT the same as intolerance
• Those with milk allergy should not try any dairy
  products

9
Yogurt
with L. acidophilus and B. bifidum

• Must be made with starter cultures
• Lactobacillus bulgaricus
• Streptococcus thermaophilus
• Improve lactose digestion
• Additional cultures often added
• Not all yogurt created equal
• Different amounts of live bacteria
• Look for yogurt with added bacteria

Caution High Sugar
10
Yogurt Drinks
11
Frozen Yogurt

• Some brands add live bacteria
• Not as many bacteria as regular yogurt
• Good alternative to ice cream

½ cup Frozen Yogurt 130 calories 1.5 grams fat
½ cup Ice Cream 240 calories 16 grams fat
12
Cultured Soy

• Cultured soy yogurt, smoothies, frozen yogurt
  made from soy milk
• High quality protein, B-vitamins, calcium usually
  added
• Good alternative for milk allergy

13
Kefir

• Cultured drink
• With friendly bacteria and yeast
• Helps improve lactose digestion
• Can be made from any type of milk
• Cow, goat, sheep, coconut, rice or soy
• Kefir has many nutrients
• Protein, calcium, magnesium, and others
• Lifeway Foods adds inulin

14
Cottage Cheese

• Some brands add probiotics
• Low in calories
• High in protein

Nutrition Facts ½ cup of low-fat cottage cheese
80 calories 1 g fat 14 g protein
300 mg sodium
15
Sweet Acidophilus

• Same nutritional value as milk from which it is
  made
• Friendly bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus
  added
• Tastes and looks like regular milk
• Helps ease digestion and symptoms of lactose
  intolerance

16
How Much?

• Clinical studies show that at least 1 billion to
  10 billion bacteria per day are needed
• 4 cups of acidophilus milk
• Health benefits of drinking smaller amounts have
  not been proven
• Problem most food products dont list the amount
  of bacteria they contain
• Consume probiotics regularly

17
Safety

• Generally recognized as safe
• Not recommended for people with delicate or
  compromised immune system
• Increasing probiotics may cause intestinal
  discomfort at first
• Incorporate fermented foods into your diet slowly

18
The Bottom Line

• Daily consumption is beneficial
• Health effects depend on the type of bacteria
• Health benefits must be proven with more research
• Supplements are questionable
• Moderation