(micro)Biome Break: Probiotics

The best probiotic you've never heard of...

Okay, maybe you have heard of it, but you probably haven't heard that they beat out supplements and synthetics every time. The studies are in and the jury’s out, the best probiotic is (drumroll, please)...

PRODUCE!

That’s right, fruits and veggies! Did you think we were going to hawk the hottest new pill on the market? The one crazy trick that doctor’s hate? Not really our style.

CRUDE gets that we are what our microbes eat.

Isn’t that the saying? Maybe it should be considering the impact diet has on our gut microbiota, or microbiome, the trillions of bacteria that line our digestive system regulating our metabolism, the nutrients we draw from food, and even our mood.

More and more, people substitute fresh fruits and vegetables with vitamin pills and other dietary supplements meant to bridge the nutrition gap. And hey, we get it, the gummies do taste great, but there might be some unexpected drawbacks.

While a number of processed foods in the grocery aisle are fortified with synthesized nutrients (like cereal, for example), a recent study from Tufts University found that people were less likely to die of heart failure and other diseases when their vitamin, magnesium, and zinc intake occurred naturally through their diet. Studies also show that even fortified foods lack adequate fiber and alter the way fats are carried through our body, raising ‘bad’ cholesterol and increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease.

But if pills and fortified foods are meant to replicate the real nutrients, what’s the difference?

Bacteria, of course!

Produce is chock full of it and not the kind that needs washing off. In fact, most of the microbes are inside the fruit and veggies, not on the skin or peels. These whole foods are a natural probiotic, working to increase the diversity of your gut flora which restores and maintains the beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract.

So, while processed meals and vitamin pills are certainly convenient, they lack the healthy bacteria of whole foods and aren’t true substitutes for produce.

Here at CRUDE, we’re all about nurturing your nature and eating natural, whole foods is only one aspect of letting your powerful (and intelligent!) body regulate and repair itself. Give your microbiome a break and hit the produce section before the supplements aisle.

Notice the difference? Share your #BiomeBreak story on social media and show us how you’re caring and repairing your powerful self, bacteria and all.