Tag: probiotics

Probiotics to add to your Healthy Diet Driven Fit Gym

6 Probiotics You Should Add to Your Diet

Written by Luis Echeverry on April 21, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Transformation.

Probiotics are essential for your digestive health. Did you know there are hundreds of other health benefits of consuming probiotic-rich foods? Adding probiotic foods can strengthen your immune system, improve digestion, and stabilize healthy weight and healthier skin. Consuming enough probiotics is an important part of your overall diet. Here are some probiotics our nutritional team suggests to add to your diet!

Coconut Kefir

This is made by fermenting the juice of young coconuts with kefir grains. Coconut kefir is a dairy-free option for kefir. It has some of the same probiotics as traditional dairy kefir but generally isn’t as high in probiotics.

Coconut kefir has several probiotic strains that are beneficial for your health. Coconut kefir has a great flavor! We recommend adding a bit of stevia, water, and lime juice to it to make a great tasting drink.

Cultured Vegetables

Cultured veggies like sauerkraut and kimchi may not be diverse in probiotics but are high in organic acids. This is what gives the fermented cabbage and other vegetables its sour taste. These acids also support the growth of good bacteria! Many local grocery stores carry many cultured vegetables which are high in enzymes that aid digestion.

Raw Cheese

Goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, and soft cheeses are particularly high in probiotics. Remember to buy raw and unpasteurized cheeses to receive probiotics.

Related > Should I eat before or after my work out?

Yogurt

Yogurt is possibly the most popular probiotic food. Live cultured yogurt or Greek yogurt is made from the milk of cows, goats, or sheep. It packs a probiotic punch especially when it comes from grass-fed animals and has not been pasteurized.

Miso

Miso is a traditional Japanese spice that’s commonly found in many of their traditional dishes. If you’ve ever been to a Japanese restaurant, you may have seen their miso soup.

This healthy soup blends fermented soybean, barley or brown rice with koji. Koji is actually a fungus. The fermentation process can take anywhere from a few days to a few years to complete. In addition to soup, Miso can be spread on crackers, in place of butter or just about anywhere you want!

Apple Cider Vinegar

This is great for controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes. Apple cider vinegar may even help with weight loss and maintenance. It is also a great daily addition that will bring many benefits to your body that include providing probiotics. You can add this into your diet by drinking a small bit each day or using it as a salad dressing.

Related > Healthy Foods to Always Keep in Your Pantry

If you never would have thought that Apple Cider Vinegar was a natural probiotic or that any of the other five were, contact our South Tampa gym and wellness studio to find out what other foods you can use to aide your body’s health!

We don’t just get you fit with personal training sessions our nutritional team helps ensure you fuel your body the right way to help you achieve your health goals. Call/text Team Driven today!

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What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Written by Luis Echeverry on September 23, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle.

Leaky gut is a disorder in which the lining of the small intestine develops damage, which causes undigested food bits, poisonous waste and bacteria to “leak” through the intestines and overflow into the blood stream. Autoimmune responses can appear in the body including allergic reactions, inflammatory, migraines, irritable bowel, eczema, chronic fatigue, food allergies, rheumatoid arthritis and more due to these foreign substances entering the blood.

Symptoms of a Leaky Gut

With leaky gut, impaired cells in your intestines cannot produce the enzymes needed for good digestion. Which means, mal absorption of important minerals and nutrients. This can lead to a weakened immune system and hormone imbalances that leave you feeling zapped of you’re your energy.

These are additional symptoms of leaky gut:

Excessive fatigue
Headaches, brain fog, memory loss
Nutritional deficiencies
Poor immune system
Cravings for carbs or sugar
Chronic gas or bloating, diarrhea, constipation
Skin rashes and problems such as eczema, acne or rosacea
Arthritis or joint pain
Depression, anxiety, ADD, ADHD
Autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease or Crohn’s disease

Healing a Leaky Gut

Depending on the severity, you can successfully treat leaky gut syndrome by using food and non-GMO organic supplements as medicine. Here’s how:

Eliminate certain foods that can damage the gut.

Foods that have large amounts of grains in them are more challenging on your digestion which can begin leaky gut syndrome. Some of these foods include rice, wheat, soy, sugar, alcohol and some types of dairy.

It’s essential to remove all allergens and inflammatory foods such as GMOs, un-sprouted grains, synthetic food additives, added sugar, and standard dairy products. Tap water, pesticides, NSAIDS and antibiotics are some of the top toxic exposures you should eliminate.

Replace gut-damaging foods with gut-healing foods.

These easily digested foods support healing and can help repair the lining of the intestines.

Your diet should include:

Bone Broth contains collagen and the amino acids and glycine that can help heal your damaged cell walls.
Raw Cultured Dairy – Yogurt, butter and raw cheese contains both probiotics and fatty acids that can help heal the gut.
Fermented Vegetables – contain organic acids that can help to support the gut.
Coconut Products – are particularly healing for your gut.
Sprouted Seeds-chia seeds, flaxseeds and seeds that have been sprouted are great sources of fiber that can help support the growth of beneficial bacteria.
Alkaline Water– Instead of ingesting any tap or unfiltered water
Healthy fats – consuming healthy fats in moderation like egg yolks, avocados and coconut oil are easy on the gut and promote healing.
Grass-fed beef, lamb and Wild-caught fish like salmon are anti-inflammatory which can benefit a damaged gut.
Fruit – Consuming 1–2 servings of fruit in the morning daily is good on a leaky gut diet.

Fixing Leaky Gut through Lifestyle Changes

Leaky gut syndrome is no joke! Ask your doctor if changes to your diet or adding probiotics will help alleviate your symptoms. You can restore the balance of your leaky gut to feel healthy and rejuvenated again!

Ready to live your best life- free from leaky gut issues? Call/Text Team Driven to learn more about our whole-body approach to your health and wellness!

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Should You Be Taking Probiotics?

Written by Luis Echeverry on March 21, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Transformation.

Probiotics are just about everywhere we look these days, and they’ve been prescribed to treat everything from irritable bowel syndrome to arthritis to skin issues. So it’s no wonder that we’re asking ourselves whether or not we too should start taking a form of daily probiotic supplement or if there something else that we can be doing to improve our gut health. The fitness experts at Driven + Sponaugle Wellness Studio take a closer look…

What Are Probiotics?

We have trillions of microorganisms that live inside us, mostly in our large intestine. Most of them are bacteria. Probiotics are specific live bacteria (and yeasts) in foods that have been shown to contribute positively to overall health, especially for your digestive system.

Probiotics are frequently called “good” or “helpful” bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. When the balance of these bacteria is off, or these microorganisms aren’t thriving, you may experience stomach discomfort. You could also have other health problems such as skin issues, inflammation, or even certain mental health conditions.

Probiotics: How Much is Too Much

Here’s the thing: even though probiotics are good for our gut, sometimes too much of a good thing can actually be a bad thing. If you take too many probiotics, you could experience side effects. These may include a temporary increase in gas and bloating, constipation, and even increased thirst.

Your problem may not be that you’re missing probiotics in your life, it’s that those healthy microbes in your gut aren’t thriving. In this case, prebiotics and fiber would be better suited to your body. People commonly skip these options and immediately start grabbing probiotics.

Alternatives to Probiotics

Prebiotics -unlike probiotics-are not bacterial microorganisms; they are the portions of our food that we don’t digest in the standard sense. Prebiotics are fuel for the microbes inside of us. Being proactive may be what’s needed to kickstart gut function and help you feel relief from stomach discomfort. The good stuff in probiotics won’t be as effective in our bodies without the good stuff from prebiotics! Test what works for you and adjust as you see fit.

Now you’re probably wondering how to find prebiotics? It’s easy. Just look for foods that are high in fiber such as colorful fruits (berries especially) and veggies, lentils, onions, garlic, flaxseeds, and asparagus. Low fiber diets=low prebiotics. In the United States, the average adult only gets about half of the recommended fiber intake. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015 – 2020, men should consume about 38 grams of fiber per day and women about 25 grams.

What’s Next?

Although the jury is still out as to whether or not probiotics should be a necessary part of our wellness routine. If you’re experiencing stomach discomfort, bloating, or other gut issues, try prebiotics first and then look into probiotic supplements and drinks.

Diet and exercise work together. Driven Fit + Sponaugle Wellness can help! For information on our South Tampa wellness center or to meet one of our health & fitness experts, please give us a call at (813) 440-3016.