The benefits of probiotics are legendary. Probiotics are bacteria, which are essential for life. There are about 1,000 different strains of bacteria, yeast, protazoa, and various other microorganisms that inhabit your body. This represents about 2 kg, 4 lbs of your body weight.
Most live in your digestive system, but there are colonies all over your body, particularly in each orifice.
The job of the bacteria is to protect you against any invading bacteria, fungus, or virus that is not part of your system. Your bacteria is part of your immune system. Throughout your life, a healthy balance is established.
It is impossible to break down and use food without bacteria. Some vitamins, especially vitamin B12, are compromised without this bacteria.
Babies get their founder bacteria from a vaginal birth. Babies born by C-section miss out on this vital beginning of life.
Breast milk contains a variety of beneficial bacteria that they won’t get when formula fed.
Babies will add to this creation of healthy bacteria by crawling and putting things in their mouths. Added to this is the presence of pets. The overly hygienic practice so common today prevents the baby from creating a base of healthy bacteria.
This opportunity comes only once in your life. Once a child starts eating and creating strong stomach acid, the opportunity is lost.
The excessive use of antibiotics has wreaked havoc on the health of the population. This is especially true of babies and the digestive system. It can also lead to obesity, yeast infections, inflammation and allows a serious infection to take hold because there is no competition.
Luckily, all is not completely lost. The benefits of probiotics include replacing much of the bacteria that is essential for a healthy body. Freshly picked, unwashed raw fruits and vegetables (preferably home grown or certified organic), with their natural bloom, contain a large number of beneficial bacteria.
You can buy probiotics commercially, but you’ll probably benefit more from making your own. It’s quite simple to make, it’s not expensive, and it can be easily stored.
Probiotic supplements tend to contain only two or three bacteria, rather than the wide diversity so necessary for life.
Common probiotics are sauerkraut, kefir, komboucha, and rejuvelac. They come in various forms. For example, regular kefir is milk kefir. But water kefir is easy to make and avoids the use of dairy.
To make your own water kefir, you need
- 1 quart (2 liter) glass/ceramic container with lid
- 1 liter (2 pints) of filtered/rain water
- half a lemon, cut into wedges
- 1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
- 4 tablespoons sugar (use rapadura, palm sugar, brown sugar, etc., instead of white sugar) DO NOT USE HONEY as it will kill the culture
- a quarter to a half cup of kefir grains (starter) or, if you have a cultured friend, you can ask them for the next ‘baby’ they make
- optional extras: a sliced ​​fig, quarter cup apple juice, or sliced ​​1-inch/2cm banana
Combine the ingredients. Depending on the ambient temperature, the crop will take 2-5 days to mature. The best range is within 18 – 28C (65 – 82F). Outside of this temperature range, some microorganisms will die.
Taste the culture. When it’s ready, it won’t taste sweet. Rather, it will taste slightly sour, with just a hint of sweetness. It may taste a bit like wine. It should smell yeasty, earthy, fruity, vinegary, and pleasant.
Strain the kefir, retaining the culture for the next batch you make. It will remain dormant in a glass jar of water in the fridge for a considerable time.
Bottle the kefir. It will ferment after bottling, so loosen the cap periodically, until you’ve mastered this process. Kefir will keep for years, just like wine, if you can keep it that long.
Bacteria are essential for life. Use antibiotics sparingly. There are much healthier options for health care. The goal should not be to kill organisms that interfere with your life. The goal should be to create a healthier immune system so that the organism cannot establish itself in your body. Homeopathy offers you that.
The benefits of probiotics include rebalancing your natural bacteria for a healthier body.
For more information on how to have a healthy and lean body without dieting, click the link below.
