Yogurt vs. Probiotic Supplementation

Can you substitute probiotic supplementation for simply eating yogurt or other probiotic foods?

It is no secret that probiotics confer an enormous amount of health benefits. Conversely, it is theorized that without a healthy colony of these beneficial bacteria in our digestive tracts––something we are all born with––that health problems can result.

Sadly, there are many things that can deplete these bacteria. Poor diet, alcohol, smoking, stress and antibiotics are all implicated in the decline of these bacteria. When these colonies become depleted, that is when it is possible to see some problems arise. 

For example, many practitioners posit that if you have a fungal infection anywhere in or on your body, you likely have yeast overgrowth in the digestive tract. But how would yeast overgrow in the gut? Naturally, we all have a certain amount of yeast in the gut, but these are normally kept in check by the beneficial bacteria also inherent in that environment. When those bacteria get depleted however, this allows yeasts to flourish and from there proliferate. 

So for those on the Kaufmann Diet, or for those who might suspect they have a problem with yeast in the body, probiotics become very important for first helping to eliminate the problem at the ostensible source and then subsequently preventing the return of the problem. 

So how do we get these bacteria into our diet?

Many people realize that yogurt is a great way to get beneficial bacteria into your diet. Yogurt is fermented using strains of these bacteria, and it comes as no surprise that yogurt is known to promote good digestive health. Yogurt is something you can include on The Kaufmann Diet––ideally yogurt from organic, grass-fed cows. It is important to find yogurt without added sugar and containing live bacterial cultures. 

But, is it best to use yogurt in lieu of supplementing with probiotics? 

Interestingly, probiotics are well-known enough for promoting health that even many mainstream medical practitioners often recommend using probiotic supplementation. Probiotic supplementation provides you with a much higher dosage of these bacteria in a small package. You would simply have to eat an unreasonable amount of yogurt or other probiotic foods to get the same amount of good bacteria introduced into your system.

Particularly, as you begin The Kaufmann Diet, probiotic supplementation is definitely recommended in addition to simply eating probiotic foods. It is imperative that as you kill internal yeasts via diet and anti-fungal supplementation that you replenish your gut flora with beneficial bacteria. These colonies will act as your fist line of defense against yeast and fungal overgrowth in addition to providing you with the myriad of other benefits they are known to provide.

There are plenty of great probiotic supplement providers, but Dr. Ohirra’s is a brand that we can confidently recommend using. Their commitment to quality is evidenced by their excellent product, and their probiotics come with benefit of being formulated by some of the foremost experts in the field. Try incorporating their probiotics into your regimen and feel the difference they make!

Other Articles on Probiotics and Gut Health:

The Relationship Between Probiotics and Yeasts

The Fungus Link To Stomach & Intestinal Disorders

Getting Probiotics From Food