The benefits of probiotics are legendary. Probiotics are bacteria, which are essential for life. There are about 1,000 different strains of bacteria, yeasts, protazoa, and various other microorganisms that inhabit your body. This represents about 2kg, 4lbs of your body weight.
Most live in your digestive system, but there are colonies throughout your body, particularly at each orifice.
The function of bacteria is to protect you against any invading bacteria, fungi, or viruses that are not part of your system. Your bacteria are 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 delivery. Babies delivered by cesarean 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 healthy bacteria base.
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 created havoc in the health of the population. This is especially true of babies and the digestive system. It can also lead to obesity, yeast infection, inflammation, and allows a serious infection to take hold because there is no competition.
Fortunately, all is not completely lost. The benefits of probiotics include replacing much of the bacteria that are essential for a healthy body. Freshly picked, unwashed (preferably home-grown or certified organic) raw fruits and vegetables, with their natural bloom, contain a large number of beneficial bacteria.
You can buy probiotics commercially, but you’ll probably benefit more from making them yourself. It is quite simple to make, it is 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, common 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 2-liter (quart) glass/ceramic container with lid
- 1 liter (2 pints) of filtered/rain water
- half a lemon, cut into chunks
- 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
- from a quarter to a half cup of kefir grains (starter) or, if you have a friend with the culture, you can ask them for the next ‘baby’ to produce
- optional extras: 1 sliced fig, 1/4 cup apple juice, or 1-inch sliced banana
Combine the ingredients. Depending on the ambient temperature, it will take 2-5 days for the crop to mature. The best range is within 18 – 28C (65 – 82F). Outside this temperature range, some microorganisms will die.
Savor the culture. When it’s done, it won’t taste sweet. Rather it will taste slightly tart, 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 with water in the fridge for a considerable time.
Bottle the kefir. It will ferment after bottling, so loosen the lid periodically, until you have mastered this process. Kefir will store for years, 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 slim body without dieting, click on the link below.
