How Probiotics Benefits Powerfully Impact Your Health – Both Mental and Physical
Natasha Trenev, a strong proponent of probiotics benefits, first came to the United States as a child of immigrant parents from the erstwhile Yugoslavia. She has a fascinating heritage. Her family was in the business of fermented foods for about 750 years. Her father was the official food supplier in the court of the King of Yugoslavia. Though she didn’t want to join the family business, she became interested in Bulgarian and Yugoslavian textbooks on the subject of how bacteria impacts health.
Natasha is a pioneer in the field of probiotics benefits and, in fact, is known as the mother of probiotics for her work in the field since the 1970s. This was well before we knew what we now know about the importance of gut flora and gut health supplements. She ended up joining the family business of traditional types of European yogurt and liquid acidophilus. Natasha joins me on a new episode of The Adiel Gorel Show this week.
The gut-brain connection.
Sugar feeds yeast, which is why eating sugar and high-carb foods promotes the growth of unfriendly bacteria in the gut. Avoid processed sugar for a healthy gut. – Natasha Trenev
Many experts now refer to the gut as the second brain because of how much it impacts mood and contributes to overall wellness. Earlier, the idea was pooh-poohed. It was thought that nothing could pass the blood-brain barrier. Now, however, we know much more about how the gut works. Natasha explains how 80% to 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut, and about 50% of dopamine is made in the gut before being delivered to the brain. Good gut health means that we allow the body to self-heal in a lot of ways. Probiotic gut health supplements can do a lot to help that process.
Gut health reset is negatively impacted by much of what we eat and the kind of environments and lifestyles we have today. Gut health is seen to decline, which in turn could be what is responsible for the sharp rise in chronic disease and weak immune systems. The gut microbiome communicates with and stimulates the immune system. When the gut bacteria balance is not as it should be, the immune system can react inappropriately to benign substances as well. This is why we have so many cases of food allergies and autoimmune diseases around us today.
Natasha shares more information about the kind of bacteria she studied and what she found about how different strains act and react in the gut in my podcast.
Back to the basics of good health.
Right now, the field of probiotics is not very well regulated, and people are not being properly educated about probiotics’ benefits. What we call health food may not be all that healthy after all, points out Natasha. For instance, health food stores often sell foods that may be highly processed and not great for gut health. Even vegan milks, such as almond, soy, or coconut milk, are all highly processed. In a bid to cut out dairy, people replace milk with soy and end up with hormonal imbalances and gut problems.
We need to get back to the basics of good health, says Natasha. We need to remember that digestion starts in the mouth; ergo, proper chewing is important. While a raw food diet may be impractical and difficult to adopt, eating whole, unprocessed foods is important. Eating with friends and family, as a social activity, and without being stuck to our screens, is important.
Don’t miss my chat with Natasha, where she speaks about probiotics benefits, gut health reset, the second brain, and Natren, her probiotics company. Go here to catch a new episode of The Adiel Gorel Show with Natasha Trenev.
