Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Photo by Jose Soriano on Unsplash Making the same protein shake every morning or before your workout can get boring pretty fast. Shake up your routine by adding superfood powers like Cocoa Hx®, Greens Hx® and Collagen Hx® and InVite®’s Whey Protein Powders into these …
The cold and dry winter weather can be severely damaging to the skin. While you should always pay attention to your skin, it does need a little more TLC during the winter. Winter does bring about some serious challenges to your skin that you need …
If you are like many others, you think grabbing yogurt is both delicious and beneficial; of course its organic and contains live and active probiotic cultures. But how beneficial are these cultures? And how much do you need? Heres what reports are saying.
What are Probiotics?
Probiotics are friendly bacteria that make up the microbiome in your gut or digestive tract and are the key to good health, especially to good digestion and regularity. Bacteria, though naturally present in the body, accounts for two pounds of bio-mass in your intestines, which need a balance of beneficial bacteria to promote good health.
Levels of probiotics decrease with age and can be affected by other factors, including a poor diet and obesity. As the levels of probiotics decrease, problematic bacteria in the gut thrive, which can lead to digestive problems like bloating and gas.
Probiotics in Yogurt
Many probiotic yogurt brands claim that their product contains active, live cultures and many do. But when heat, pasteurization or sterilization is introduced, it kills the bacteria, rendering it useless. While the best kind of yogurt is organic because it does not usually use these processes, you must be aware that different yogurt brands contain different strains of bacteria. Some strains of bacteria may be more effective than others.
The amount of probiotics in each serving of yogurt varies, as well. Yogurt labels do not list a precise amount of colony-forming units (CFUs) (the dosing for probiotics) that are in each serving. Consumer Reports stated in 2011, that most yogurt products contain a wide-range, from 90 billion to 500 billion CFUs per serving. But the amount each person needs daily depends on multiple factors, including your weight and your ailment. So, while adding yogurt to your diet can provide some vitamins, minerals, protein and probiotics, it is unclear if its consumption can do the job of a high-quality probiotic. In order to reap the benefits that probiotics have to offer, you may want to include a probiotic supplement in your diet. Heres what certified nutritionists and naturopathic doctors are saying about superior probiotic supplements.
Probiotic Supplements
According to Archana Gogna, MS, CNS, MBA, levels of probiotics tend to decrease with age and are lowered by factors such as a poor diet and obesity. As these levels decrease, problematic bacteria in the gut thrive. The most important strains of probiotic bacteria include Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and bacillus.
Lactobacillus bacteria inhabit the small intestine, mouth and vaginal tissue. Bifidobacterium are more numerous and are major inhabitants of the large intestine (colon). Both create many important metabolites out of their food and perform a number of functions including burning fat, controlling appetite, fueling digestion and detoxification and support immunity. Bacillus bacteria are spore-bearing bacteria that carry around their own house (and are the only ones to do so). This makes them resistant to heat, moisture, light, stomach acids and digestive enzymes.
When searching for a superior probiotic supplement, make sure that the bacterial strains are non-GMO and that it is a vegetarian formula. The formula should be free of gluten, soy and dairy and contains five of the most important strains of bacteria. All strains must be supplied with at least 2 billion CFU per strain to be sure they can survive and colonize.
Photo by Jennifer Burk on Unsplash Researchers from several worldwide institutions – including the Imperial College London in the UK and the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization (WHO) in France – have discovered that cancers related to metabolic diseases …
Photo by Hush Naidoo on Unsplash The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test is a blood test that measures levels of a protein the prostate gland produces. Though many men with prostate cancer usually have high levels of this protein, this does not always indicate cancer for …
Granola bars are the perfect go-to breakfast options when you need something fast and hearty. But many granola options in your local supermarkets are full of processed, sugary ingredients. Loaded with hearty oats, pumpkin seeds and blueberries (to name a few), these naturally sweet granola bars are packed with antioxidants and protein. But not just any protein! InVite®’s Vanilla Whey Protein Powder is a non-GMO isolate protein powder. Here’s the recipe –
Directions
Source: http://www.runningwithspoons.com
According to Nicole Crane, B.S., NTP, former Director of Nutrition for InVite® Health, whey protein is a dairy protein and it ranks very high in terms of quality and digestability. Whey is considered a “perfect” protein, which means it contains all of the essential amino acids that our bodies cannot make and must get from dietary sources. Whey protein is rich in two amino acids, glutamine and leucine, that make it particularly helpful for rebuilding muscle. Glutamine makes up about 60% of the amino acids in our muscle and serves as an essential source of fuel for muscle cells, giving them energy, power and strength. The essential amino acid, leucine, is a branch chain amino acid with powerful muscle stimulating properties. This makes leucine and whey protein a powerful ally in the fight against muscle loss.
The benefits of whey are numerous, beyond muscle protection, repair and rebuilding. Whey has been shown to support weight loss, especially of fat tissue, mainly through muscle building and balancing of blood glucose (sugar) levels. Further, whey was shown to be more satiating than soy protein or casein, helping subjects feel fuller for longer, leading to reduced food cravings. Whey also supported a greater loss of body weight and lead to a reduction in overall daily caloric intake.viii Whey protein may be a dieter’s best friend and an ideal replacement for sugary beverages or even breakfast.