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WHAT IS THE BEST PROBIOTIC?

Updated on March 9, 2013
Billi Grossman profile image

Billi is a registered dietitian nutritionist and has been helping people make better food choices for 20 years.

Xocai's healthy chocolate encapsulated probiotic "Xobiotic" is effective and lactose free
Xocai's healthy chocolate encapsulated probiotic "Xobiotic" is effective and lactose free | Source

As goes digestion, so goes your health...

According the American College of Gastroenterology, 95 million Americans suffer digestive problems! There are 50 million people diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and 20 million with stomach ulcers. It is now believed that an imbalance of gut flora and the overgrowth of harmful bacteria contribute to these health issues, as well as gas and bloating, constipation, diarrhea, acid reflux, diabetes, obesity, dermatological disorders, headaches, urinary tract infections, poor sleep, food cravings, and inability to lose weight.

Our diets are loaded with sugar and foods that create sugars in our system. The food supply is inundated with pesticides, antibiotics, processed foods. We don’t eat enough raw fruits and vegetables. And the few fermented foods we do eat are devoid of beneficial strains. This allows harmful bacteria to flourish within our bodies and creates an environment in which beneficial bacterial do not thrive.

That is why nutritionists, doctors and researchers and other health experts agree that consuming a good source of probiotic bacteria daily is at least as important, if not more so, than taking a daily multivitamin.

What is the best probiotic?

A good probiotic will aid in digestion, enhance vitamin synthesis and mineral absorption, balance your intestinal micro flora, promote vaginal health, and support your immune system.

To be effective, the probiotic organism must get through the acid and bile in the digestive system. And it must compete with the indigenous intestinal bacteria. The key to the effectiveness of probiotic treatment is how well the strain of bacteria passes through the stomach and small intestines in order to reach the large intestines. There it must have sufficient strength and numbers to colonize and flourish.

A process of enteric coating has been developed. While this does help get the beneficial flora into your system and survive the acidic environment of the digestive tract, it is an extremely expensive process.

Chocolate is the ideal delivery system for probiotics. Chocolate has been shown to be far superior to milk or yogurt for this function. Xocai holds the US trademark for “The Healthy Chocolate” and has developed a delicious and effective probiotic chocolate treat. The bacteria in Xocai’s Xobiotic are coated with natural cocoa butter from the chocolate and thus, are protected from the acid and the bile.

You can also get pro-biotic capsules. But let the buyer beware. Like chocolate, not all probiotics are the same. One study which looked at 50 different pro-biotic brands found that only 13% actually contained the organisms on the label and 33% had no live cultures, at all!

The Xocai® Xobiotic™ is an 11-gram square and delivers 1 billion microorganisms. These strains are Lactobacillus Helveticus R0052 and Bifido Bacterium Longum R0175 which are stable within the chocolate and have a guaranteed shelf life equal to that of the chocolate itself, if properly stored as recommended. They are gluten free and diabetic friendly and an excellent way to obtain probiotic organisms for those who are lactose intolerant.

Xobiotic can be taken between meals as a way to reduce food cravings and increase beneficial bacteria. Or take a Xobiotic square 15 to 20 minutes before each meal. This will aid you in your weight loss goal, as well, as the chocolate will curb your appetite and add a little satisfaction to your meal experience.

For part one of this article, see http://billigrossman.hubpages.com/hub/8-STEPS-TO-A-HEALTHY-DIGESTIVE-SYSTEM-WHY-EFFECTIVE-PROBIOTICS-ARE-ESSENTIAL

For more information about this healthy chocolate probiotic, go to www.lindacompton.ichangedmychocolate.com

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