What is the difference between a Probiotic and a Prebiotic?

Prebiotics/Probiotic Extracts

• A collection of metabolites produced by beneficial bacteria during fermentation/co-culturing (do not contain live microbes)
• Maintain a healthy gut environment by regulating the growth and development of beneficial bacteria
• Not affected by the gut environment and stimulate immune system directly

Probiotics

There are more than 100 trillion microbes in the human gut (approx. 2.2lbs/1kg).

Gut microbes will produce enzymes for the body to digest certain foods that the stomach and small intestine have not been able to digest and produce some vitamins that are necessary for the body. They also play an important role in the immune system and in production of serotonin, which influences mood.

• Various types of live microbes (bacteria) that are similar to the beneficial bacteria found in the human gut
• Help restore the balance of gut flora by improving the ratio of good to bad microbes
• Popular probiotic foods (fermented foods): 
yogurt, miso, sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, and kimchi. 

Eating Right for Post-Workout Recovery

As rewarding as your workout may be, it is important to remember that your muscles only grow stronger through acute injury and recuperation. The pain you feel as you are cooling down is the result of torn cells, metabolic waste and the buildup of lactic acid; never forget that your training damages your body’s tissue in the short term in order to reap long-term rewards. While all of this results in a stronger, better you, you should treat the downtime between workout sessions for what it is: recovery from injury.

The cornerstone of your post-workout recovery should consist of a diet that replenishes what your body has lost and fuels the healing process. Help your body heal itself naturally by replenishing water and electrolytes, and consuming the carbohydrates and protein that your body needs to rebuild.

While you may avoid sodium in your day-to-day diet, sodium-rich foods are an excellent way to replace the electrolytes that you have lost through sweat. Potassium, calcium and magnesium rich foods will also help with this process, so load up on fresh fruit, greens, beans and nuts. Within 15 minutes to an hour after an intense workout, you should also consume carbohydrates to replenish your body’s glycogen stores. Avoid sugary exercise bars and drinks, and focus on fresh fruit as your primary source of carbohydrates.

Amino acids are the primary building blocks your body needs to replace, repair and improve your damaged muscle tissue. As with carbohydrates, you should eat a protein rich snack within an hour of finishing your workout routine. Peanut butter, eggs, hummus, yogurt, whole wheat and white meat are excellent sources of amino acids, but beware of sugar-laden protein shakes.

Replenishing and rebuilding are not the only areas of concern after a workout. Intense exercise, particularly overtraining, can impair your immune system for hours after your workout is complete. Keep your immune system strong with vitamin C, zinc and probiotics. You may even want to consider making a probiotic supplement part of your regimen. Not only will probiotics help bolster your immune system, but they will also help your body quickly and efficiently digest and process the food that you are eating for recovery.

The Biggest Immune System Threats

Maintaining a Health Immune System

Inside your body there is a constant arms race between ever-mutating harmful microbes and your own immune system. Luckily, your body has evolved to be particularly adept at staying on top of this arms race. There are several unhealthy practices, however, that can tip the scales in favor of infectious bacteria, viruses and fungi. By correcting these unhealthy practices, you can help your body help itself and heal itself naturally, without having to rely so heavily on antibiotics and other medication which carry their own risks and side-effects that it can take weeks to recover from.

• Lack of Exercise – daily exercise helps clear your lungs, empower your circulatory system, and decrease your stress levels. It is certainly possible to overdo it, leaving your body too weak to fight off infections, but a regular routine can stave off the dangers that a sedentary lifestyle invites.
• Lack of Sleep – as with exercise, proper sleep is important in keeping your body more stress free. Without a good night’s rest, T-cell levels decrease and your body’s reaction time begins to slow down dramatically.
• Improper Diet – from antibiotic laden meat to diets that sacrifice proper nutrition for the quick fix of excess carbohydrates, everything you eat has the potential to either strengthen or weaken your immune system. Stop thinking of food as only a source of energy and begin looking at food as a vehicle for vitamins and minerals that can improve your body and make it stronger. Simply adding organic fruit and vegetables to every meal can greatly improve the way you feel and the way your body performs.
• Exposure to the Elements – the old wives’ tale about cold weather causing cold actually has a grain of truth to it. Cold weather causes blood vessels to constrict, slowing the body’s reaction process, and warm weather encourages the growth of harmful bacteria. You should not avoid the outdoors, but you should also be prepared and properly clothed when you venture out.
• Being Sheltered from the Elements – while overexposure can be detrimental to your health, a lack of exposure to the elements can be just as harmful. Your body develops a resistance to allergens and microbes when it encounters them in small, but frequent doses.
• An Empty Zoo – your white blood cells are not the only defense your body has against invaders. You are home to billions of beneficial microbes that not only aid in digestion, but also help fight off infectious diseases. Helpful bacteria act in competition with harmful bacteria, and they have the home field advantage. Eating “live” food, such as probiotic yogurt and fermented dairy drinks is a great way to keep your “zoo” flourishing. However, this is not always enough. The best way to make sure that your immune system’s allies are never in short supply is to dedicate part of your diet to a regimen of probiotic supplements.