The Correlation Between Digestive System Functions, Probiotics, and Sugar

For your digestive system to operate at its best, your body must contain the right balance of good bacteria and bad bacteria. When this ratio is within normal parameters, you should not have any problems with bloating, gas, or diarrhea. Unfortunately, the things you eat could be throwing this ratio out of balance, and sugar is one of the most common ingredients that can do this. Taking probiotics is one of the easiest and most effective solutions for this problem, but cutting sugar out of your diet can also help. Here are three things you should understand about the bacteria in your body, the use of probiotics, and the role sugar plays in this process.

What the Balance Should Be

According to some experts, your gut should contain 85% good bacteria and 15% bad bacteria. When your body does not contain enough good bacteria, the bad bacteria can begin taking over, and this is when you may start experiencing symptoms of digestive issues. This balance is vital for your digestive system functions, but it is also important for other parts of your body. In fact, when the equation is out of balance, you may end up suffering from colds, dermatitis, allergies, heart problems, and diabetes.

What Probiotics Do

Probiotics are natural bacteria and are found in several common types of foods. Yogurt is one food that contains probiotics, but you can also find them in other types of dairy products, sauerkraut, and pickled beets. When you consume probiotics, the bacteria you digest is able to keep food moving through your digestive tract. This happens by adding good bacteria to your gut, which will help balance out the ratio of good bacteria to bad bacteria.

If you do not like eating foods that contain natural probiotics, you can also take supplements. There are many different options available for purchase, and taking these supplements daily can also play a big role in the way your digestive system functions.

One other thing you should be aware of is that you can increase the effectiveness of the probiotics you consume by eating more fiber. Fiber provides fuel for probiotics, and consuming fiber will help regulate your system faster and more efficiently.

How Sugar Affects Good Bacteria

Not only is it important to take probiotics to help balance out your system, but it is also important to understand the effects sugar can have on this ratio. Sugar is something that is found in many different foods, and it is used to sweeten the foods and beverages you consume. The problem is that sugar actually feeds bad bacteria. This means that whenever you consume regular sugar, you are causing the bad bacteria count to increase, and this makes it harder for your system to operate correctly.

Because of this, you may want to try cutting sugar out of your diet. If you like sweet foods, you could always look for a sugar substitute to use. There are several good sugar substitutes, and some are designed specifically for the purpose of keeping the bacteria level in order. You can use these sugar substitutes for any food item you are making, and they will offer a safer and healthier way to sweeten your foods. You can look up companies such as Sugar 2.0 to look at various options. 

If you are tired of living with digestive issues that leave you feeling sick or needing a restroom all the time, you may want to consider taking probiotics. In addition, you could help your system function better if you also cut sugar out of your diet and replace it with a substitute that is designed to help the proper functioning of your digestive system.