Want to Look Younger
& Better? 8 Reasons Why Probiotics are an Essential Tool
We've gotten many e-mails lately asking us Donna Gates' age. Donna
turned 60 in 2006 but she is often mistaken for a 40-year old! While
she once was unhappy with the appearance of her complexion, she credits
conquering her systemic yeast infection with the Body Ecology system
of health and healing -- including probiotic-rich fermented foods and
drinks -- for her youthful glow and appearance.
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Is your medicine cabinet chock full of creams and lotions that claim to defy
aging? Do you wish you could turn back the clock to when you had fewer wrinkles,
your hair was shinier and your nails healthier?
Most people would be happy to pass for five (or ten!) years younger than
the age on their driver's license. The cosmetics and personal care products
industries know this and are full of products promising to be the fountain
of youth in a cream or concealer.
But did you know that your body already holds the key to youthful energy
and appearance? It's your inner ecosystem, teaming with healthy microflora
(good bacteria and yeast, also known as probiotics) that reside in your intestines,
keeping you healthy, strong...and yes, youthful.
Unfortunately, most people today have damaged inner ecosystems from environmental
toxins, processed foods, drugs and a stressful lifestyle. We don't notice
this as much when we're younger because we tend to bounce back faster. However,
as we age, we start to notice issues in our health, skin, weight or muscle
tone that make us wish we could turn back the clock.
At Body Ecology, we know it's not about the number of years you've spent
on Earth that determines your age, it's about maintaining energy and youthful
vitality for many decades. And you can go a long way to building youthful
vitality inside AND out when you re-establish a thriving inner ecosystem.
Adding healthy bacteria, or probiotics, into your diet is key. Probiotic
literally means "for life," and probiotics like lactobacillus,
plantarum and bifidis help immune cells fight disease, prevent diarrhea and
constipation, protect the mucous lining of the intestine, assist digestion
and provide nutrients for building blood. They also manufacture B vitamins
and vitamin K right down inside your intestines where they are immediately
absorbed. They are the most efficient way to obtain vitamin B-12.
Probiotics also help you fight the signs of aging. Here's how:
- Probiotics can keep you slim. Microflora reduce cravings for carbohydrates,
sugar and alcohol. And new research has found that obese people have different
bacteria in their intestines than people of normal weight. Scientists think
that good bacteria can keep you from gaining pounds. Read How
the Bacteria in Your Gut Affect Your Body Weight.
- Probiotics clean your liver. Traditional Chinese Medicine teaches
that the liver affects your skin and eyes. With a clean liver, you may notice
younger looking skin with less liver spots, moles and skin tags, and bright,
shiny eyes. Read more about cleansing your body in this week's newsletter
article: Why Your Body
Needs to Cleanse.
- Probiotics treat acne. One study found that teenagers ingesting
probiotics saw improvement in their blemishes after only 2 weeks.
- Probiotics can prevent wrinkles. Good bacteria in your gut can
help you eliminate the toxins and free radicals that can damage skin and
cause early signs of aging.
- Probiotics give you a glowing complexion. Probiotics help you digest
and better assimilate the nutrients from your food. That means your skin
receives more of the antioxidants, vitamins and minerals it needs to be
healthy.
- Probiotics help your hair grow long and lustrous. Hair may be dead,
but each hair follicle is surrounded by nourishing blood vessels. Beneficial
microflora help keep your intestines clean and healthy, they attack pathogens
to keep your blood clean and healthy. Healthy blood nourishes hair, skin
and nails.
- Probiotics make your fingernails stronger. Nails are made of proteins,
and probiotics break down the proteins you eat into the amino acids that
build healthy, flexible nails.
- Probiotics give you energy. It's much harder to look and feel good
when you're tired, but consuming probiotics boosts your immunity and makes
digestion easier, giving you more energy to look your best!
If you are serious about looking and feeling your best, then it is time to
add beneficial probiotics to your diet. Fermented foods and beverages are
the perfect way to obtain the probiotics your body needs.
(We recommend foods and beverages as probiotic sources because they are more
potent than supplements, which lose potency after time on the shelf. Once
inside your body, probiotic supplements don't always survive the acidic environment
of your stomach unless they are taken along with fermented foods and liquids.)
Consider adding these fermented foods and beverages to a diet of nutritious,
whole foods. You'll be looking (and feeling) better in no time.
- Young Coconut Kefir is a delicious, bubbly drink that is deal for
anyone who wants to stay slim or improve their skin. Learn how to make it
at home with our instructions.
- Raw, cultured vegetables can provide you with probiotics at every
meal. These vegetables not only taste great but help you digest your other
food, making valuable nutrients for your skin, hair and nails. Try our delicious
recipes!
- Vitality
SuperGreen, our own wholefood green drink, contains fermented greens,
algae and potent probiotics.
- Dong
Quai is one our newest, most convenient and economical fermented
drink that supports overall body balancing and restoration for men and women.
As you incorporate fermented foods and drinks into your diet, keep in mind
that probiotics are not the only piece of the beauty puzzle. Be sure to drink
plenty of water, eat whole foods, sleep well, and exercise daily.
Instead of putting creams and lotions on your face, it's so much more effective
to eat a delicious menu plan that includes high-quality proteins, vitamins,
minerals, virgin, organic oils and fats along with those wonderful probiotic
foods. You'll save money and have a whole team of healthy microflora at work
to keep you healthy and young!
If you thought that Body Ecology was only about your inner ecosystem, you
now know that the same principles that keep you healthy inside also
help you look younger on the outside.
Source:
Siver, R. (1964). "Lactobacillus for the control of acne." The
Journal of the Medical Society of New Jersey, 58 (2): 52-53. http://www.natren.com/pages/skincare.html
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