Cool rain showers, a lovely breeze and a cup of hot coffee, make most of us happy as monsoons mean a dip in the hot temperature. However, monsoons also bring with them stomach and viral diseases. Stagnant water often adds to our woes because of mosquito breeding that cause diseases like dengue and malaria. With the onset of Monsoon we tend to indulge in unhealthy oil laden diets, and our health system pays the price. Often the monsoon season results in quicker rotting of vegetables and water and food contamination.
This season lowers our immunity and we are more prone to water, air and food borne diseases like flu, diarrhea and food poisoning.
As we all know a healthy digestive system is the key to good health and longevity!! Stay protected- this monsoon by including a probiotic drinks as a part of your diet which will help ensure a strong digestive system and immunity.
So what are Probiotics? Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, especially your digestive system. We usually think of bacteria being harmful and something that causes disease but the bacteria found in probiotic drinks is friendly bacteria that help keep harmful bacteria in check, contributing to gastrointestinal wellness.
Most people in India do not know about the health benefits of Probiotics. When we asked a few mothers about probiotic, we found that:-
Often people confuse probiotics for a medicinal drink but do not understand that they are actually foods that provide nutrition and a scientifically proven health benefit. We asked Ms. Sherly Ganesh, Nutritionist, Columbia Asia Hospital, Whitefield about the health benefits of probiotic drinks:
- Alleviates negative effects of taking many types of antibiotics
- Soothes the colon irritation following surgery
- Increased ability to digest food and absorb nutrients
- Prevent upper respiratory tract infections.
- Reduces lactose intolerance
- Probiotics can synthesize vitamins like vitamin B &K and help in better absorption of calcium, iron and magnesium.
But Ms. Sherly Ganesh, Nutritionist adds, “The following health benefits happen with a daily intake of a serving of probiotics.”
While research is still on about how probiotic fermented drinks help, people believe that drinks like Yakult make the intestine stronger by increasing the friendly microbes and boosting immunity which helps us fight certain disease better.
When we asked the mothers on why they include probiotics in their kids’ diet, Monika Singh, mother to Ryan Singh said that, “Unbalanced diet, high stress, less sleep, and lack of daily exercise throws our digestive system out of balance, which then gives harmful bacteria the opportunity to multiply resulting in poor digestion or weak immunity. Immune system is considered to be the soldier of your body and when my school going 7 year old repeatedly fell ill, it was an indication that he is weak”. After a year of daily consumption of the probiotic he is a fan, “I know he still eats outside food in school and with his grandparents but his frequency of illness is lesser!” When asked about the source of the probiotic Monika says, “I trust Yakult because it has a history of more than 80 years and is backed by solid scientific evidence. I love its refreshing taste!”
Yakult is not a medicine and if you are also one of them then let us tell you that Yakult is a functional food or in other words a probiotic fermented milk drink. It is vegetarian and gluten free too. The unique probiotic, LcS (Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota) that is found in Yakult was isolated from 300 Lactic Acid Bacteria and found to be the strongest strain that reached the intestine alive to increase the number of friendly bacteria and boost immunity by activating Natural Killercells. Natural Killer cells are a part of the immune system that can attack and destroy viruses and cancer cells. LcShas been thoroughly researched with more than 100 human studies that have shown its benefit in improving intestinal health and building immunity for protection from infection.
Probiotics in the GI tract help to reinforce the barrier function of the intestinal lining, lowering the chance of bacteria in the intestines entering into the blood stream. This function may decrease infections and immune related reactions, thus supporting the health of the immune system.
Probiotics help build immunity by:
- Increasing the beneficial bacteria that play an important role in boosting immunity
- Activating immune cells like Natural Killer cells that fight viruses and cancer cells.
- Preventing upper respiratory infections like cough and cold.
- Preventing allergies.
When we asked mothers on how they include Yakult in their kids diet while many said its delicious taste loved by their kids. A few said that they also add Yakult them to cold foods like cereals, smoothies, and milkshake.
So this Monsoon gets healthy and happy with your daily dose of probiotic.
