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Can I Eat Probiotic Foods While Taking Antibiotics?
If You Have To Take Antibiotics
The Trilogy
Probiotic [Pro= for, Biotic= life] = Life-promoting or For-life as opposed to Antibiotic [Anti= against, Biotic= life]= Against-life.
I routinely talk about each member of The Trilogy (Kefir, Kombucha, and Cultured Vegetables) and how each member has specific things your body needs to help you change your life. But here is even more good news about this trio. If you have to take antibiotics, The Trilogy can help you survive the collateral damage to the beneficial bacteria that inhabit your gut and speed you back on to the road of wellness. Many people have benefited from taking an antibiotic, and I think they can have their place; but nowadays they are prescribed routinely, which can cause unforeseen damage.
Candida albicans has more room to grow
Antibiotics kill both the good and the bad bacteria in your gut. This leaves your body without its normal armor against pathogens and especially Candida albicans. When Candida albicans "sees" more room to grow as a result of empty space (after antibiotic use) that used to house your bacteria, it will spread out and grow like crazy and then you can have a whole new set of problems with Candida albicans overgrowth. This is why consuming probiotic foods containing good bacteria is so important, even while taking antibiotics. Yes, many of them will be killed by the antibiotics, but not all of them if you consume The Trilogy. Consuming probiotic foods before, during, and after your course of antibiotics will help you heal faster and allow your body to rebuild your gut flora more quickly - and slow down the chances of Candida albicans getting a foothold.
Researchers found that probiotic supplements had their best chance of survival when taken with food.1 The subjects taking antibiotics were given a probiotic supplement either 30 minutes before a meal or with a meal consisting of milk and oatmeal gruel. The beneficial bacteria survived in higher numbers as compared with supplements being given thirty minutes after a meal which did not survive in high numbers. Consuming cultured foods is the perfect way to repopulate your gut, as this allows for as few as possible of those good microbes to be killed by the antibiotics since you're taking it as a food source that is loaded with probiotics.
Probiotics That Cannot Be Killed By Antibiotics
Cultured foods contain several probiotics that cannot be killed by antibiotics; one being Saccharomyces boulardii2 which is found in abundance in kombucha. It's a probiotic yeast and works effectively to keep those harmful bugs at bay and also survives the antibiotics that were administered. This is a transient bacteria which means it’s important to have it often so it will stay in the body, especially during antibiotic use. It only lasts in the body a couple of days.
Another good probiotic strain that is resistant to antibiotics is found in cultured vegetables. It's called Lactobacillus plantarum and is one of my favorite bacteria. Studies have consistently shown that L. plantarum is resistant to most antibiotics.3 This, too, is a transient bacteria which means it’s important to have it often so it will stay in the body, especially during antibiotic use.
The Trilogy — three foods that can change your life
Kefir has also been said to have several strains of bacteria species resistant to antibiotics; but the research is not yet available, and since there are over fifty different strains in kefir it's a lot of researching! However, as stated above, having a milk product such as kefir with a meal or thirty minutes prior to a meal should give your healthy microbes the best chance of survival. Then adding in cultured veggies and kombucha, which are resistant to antibiotics, should make a huge difference in keeping you healthy even if you have to take an antibiotic. This is what I call The Trilogy: Kefir, Kombucha, and Cultured Vegetables. They can really change your life - even when you have to take antibiotics.
Listen To My Podcast
If you have to take antibiotics we have good news! Let me show you how to keep your healthy bacteria alive and thriving, even when you must take antibiotics. It's really important that you help your good gut flora thrive. This can prevent you from ever needing to take antibiotics again. Your body knows how to keep you well!
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