Tummy troubles, GI discomfort, upset stomach… no matter what you call it, suffering from digestive upset is something that happens to almost all of us from time to time.
Whether you’re looking for ways to optimize your digestion in the hopes of having fewer bouts of digestive upset, or you’re wondering if there’s anything you can do when discomfort hits, taking the right probiotic is a great start. Probiotics are a method of delivering ‘good’ bacteria into the digestive tract. Good bacteria can not only support healthy digestion, but it can also support your immune system, which is more important than ever.
The best probiotic for digestive upset depends on what issues you are having, so we’ll talk more about how to make that decision.
Causes of digestive upset
There are many different reasons that you can have digestive upset, and that’s one reason it is very hard to avoid completely. Even if you take all the steps that you think will help you feel good, it is easier than you’d hope for you or your family to have an upset stomach or uncomfortable GI symptoms. Some causes of digestive upset include:
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Illness. There are illnesses like gastroparesis, irritable bowel syndrome, and Crohn’s disease that can cause a range of stomach problems including pain and nausea. If you suspect that a disease may be the cause of your digestive upset, consult a doctor as soon as possible.
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Stress. It is common for stress to cause GI discomfort including cramping and diarrhea. While it may seem strange that something happening in your brain (stressful thoughts) can affect your gut, it makes more sense when you realize that the gut has many nerves just like the brain does. Scientists have found that the brain and the gut actually have a lot of nerve connections - which explains why stressing about an upcoming meeting, test anxiety, or being worried about your family’s health can affect your stomach and intestines.
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Lifestyle choices. Sometimes the choices we make can have strong effects on our digestive system. These include the foods we eat, specifically high-fat foods, processed foods, and very spicy foods - all of which can cause digestive upset. Even eating a lot of healthy foods at once can cause digestive upset. This can happen to those who quickly up their fiber or fruit and vegetable intake. When your system is not used to such a large amount of fiber at once, it can react in negative ways. Another lifestyle choice that can lead to stomach upset is remaining sedentary. When you don’t move your body, this makes it harder for your digestive system to work as well as it should. Keeping active, even if that means taking multiple short walks throughout the day, can support cardiac, metabolic, and digestive health.
Avoiding digestive upset
No matter what the cause of your digestive upset, there are steps you can take to optimize your digestion, not to mention overall health. These include:
- Eat small to moderate-sized meals, and eat slowly, chewing each bite well.
- Drink enough water since your digestive system relies on you being hydrated for proper functioning.
- When you travel, be extra careful about your food and water sources.
- Minimize caffeine and alcohol consumption.
- Stay active every day, even if that means taking slow walks.
- As hard as this can be, try to keep stress levels down. This may involve finding outlets for your stress like exercise, a favorite hobby, and talking to a trusted friend or health professional.
- Get enough sleep - when you’re tired, all the systems of your body can malfunction, including your digestive system.
Best probiotic for digestive upset
Here are our top 3 choices for the best probiotic for digestive upset:
Healthy Tummy Wafers
These wafers are designed to be convenient and delicious. Not only are they flavored like French vanilla ice cream, but they are small portable wafers that you can take anywhere. The most important question: how do they help with digestive upset? Each wafer delivers 1 billion colony forming units (cfu) of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, LB-51 super strain. These healthy bacteria support optimal digestion. Like all of Natren’s probiotics, they come with a 100% potency guarantee through the printed expiration date. A treat for even those watching their calorie intake, each wafer has only 5 calories.
Gastro pH
Gastro pH is our top choice for those trying to optimize the digestion of carbs, dairy, and protein while minimizing bouts of digestive upset. Gastro pH is particularly effective because it supports the growth of 2 types of healthy bacteria: L. acidophilus and B. bifidum.
Healthy Trinity
Our top pick for the best probiotic for digestive upset is one that works to optimize digestion every day. Instead of only thinking about a probiotic when you have an upset stomach, constipation, or diarrhea, we recommend you make the right probiotic part of your ongoing commitment to health. This allows you to optimize your overall digestion, instead of just trying to ‘fix’ problems when they occur.
Healthy Trinity is particularly suited to being your every-day probiotic, which also makes it the best probiotic for digestive upset, for those looking to improve their overall digestion.
What is Healthy Trinity and why is it the best probiotic for digestive upset?
Healthy Trinity is a combo of three of our essential products, which work together in the large intestine, small intestine, and entire digestive tract. Benefits include the ability to promote a slightly acidic environment, support for the digestion of dairy, carbohydrates, and protein, and optimization of your digestive system, which can enhance immunity.
Healthy Trinity includes Lactobacillus acidophilus, NAS 5 billion cfu per capsule which acts mostly in the small intestine, supporting gut health and immunity; Bifidobacterium bifidum, Malyoth 20 billion cfu per capsule, which supports your body’s ability to naturally remove waste products; and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, LB-51 5 billion cfu per capsule, which is able to support the entire digestive system as it travels through your body.
The best probiotic for digestive upset not only provides good bacteria to act as a defense against ‘invaders,’ and promotes regularity, but it also has the extended benefits of potentially strengthening your immune system. Natren has a range of probiotic supplements specifically created to give you and your family the highest quality healthy bacteria. Natren probiotics come with a 100% potency guarantee for every strain, are backed by 40 years of research from leading probiotic experts, and follow some of the most stringent standards in excellence and safety. You can learn more about Natren probiotics at natren.com.
