<aside> <img src="/icons/light-bulb_blue.svg" alt="/icons/light-bulb_blue.svg" width="40px" /> The city that resides in your gut, known as your gut microbiome, is home to trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, all living together in a delicate balance.

Among them are a group of friendly bacteria known as probiotics.

Probiotics are also like the city's maintenance crew, ensuring that the gut stays is in top shape.

They help break down food, aid in digestion and ensure that nutrients are absorbed effectively.

They're also the city's security force, protecting the gut from harmful invaders and supporting the immune system.

But that's not all. They play a crucial role in producing certain vitamins, like vitamin K and some B vitamins. Almost like the city's factories, churning out essential goods that the body needs to function optimally.

On the other hand: Stress, a bad diet, antibiotics, poor food/water sanitation, travel... can disrupt the balance of your microbiome, allowing harmful bacteria to take over.

By replenishing the gut with beneficial bacteria, and creating an environment where harmful bacteria cannot thrive; we can help restore balance.

I always recommend consuming natural probiotics like kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, miso, and tempeh (little and often!) before turning to a supplement.

This is because each specific strain of bacteria found in supplements has a different function, meaning one supplement in the store will have a different effect to the one next to it.

Consuming any random probiotic with a high CFU (referring to how much bacteria is in the supplement) could even do more harm than good, leading to SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).

Cases for a probiotic supplement:

• Alongside antibiotics (broad variety of strains)
• After a period of intense stress (broad variety of strains)
• Travelling to a country with different food availability and potentially poor food/water sanitation (broad variety of strains)
• After a salt flush or cleanse (broad variety of strains)
• If you have a specific digestive issue (matching the strain of bacteria to the symptoms you're experiencing)

Keep in mind: There are two sides to the balance of bacteria in your gut, more (more, more and more) bacteria doesn't create balance, in cases you need to remove the harmful bacteria.

See our Supplement Guide for more information about specific strains of bacteria.

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