Vol XII April 2009 | The Village Green Apothecary E-Newsletter

How “Friendly” Bacteria Can Restore Your Digestive Health

Don’t ignore your “gut feelings.”

Bloating. Excess gas. Occasional constipation. Are you ignoring your body’s signals that something isn’t quite right?

Please, don’t ignore your “gut feelings.” Maybe it’s time you tried a probiotic formula — a source for the “good” bacteria that can restore your digestive health and even boost your overall immune system.

Many people are turning to probiotics these days for a variety of reasons. They may want to replenish their intestinal bacteria following a course of antibiotics (which may wipe out the good bacteria as well as the bad). Or they’re hoping for relief from troublesome digestive symptoms. Many people with dairy sensitivities take probiotics to aid in the digestion of lactose, minimize digestive discomforts and reap more nutritional value from their diet.

The fact is, your body’s levels of friendly bacteria typically decline with time, so as you get older, you're more likely to encounter some of these issues.

If you’ve been thinking about trying a probiotic supplement, now’s the time. Maybe you’ve tried yogurt, but it just didn’t do the trick. Chances are you need a bigger boost, the kind that comes from a well-formulated probiotic product with a serious quantity of carefully chosen bacterial strains.

Look below for some probiotics that provide great digestive support.

Recipes for Healthy Digestion

Cardamom Chai

Spiced digestive tea

• 4 cups of water
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp orange peel
• 1/2 tsp coriander seed
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp black tea

Pour water into a saucepan and add cardamon, ginger, cinnamon, orange peel, coriander and pepper. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and steep for another 15 minutes, then add 1 tsp black tea and steep for 3 more minutes. Strain tea and add milk and honey to taste. 

Toasted Wheat Germ Muffins

Great for breakfast and high in fiber

• 1 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine the wheat germ, yogurt, and water and let stand 1 hour. Mix in egg and 2 tbsp oil. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Grease 12 muffin cups with a vegetable oil spray and fill 2/3 full. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.