Your gut is the cornerstone of good health. While we may have once predicted that probiotics would only be a moment in the wellness machine, it turns out that keeping your gut in balance may be the key to helping support the immune system. Research shows that our gut microbiome affects many other systems in the body such as your immunity, heart, lungs, and liver to name a few. An out of balance gut may even play a role in mood and dealing with every day stress. The problem is that the gut doesn’t always function like a well-oiled machine. There is a plethora of factors that can cause gut imbalance, a condition where the balance between good and bad bacteria has gone haywire. Antibiotics, chronic medical conditions, long-term stress, dietary habits, and other lifestyle factors; all of these can lead to gut imbalance.
Looking at that list, it’s not a stretch to say that most Americans have experienced an imbalanced gut at one time in their lives. Most of us have taken antibiotics. Stress is the norm rather than the exception. And most of us don’t have the adamantine will to resist unhealthy food treats all the time.
There are two main ways to correct gut imbalance: get your lifestyle in balance or take the supplementation route (both with probiotics, or beneficial gut bacteria, and prebiotics, foods that nourish good microbes). The issue with the first approach is that we can load up on yogurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi, meditate to reduce our stress, and become CrossFit warriors, but something is always going to come up. Mom’s chocolate cake is going to make an appearance at Christmas, buying a new house is going to send stress through the roof, or we’re put on antibiotics, because, well, we all get sick. The issue with the second approach is that even the best supplements can’t counteract really bad lifestyle habits.
The best way to fix the gut is by doing both. You can focus on leading a healthy lifestyle, but not head down the path of orthorexia, evaluating every food choice obsessively. Because your healthy lifestyle paired up with wise supplement choices will help get your gut running smoothly.
Choosing the right supplements is tricky. There are hundreds of options on the market and some of these supplements are manufactured by companies that “cut corners.” That means it’s up to the consumer to do the research and find a brand whose products are superior.
One of the brands that takes the hybrid approach (lifestyle plus supplementation) is Plexus Worldwide, a nutrition company centered on gut health. Plexus has a system designed for getting the gut back in balance: Triplex. Triplex contains three products, which is not overwhelming to integrate into daily life. They work together in what Plexus refers to as a Weed, Seed, Feed approach: weed out unwanted substances, seed with beneficial microbes, and feed good bacteria with prebiotics.
The first product is the lineup is BioCleanse, formulated to cleanse the gastrointestinal tract with magnesium, Vitamin C, and a mix of citrus bioflavonoids including hesperidin, orange peel powder, lemon peel powder, and quince fruit powder.
The second product, ProBio 5, is what most people think of when it comes to gut health – probiotics. ProBio 5 contains five beneficial probiotics: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus plantarum, Bacillus coagulans, and Saccharomyces boulardii, plus an enzyme blend, including proteases, cellulase, and serrapeptase. Scientists measure probiotic supplements in colony forming units or CFU. You should look for a product with at least one billion. ProBio5 clocks in at 2 billion CFU per capsule, providing you with a serious dose of probiotics while still leaving room for dietary sources.
The last product, Slim, completes the system. If you’ve heard of the pink drink, then you’ve heard of Slim. The great thing is that you can choose from two options: Microbiome Activating and Hunger Control. They both contain green coffee bean extract, which supports a healthy glucose metabolism, and chromium polynicotinate, which assists with the transportation of glucose into cells. The difference is in the last ingredients. Slim Hunger Control contains polydextrose, a fiber that helps you feel full longer. It means that you can give your willpower a boost to make healthier food choices. Slim Microbiome Activating, on the other hand, contains xylooligosaccharides, a clinically demonstrated prebiotic that feeds beneficial microbes.
If you check out the Triplex section on Plexus Worldwide, there’s a ton of science. A ton. And advice and tools on how to pair intelligent food and lifestyle choices with Triplex. It’s refreshing to see a company that supports its customers in the journey while showing them that it’s not just about taking some capsules. It’s about being conscious in your choices.
Getting the gut in optimal balance may seem like a superhuman feat, but with good information, healthy choices, and a system like Triplex, it can be simple and even a bit fun. You can sit down with your pink drink, a bowl of yogurt, and find your happy place.
Learn more about Plexus and its CEO Tarl Robinson on this website.
