With the Triple Cultured Power of Koji you are an unstoppable force!
5 Amazing Ways Probiotics Can Protect You This Flu Season
By J. D. Heyes, www.naturalnews.com | March 1, 2015
Right on time; flu season is once again upon us, and no doubt you’re already getting bombarded with calls to get your “flu shot” so you can be “protected” from this year’s strain of influenza.
Well, you can do that if you choose, or you can take a more proactive approach to warding off the bugs and viruses this year by employing probiotics to help defend you.
What are probiotics? Simply put, it is the good bacteria that resides in your gut and battles infection caused by viruses, yeast, fungi and parasites. And it, like bad bacteria, is killed off with antibiotics, often leaving you more vulnerable for the next bug that comes along.
More: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1267964-5-amazing-ways-probiotics-can-protect-you-this-flu-season/
Healthy Eating: Benefits of fermented foods
Tanya McCausland Healthy Eating
Fermented foods, such as yogurt, sauerkraut and kimchi, are traditional culinary staples around the globe. (+ Graindrops)
While these foods were mostly created out of necessity—to preserve summer foods well into winter or to make a commodity like milk more shelf stable—they happen to also be foods that are incredibly healing and nourishing for the body.
More:
Perfection makes Practice
The health benefits of probiotics for athletes, include enhanced recovery from fatigue, improved immune function and the maintenance of a healthy gut, which can improve general well-being, which then in turn could improve performance on the field of play.
Step up your perfection with Graindrops the dairy free, gluten free, vegan, soy free and non-GMO, organic probiotic beverage!
Tips for Nurturing the Gut Microbiome
Kari Kooi, registered dietitian at Houston Methodist Hospital, explains how to navigate the digestive health food niche and find options that offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition.
• Separating health from hype when evaluating probiotic products: Probiotics are friendly bacteria that promote digestive health and can reduce bad bacteria. Foods that are cultured or fermented naturally contain probiotics, but now probiotics are being added to many processed foods. The benefits of probiotic cultures can be greatly weakened when they are removed from their original sources and added into processed foods such as energy bars or frozen yogurt. Extreme temperatures from baking and freezing can drastically alter the number of viable probiotics. So stick with a live product for a sure thing.
• The dynamic duo: Prebiotics are food for probiotics. This relationship means that probiotics rely on a steady supply of food from prebiotics so that they can flourish. Keep your probiotic microflora happy and well-fed by filling up your grocery cart with fiber-rich plant foods. Top sources of prebiotics include bananas, garlic, onions, leeks, artichokes, asparagus, whole grains and legumes like lentils, beans and peas.
• Cultured reigns supreme: Even in the midst of the fermented food revolution where kimchi, kombucha and sauerkraut are prized for their probiotic benefits, cultured products such as yogurt remain the most potent probiotic source. Cultured products also has a short shelf life and offers a non-acidic environment, thereby keeping the probiotics alive and active. Yogurt is the most popular cultured dairy product, but store-bought and homemade kefir is becoming increasingly popular. While yogurt and kefir both contain probiotics, kefir has an extremely diverse population of strains in comparison.
• How to buy the best product: Along with the increasing number of different products on the market, comes fiercer competition between brands. To select a superior product with probiotic power, check for the “Live Active Cultures” seal. Products that say “heat treated after culturing” on the label should be avoided because they were pasteurized after the live strains were added, which deactivates the probiotics. Also check the ‘best if used by’ date as probiotic potency decreases with age. Beware of added sugar in many fruit-flavored yogurts. Assess sugar content by checking the ingredients list and avoiding yogurts that have sugar listed as the first or second ingredient, as this indicates a sugar-packed product.
• What to know before purchasing a probiotic supplement: The journey probiotic supplements make from the lab to the gut is long and full of variables, making the survival of live and active cultures dependent upon how the strains are cultivated and handled. Probiotics are sensitive to oxygen, temperature and moisture, so it’s important to ensure the product has been quality assured by an outside lab. Always discuss probiotic supplement use with your physician since there may be risk to using them with some conditions such as a weakened immune system. The best and least expensive option for obtaining probiotic benefits is to enjoy foods that naturally contain live cultures.
• Should I take probiotics when I am taking antibiotics? Research has shown that taking probiotics during antibiotic therapy does reduce side effects such as diarrhea. Ramping up probiotic food sources such as yogurt can balance the effects of the drug.
• An increasing number of doctors are recommending probiotics: Probiotics are being recommended for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, certain skin conditions and urinary tract infections. Also, they are recommended to promote oral health and prevention of allergies.
Sports and Probiotics
The Irish Sports Council which plans, leads and co-ordinates the sustainable development of competitive and recreational sport in Ireland released Review and Fact sheets for use of Probiotics for Athletes.
While the studies shown no direct improvement in performance they upon review of the current literature concluded that:
Probiotics may reduce the number of sick days an athletes experiences when training for endurance running events.
Probiotics may reduce the severity of respiratory infection and GI disturbance when they occur
Probiotics may assist with immune function in fatigued athletes
No adverse effects were reported in any of the studies due to probiotic ingestion
Review:
Fact sheet:
Clinical trial backs probiotic strain to help reduce cold and flu in times of stress
By Nathan Gray
Regular consumption of the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium bifidum R0071 is associated with more ‘healthy days’ and a lower reporting of cold or flu, according to new research in academically stressed students.
Koji & Umami – the fifth taste!
“Those who pay careful attention to their tastebuds will discover in the complex flavour of asparagus, tomatoes, cheese and meat, a common and yet absolutely singular taste which cannot be called sweet, or sour, or salty, or bitter…”
Dr. Kikunae Ikeda,
It was long known in the west that that were four “tastes” Sweet, sour, salty & bitter. Umami is the fifth taste! The word is derived from delicious and scientists recently “discovered” it; the Japanese have known it for centuries. Umami forms the taste basis of the best beloved Japanese cooked foods.
When koji is used in food preparation, the enzyme proteases breaks down proteins to produce amino acids including glutamate. This amino acid is responsible for umami, a rich, savory flavor that makes food taste delicious. The taste of umami combined with other tastes rounds out the flavor of any dish.
Koji (A. oryzae) has been designated as the National Fungus of Japan (kokkin) by the Brewing Society of Japan because of its importance in Japanese food culture.
Read more about Koji and the fifth taste!
http://www.kojiya.jp/koji/index.html
Health benefits of taking probiotics – from health.harvard.edu
Health.Harvard.Edu has known for years that probiotic are a win! win! win!
Bacteria have a reputation for causing disease, so the idea of tossing down a few billion a day for your health might seem — literally and figuratively — hard to swallow. But a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that you can treat and even prevent some illnesses with foods and supplements containing certain kinds of live bacteria. Northern Europeans consume a lot of these beneficial microorganisms, called probiotics (from pro and biota, meaning “for life”), because of their tradition of eating foods fermented with bacteria, such as yogurt. Probiotic-laced beverages are also big business in Japan.
Enthusiasm for such foods has lagged in the United States, but interest in probiotic supplements is on the rise. Some digestive disease specialists are recommending them for disorders that frustrate conventional medicine, such as irritable bowel syndrome. Since the mid-1990s, clinical studies have established that probiotic therapy can help treat several gastrointestinal ills, delay the development of allergies in children, and treat and prevent vaginal and urinary infections in women.
more: http://www.health.harvard.edu/vitamins-and-supplements/health-benefits-of-taking-probiotics
Recent eJounal posts that can help us help you!
Where can I purchase Graindrops?
http://graindrops.com/store-locator/
What can I do if the product isn’t being carried locally?
Graindrops has a limited shelf life due to the live Enzymes and Probiotics that make the product so unique and special. Product stocking decisions are determined by interest and shelf life. Your local Whole Foods Market Grocery Manager would love to hear about your interest in Graindrops.
http://graindrops.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/wewantgraindrops.pdf
Send us your recipe !
Send us your special recipe that uses GRAINDROPS and if we use it on the Website we will send you a gift.
Where can I try Graindrops?
On Fridays we will be posting the schedule of upcoming Product Tastings in the various regions on our facebook account. Check out the schedule and come visit the Whole Foods Market near you.
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