Stress Archives - The Paleo Network

5 paleo weight loss tweaks speed up lose weight plateau paleo diet primal

5 paleo tweaks to speed up weight loss

January 25, 2016/0 Comments/in Blog Posts, Weight Loss /by Suz

For the vast majority of people, transitioning to the Paleo diet will often see dramatic improvements in their personal battle with weight loss. However, on some occasions, you may hit a plateau with your weight loss and find yourself struggling to reach your desired weight.

Before I go any further, I must stress that it vitally important not to worry about that number on the scales. If you’re looking and feeling your best, then ignore what the scales are telling you. Chances are, if you’re eating right and training well, you may well have added a little weight in the form of muscle mass.

If, however, you still have that last bit of body fat that you want to lose in order to look, feel, and perform at your optimum level; then you may wish to consider the following ‘tweaks’:

Watch your carb intake

Whilst it is a lot harder to take in excess carbohydrate on the Paleo diet, (largely due to the removal of grains and processed foods) it is still possible – and especially so if you’re not active. You may want to look at bringing your carb intake down to see how this helps you with your weight loss goals. Try cutting back on starchy vegetables like yams, hard squash, parsnips and beets, and replacing them with dark leafy greens like spinach, kale and broccoli. It may be worthwhile limiting your fruit intake as well to one portion per day. If you do eat fruit, berries are a very good choice. Otherwise, snack on hardboiled eggs, jerky, nuts and coconut to see you through between meals.

It’s important to tailor your carbohydrate intake to your activity level. If you’re relatively sedentary, then roughly 50g of carbs per day from vegetables is more than adequate. If you’re training more (and especially if you partake in high intensity exercise like Crossfit), you’ll be looking at probably double that. Time your carb intake as well – straight after a heavy workout to replace glycogen stores, and in the evening to increase melatonin and ensure a healthy sleep.

Try Intermittent Fasting

Proven to break through even the most stubborn weight loss plateau, I can’t recommend Intermittent Fasting enough for fat loss and general appetite control. Try exercising when fasted, so your body turns straight to the fat stores for energy.

Move more

Sometimes, conventional wisdom does get it right. If you’re not seeing the fat loss results you’re after, it could be a case of not exercising enough. Just make sure it’s the right kind of exercise and you’re not slipping into chronic cardio territory. HIIT Training, sprints and Crossfit are excellent fat busters.

Sleep more

When you’re deprived of sleep, your body releases the stress hormone cortisol, which has been proven to increase fat storage. And, in case you needed any more reason to get a solid 8 hours sleep every night, the biggest spike in growth hormone occurs during sleep – which in turn, burns fat. Try sleeping more, and sleeping better too.

Stress less

As with sleep, if you’re stressed, your body will be releasing cortisol. Try meditating, exercising more, or increasing your sunlight exposure to help you manage your stress levels.

These are just a few ideas to help you break through your fat loss plateau. Do you have any other tips for fellow readers?

Power outage power cut electricity off the grid paleo network 2-min

The suprising things a long power cut taught me

April 28, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog Posts, Sleep /by Suz

Last Monday was really rainy and windy, so I wasn't that surprised on Tuesday when I woke up to find we had no power. Other than missing a morning cup of tea and breakfast, I wasn't that bothered and assumed by the time I got home in the evening, normal service would be resumed.

Well during Tuesday, the storm continued. On reflection I shouldn't have driven. With traffic lights out, multiple roads closed due to fallen trees and flooding, it was not a fun day to be out on the roads. That evening the power still wasn't back on, but luckily I managed to find some matches and candles by the light of my phone.

As I've written about before, I'm a chronic night owl. Even if I go to bed early, I'm just not tired – I can lie there for hours, willing sleep to come. I've tried everything. For months I've been waking up early to an alarm, the theory being I'll eventually be so tired, I'll have to start getting sleepy at an earlier time. I stopped using my computer in the evenings. I turn off all but some dim side lights in the evenings. So I assumed on Tuesday, the unusual feeling of deep sleepiness at 7:30pm was due to the stressful driving conditions. But on Wednesday night, still with no power, I spent the evening reading by candle light – and was hit by the unusual feeling of tiredness at a similar time. And the next day – and the next. By the end of the week – after just a few days, I was waking up before my alarm. This never happens.

Finally power returned late on Saturday night – and I've still not turned my tv on. I've realised it had become a habit turning the tv on, I wasn't putting it on because there was something special I wanted to watch, but because that's just what I did in the evening. I haven't missed it at all – and I wonder how much part this has played in my new sleep pattern? I'm not sure if it's the light, or the stimulation – or perhaps both, but tv and artificial light have clearly not been helping my sleep pattern.

I've realised how much I really, really appreciate my washing machine, hot water, oven and fridge/ freezer – but the other things – perhaps I need to do without.

How I got control of my emails

April 26, 2015/1 Comment/in Blog Posts, Stress /by Suz

At the start of the year I was getting over 350 emails. A day. I’d wake up in the morning to over 150, skim through to try to find any important ones, but would rarely make much headway before new ones arrived. I’d keep some unread to read when I had time – which never happened. I’d miss so many important emails because I was drowning in junk. My inbox had thousands of emails just sat there, being added to every day.

What’s the problem with this? I find 95% email are a huge waste of time – they take time away from the important things I need to be doing and are an added stress. And of course, make it so easy to miss those important emails.

Here’s what I did

Got to inbox ground zero

I took out the best part of a day to go through my inboxes, one by one. I have a few different email addresses, so it was not a fun task. But luckily, you’ll only have to put this level of effort in once, it will be easier from this point forward.

Unsubscribe

I was on so many mailing lists, the great ones were missed amongst the ones I have no idea why I was being sent. I made it a point from then on to unsubscribe to every pointless mailing list that was sending me emails. This is now only about 5 a day that I need to keep doing this for (initially it was hundreds each day). I’m now only subscribed to about 20 mailing lists for companies I’m really interested in. Those mailing lists for curtains, home studying, leaflet printing in London, cruises for the over 60’s – bye bye!

Turn of notifications

A lot of the companies and platforms I use were sending me notifications by email. Every time I was mentioned in a tweet, Twitter would email me. Every time I logged onto facebook from a new browser, another email. Every time someone joined a meetup group – sure, send me an email. I systematically went through and disabled all of these notifications – it’s resulted in a huge drop in emails.

Change my folder structure

I used to keep my emails in my inbox – now I keep my inbox as close to zero as I can – and have set up some meaningful folders, that I can organise my correspondence into.

Use my different email addresses properly

I have a lot of different emails, which I use differently. I have an email address along the lines of spam-me-here@gmail.com (not the actual email address ;-)) that I make sure is the only one I use for newsletters and competitions. I have my business email address and I have another that I only give out to friends. This makes it so much easier to be organised.

The three sentence rule

I love this one – I get so many emails every day that are hundreds and hundreds of words long. I used to read an email like this, and feel I’d need to park it and reply with an equally long response when I got time – which never happened. Now I send a maximum of three sentences back. It means I can reply far quicker, instead of never getting round to it – a far better compromise I think.

Templates

I get so many emails very similar in nature – I spend some time setting up templates that would answer the most common emails. This means I can very quickly copy and paste – and get the response out.

I’d love to hear the state of your inbox right now? Do you have any good tips for keeping on top of it?

10 Reasons Meditate Meditation Mindfullness buddhism Primal Paleo Network

10 Reasons You Should Try Meditation

March 5, 2015/3 Comments/in Blog Posts, Health /by Suz

Have you ever tried meditating? Perhaps you’ve dismissed it as being a bit too hippy and new age? Or wouldn’t know where to start?

Well I’m here to convince you why you should give it a go!

What is meditation?

I really like this description by Jon Kabat-Zinn:

[meditation is] paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally, to the unfolding of experience moment to moment

Why should you do it?

Meditation has been shown to physically change your brain, just 27 minutes a day has been shown to increase grey matter after just six weeks.
Meditation reduces inflammation
Immune function is increased with regular practice
Pain decreases
It increases happiness whilst lowering depression, stress and anxiety
It enhances compassion and emotional intelligence
It allows you to control your emotions far better
Your focus and attention span will increase with Meditation practice
Your memory will also improve
If you have any type of sleep issues, there is a lot of evidence suggesting a mediation practice could make a substantial difference

But how?

It’s definitely not easy, but you can start right now. The more time you spend practicing, the better you’ll get at it, and the more you’ll benefit. You don’t need anything to start, nor do you have to sit in a funny position or chant or spend the whole day doing it. Even if you only have ten minute spare, that will be a perfect place to start.
There is an old Zen saying:

“You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you are too busy, then you should sit for an hour.”

I find the best way to start is to sit somewhere quiet, where you won’t be interrupted. You want it to be light and airy – the aim here is not to fall asleep. I repeat: You do not want to fall asleep! Sit comfortable and focus on your breath. As you breathe in, notice the sensation of the air entering your nose. Notice the breath as you pause before you exhale. As you exhale, again, notice the sensation of the warm air leaving your body.

Thoughts will keep entering your mind, but the trick is to not chase these thoughts. Let them enter your mind and let them exit, without taking part. I like to think of it like a blue sky with lots of balloons. As a balloon (a thought) comes into your vision (awareness), instead of taking hold of the string, just watch it float away. If a thought pops in your head about what you’re going to make for dinner tonight, don’t engage with it and start thinking about what ingredients you have in the fridge. Just acknowledge the thought as if you’re just an observer

You know sometimes when your phone or computer start acting up and you have to restart? This is how I think of meditation. It’s giving your brain a break from the constant chasing of thoughts. But it’s also very different to sleep. When did you last give your mind a break?

If you’re new to meditation, it’s so much easier to get started with guided meditations instead of trying on your own for the first time. I go to classes, but there are so many great mp3’s and free youtube meditations that will help.

I’d love to hear your meditation experiences and tips

Paleo Diet Primal Gut Health Flora Healthy Probiotics-min

How Is Your Gut Health?

January 16, 2014/3 Comments/in Blog Posts, Health /by Suz

After the stress and perhaps over indulgences of the festive season – how is your gut health?

Our ancestors were surrounded by dirt – and certainly won’t have washed their hands in antibacterial soap before touching everything! Today, everyone is terrified of germs and dirt. Children aren't allowed to get dirty – people can’t even make food without wearing those horrible blue plastic gloves – yuck!

So many factors in our modern lifestyle are stacked against maintaining good gut flora. The antibiotics given out by so many doctors kill off most bacteria (good as well as bad). Stress hormones also do a good job of killing of gut flora. It’s probably therefore little wonder that so many of us don’t have good gut health.

Having good gut health promotes a good immune system, which is why some people never seem to catch the germs going around the office. Healthy gut bacteria is also essential in proper, good digestion. Healthy gut flora enable you to properly absorb the nutrients in the food you’re eating (after all, we are what we absorb, rather than what we eat)

Whilst yoghurts with live cultures have become extremely popular as a method of improving gut health, they don’t appear to be the best solution, given that many people don’t tolerate dairy – and of course the pasteurisation has an significant impact on the amount of live culture left in the finished product. A lot of these yoghurts also have a lot of sugar added.

One of the better options to improve your gut health is taking probiotic supplements. When you compare the ingredients, you’ll notice huge variations between the different brands. For this reason, I like Primal Flora, as it’s been created with an ancestral diet in mind.

What do you do to improve your gut health? Do you take probiotics? Please share, in the comments below!

Are You Suffering From Adrenal Fatigue?

October 3, 2013/6 Comments/in Blog Posts, Health, Paleo /by Suz

Tired, washed out and exhausted, even when you had enough sleep? Feeling tired, weak and incapable of doing things? Could you be suffering from adrenal fatigue?

What are the adrenals?

The adrenals are like two caps on top of the kidneys which play a key role in the endocrine (hormonal) system. They produce more than 50 different hormones, such as adrenaline (epinephrine), noradrenaline, cortisol, progesterone and testosterone. These hormones are involved in energy production, water-salt balance, blood pressure, metabolism, heartbeat, liver function, the immune system, blood sugar level, fat storage and dealing with stress.

When we’re under stress, the adrenals should react by releasing adrenalin and noradrenalin to cope with physical danger, typically called the ‘fight or flight’-reaction. Whenever the ‘danger’ is gone, the adrenals make sure that the hormone levels are back to normal. Cortisol is produced in this situation and the release of DHEA is suppose to ‘un-stress’ the body.

And, who isn't faced with stress these days? Work, family, pressure from friends and our eating pattern put us under constant stress. This stress on the mental, physical and emotional levels, ensure that the adrenals are constantly overloaded with the amount of hormones they have to release. When these processes are prolonged, the adrenals can become exhausted; adrenal fatigue. We start to feel tired and are not able to cope with whatever comes our way any more.

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue

Because the adrenals play such an important role in the endocrine system, the symptoms of adrenal fatigue are expressed in various forms. This long list makes it more than clear that the right balance of hormones is crucial to us.

Appetite for salt
Hypoglycemia
Dizziness
Sleeping disorders
Inflammations
Headache
Unstable blood sugar
Excessive thirst and urge to urinate
Swellings
Hemorrhoids
Varicose veins
Bad digestion
Heart disorders
Asthma
Infections
Behavioral and memory problems
Allergies
Hyperpigmentation

Some other symptoms are

Mood swings
Irritation
Low energy level
Depression
Painful bodyparts
Low bloodpressure
Anxiety attacks
And many more…

What to do if you're suffering from adrenal fatigue?

Change your nutrition! When you have adrenal fatigue, the time you eat becomes very important. You need to keep the cortisol in your blood at the right level. If you don’t have the right amount of cortisol in your blood, it’s hard for your body to keep the right glucose levels. The result of this could be hypoglycemia.

People with exhausted adrenals often tend to choose the foods and drinks which give them energy at the expense of the adrenals, such as fast food, soft drinks and coffee. The fats in fast food are the wrong fats, the carbohydrates are often refined and the nutritional value is low. This way they withhold their body of the nutrients it needs more than ever, to function and recover. And this will make the adrenals more and more exhausted.

Eat immediately when you get up, to refuel your body. This is not the time for intermitant fasting.

Eat a strict Paleo diet, with enough protein, healthy fats, unrefined carbohydrates, vegetables and enough fruits. You may choose to experiment with increasing your carbohydrate intake in the form of things like pumpkin and sweet potato.

Stress is a huge factor, with sufferers of adrenal fatigue simply truing to do it all. When trying to heal, it’s really important to reduce stress, and take time out to meditate and relax.

Have you suffered from adrenal fatigue? What helped you to heal? Please share your stories and tips in the comments below, and help someone out!

Paleo Diet Primal Chromium Levels Mineral Supplement deficiency overdose-min

How are your Chromium Levels?

September 1, 2013/1 Comment/in Blog Posts, Health /by Suz

Chromium is an important mineral that you've probably not paid much attention to, but with its links to glucose – it’s crucial.

What Does Chromium Do?

The main use within your body is to help metabolise fats and carbohydrates in the digestive system. It boosts fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis, which are vital for healthy brain function. Chromium is also involved in the metabolism of insulin, and scientists have found links between low levels of chromium in the blood and type 2 diabetes. Low levels of chromium are also associated with several factors for cardiovascular disease.

People with chromium deficiency have limited glucose tolerance, and you often find it in people with type 2 diabetes. This is particularly common in older people or infants with protein-calorie malfunction. Supplements can help to manage these conditions, but they are not a substitute for other forms of treatment.

Fortunately, it is difficult to overdose in chromium due to the low absorption and high excretion rates.

Food Sources of Chromium

Out of all the different sources of chromium, the best is undoubtedly brewer’s yeast. However, foods made from yeast, such as vegemite and marmite, are very processed – and not exactly Paleo!

Many meats are also good sources of chromium, particularly chicken and beef, as well as eggs. Liver also has high concentrations – another reason to get more offal into your diet!

Certain fruit and vegetables are also high in chromium. These include:

Green capsicum (bell peppers)
Black peppers
Apples
Bananas
Grapes
Broccoli
Spinach

In general, foods that have high concentrations of simple sugars, such as sucrose and fructose, are usually low in chromium.

Problems with Chromium Intake

As low chromium levels link to diabetes, it is important for any diabetics following the paleo diet to ensure they have a sufficiently high intake. If you are concerned about your chromium intake, you can improve the absorption rate on the body by consuming vitamin C and vitamin B3 (niacin). High consumption of simple sugars will increase the excretion rate from the body – so it’s great that a Paleo diet is naturally low in sugars.

Infection, exercise and stress can all reduce levels of chromium in the body and potentially lead to deficiency. When this happens, the body is unable to use glucose efficiently to meet all its energy requirements and more glucose is required.

Have you ever had your blood levels tested?

Vitamin B5 Pantothenic Acid Paleo Diet Primal Supplement Deficiency-min

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) & the Paleo Diet

August 11, 2013/0 Comments/in Blog Posts, Health /by Suz

Do you sometimes suffer from stress? Yes? Then there’s already one reason for you to take note of Vitamin B5 – also known as Pantothenic Acid – that can improve your ability to respond to stressful situations by supporting the adrenal glands. But that’s not all – Vitamin B5 also supports the processes that turn carbohydrates and fats into energy in your body, together with other B-complex vitamins, and helps in the optimal maintenance of fat.

Now, a Vitamin B5 deficiency is not very common, especially when following a natural Paleo diet, but it’s still good to know its symptoms. You may be deficient of Pantothenic Acid if you experience fatigue, sensations of weakness, and numbness, tingling and burning pain in the feet.

Also, there are a number of medical conditions that Vitamin B5 may help to relieve or prevent, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, hyperlipidaemia, chronic fatigue syndrome, cataracts, “burning foot” syndrome, and adrenal insufficiency. If you think you might benefit from adding more Pantothenic Acid into your menu, read on for recommendations on how to do this through a whole food approach under the Paleo Diet, in order to achieve long term health in a natural way.

How much Vitamin B5 do you need in your diet?

The recommended daily amount for Pantothenic Acid is 10mg. There is no upper limit set in health recommendations, but very high supplemental doses (of 2 or more grams per day) can cause mild diarrhoea.

Which foods can you get Vitamin B5 from?

Liver – Although all animal livers are a great source for Vitamin B5, chicken liver will provide the biggest benefit by covering 83% of your daily need in a 100g serving. Adding liver is a great addition to your diet as it is packed with micronutrients, but if you can’t tolerate its taste easily, try mixing some of it with your minced meat when you make meatballs or burger patties. It’s like a naturally fortified mince!
Sunflower seeds – For a sprinkle of Vitamin B5 in your salads, try adding in some sunflower seeds. Two tablespoons of sunflower seeds will provide 21.5% of your daily need.
Shiitake mushrooms – Mushrooms are a great source of vitamins while providing few calories. So if your caloric consumption is on the low end, they’re an especially good addition to the diet. 100g of shiitake mushrooms provide you with 36% of your daily need of Vitamin B5.
Avocado – Not only do avocadoes provide us with good fats, they have valuable micronutrients to keep us happy and healthy! In one medium fruit there’s 20% of your daily need on Pantothenic Acid. Reason enough to mix up a guacamole!
Caviar – If you ever need one, here’s a good excuse to indulge in some caviar. 100g of it will provide 35% of your daily need, but it’s understandable if you’re not going for as much – there’s 6% of your daily Vitamin B5 need in a tablespoon. But beware; you might be wanting more than that!
Sweet potato – The humble sweet potato is also a decent source for Vitamin B5. One cup of cooked sweet potatoes equals to 10.1% of your daily need of Pantothenic Acid. A cheaper source than caviar, at least!
Cauliflower – Here’s an idea for a Vitamin B5-filled snack for your next film night! A cup of raw cauliflower provides 7.1% of your daily need. Snack on!

What else should you know about Vitamin B5?

Pantothenic Acid is relatively unstable in food, with significant amounts being lost through freezing and processing. This shows why the Paleo Diet that promotes fresh whole ingredients is a good approach if you care about vitamin consumption – you will simply more health out of your food!

So, will you take note of Vitamin B5 in your food from now on? Do you have any good recipes to use the specific ingredients? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) & the Paleo Diet

July 14, 2013/4 Comments/in Blog Posts, Health /by Suz

Thiamine – it is not a vitamin you hear about often, but yet it is vital to the functioning of your body. You see, Vitamin B1 is used in the body to maintain cellular function, and it is important to keep all the organs working as they should. It helps along in producing energy from carbohydrates, and also supports the working of the nervous system.

People who consume a lot of highly processed foods, sweets and sodas are at a higher risk of Vitamin B1 deficiency – which is one reason why the Paleo Diet is great for maintaining health. In addition, a deficiency can occur because of alcohol abuse, liver disorders, kidney dialysis, and over-dieting, and you might need more B1 if you have chronic stress, or are a smoker. How do you know you might be deficient? Aspects that can indicate that are a feeling of numbness or muscle tenderness (especially in the legs), loss of appetite, and frequent “pins and needles” sensations. Vitamin B1 deficiency also causes the syndromes of beriberi, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, and optic neuropathy.

But let’s look at the bright side! Sufficient consumption may play a role in the prevention or treatment of a number of health conditions, including alcoholism, Alzheimer’s, Crohn’s disease, congestive heart failure, depression, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, Korsakoff’s psychosis, multiple sclerosis, and Wernicke’s encephalopathy. But knowing that it supports muscle function, brain health and learning capacity, and acts as an antioxidant should be a good enough reason to include more of it in your diet!

How much Vitamin B1 do you need?

The recommended daily amount is 1.4mg, and there appears to be no upper limit you should be worried about, since high doses do not appear to carry a risk of toxicity.

Where can you get thiamine from?

The Paleo Diet is a great way of getting optimal levels of Vitamin B1. Below are some of the best sources of Thiamine – do you already include them in your diet?

Sesame seeds and tahini (sesame butter) – A staple in Middle-Eastern cuisine, sesame butter provides 106% of your daily need of thiamine in 100g, one tablespoon providing 15%. An easy way of including tahini in your meals is to make a simple sauce from it – mix it with a bit of lemon juice and salt, adding water to reach a good consistency – then eat it with roasted or grilled vegetables. Sunflower seeds that provide 7.5% of daily Thiamine in a tablespoon, are a great addition to salads and stir-frys. Yum!
Tuna – Here’s a great reason for adding tuna to your salad or cooking a tuna steak for dinner – just 120 g of tuna will provide as much as 40% of your daily need of Thiamine.
Sunflower seeds – Another great addition to your salads or home-made trail mix you can have on the go, sunflower seeds provide 6% of your daily need of vitamin B1 in two tablespoons.
Pork chops – Trying to decide what meat you want to have for dinner? Why not go for pork chops? A serving of just 100g provides 83% of your daily Thiamine need.
Asparagus – This micronutrient-dense spring vegetable is also a great source of Thiamine. 1 cup of asparagus stalks will cover 12.7% of your daily need.
Spinach – Yet another reason to add spinach to your diet! 1 cup of cooked spinach provides 11.3% of your daily Vitamin B1 need. If you’re not a fan of spinach by itself, try adding it to smoothies – you’ll be surprised at how much of it you’ll be able to eat.
Pineapple – A cup of pineapple pieces will provide you with 8.7% of your daily need. This is a great reason to end your meal with some juicy slices, or using pineapples to prepare an exotic smoothie.
Oranges – Just one fruit provides you with 7.3% of your daily Thiamine need, making oranges a great snack to have on the go. Also, you can try adding orange slices to salads – delicious!

What else do you need to know about the consumption of vitamin B1?

The adequate absorption of Thiamin requires a good supply of vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid, so it is important that you get good overall nutrition from whole foods – for which the Paleo Diet is a great solution.

So, what do you think – are you going to include more B1-rich foods into your diet? Maybe you have good recipes to share for using these specific foods? Do share in the comments!

Should You Take Probiotics?

February 9, 2013/9 Comments/in Blog Posts, Health /by Suz

Probiotics are constantly being advertised, but what are they, exactly? And if you follow a good, healthy Paleo diet, should you consider taking them?

Probiotics are, for the most part, live organisms such as bacteria that people consume in order to gain several health benefits. But how is this possible? After all, people often take antibiotics to deal with bacteria inside their bodies that are causing problems. Well, the thing is that there is a distinction to be made between good bacteria and bad bacteria. In normal circumstances, the body has a pretty good balance between the two so the bad bacteria cannot do any damage. However, there are situations such as being ill where this balance is lost. Therefore, taking probiotic supplements allows you to regain the balance and prevent a lot of further medical complications.

There are many different kinds of bacteria found in probiotics supplements and they all come with various health benefits. One of the most common genera is lactobacillus, which contains over 50 species of bacteria used in probiotics. These species can also be found in yoghurt and are usually effective at preventing certain infections as well as diarrhoea and skin disorders.

The genus of bacteria that makes up for almost 90% of all good bacteria found in the human body is bifidobacteria, which contains around 30 different species. They are immediately present in our bodies since birth and can help with various problems such as dental cavities, abdominal pains, bloating and bowel problems.

There are four other major bacteria genera found in the body: saccharomyces boulardii, streptococcus thermophilus, enterococcus faecium and leuconostoc. Each of them contains various species that have a positive effect on the human body, in one way or another.

For the most part, the healthy benefits that come from taking probiotic supplements impact two major areas: our digestive tract and our immune system. They affect our digestive tract because, as mentioned previously, they restore the balance between good bacteria and bad bacteria which can shift due to stress, bad diet, lack of sleep, drug usage etc. Their goal is to not let the bad bacteria grow in large amounts as this can lead to problems, but they also do not eliminate it completely since our bodies do have certain uses for it. Probiotics also help by eliminating toxins, chemicals and other harmful substances from our digestive tract while also helping absorb nutrients and delivering them to the cells that require them.

Probiotic supplements also have an impact on our immune system. They do not necessarily make it stronger, but by keeping the balance they ensure that the immune system is operating at maximum efficiency. Whenever this does not happen we are prone to being attacked by germs and this can lead to bad medical complications in some people. Allergic reactions, autoimmune disorders and infections are common results of this problem.

Therefore, taking probiotic supplements can have quite a positive effect on our bodies. However, they require the same care and attention as normal supplements, making sure that the brand is reputable (i.e. Paleo compliant) and that you take the recommended dosage.

Do you take any type of Probiotic alongside following the Paleo diet? And if so, which brand do you use?