When Your Kids Are Bringing Home More Than Homework
September 14, 2015
The long, lazy days of summer are over, and the kids are back in school – phew! However, the celebration is short-lived – along with bringing home a pile of homework they’re more than likely going to be bringing home a few unwanted germs too. All it takes is one cough or sneeze in the classroom, and before long everyone in the household is feeling under the weather. Kids are exposed to a number of germs and bugs every day, and unfortunately, getting sick when they’re young is part of the job description. There are healthy habits the whole family can adopt to prevent or reduce the number of days kids are home sick from school and minimize the risk to the rest of the household.
Our Immune System
Approximately 70 to 80 percent of our immune system is located beneath the surface of our gut lining. In fact, more of our immune system is located in our gut than any other organ in our body and it’s not surprising when you consider that the gut comes into contact with far more microbes and foreign invaders than most of our other organs. Our immune system is our body’s first line of defense against anything unfamiliar or unfriendly so it relies heavily on having a well-functioning gut and probiotics help keep our gut running optimally.
Choosing the Right Probiotic
There are so many different probiotic supplements on the shelves that it can be overwhelming. They’re not all the same and the stark reality is that many of them don’t deliver what they promise. It’s not a one size fits all, especially when you consider that our bodies are full of different strains of bacteria. Here at Natren, we understand that we’re not all the same, so our probiotics are carefully formulated to fit your personal needs whether you’re an expectant or nursing mom, a parent, or even the babysitter. Let’s look at some of these options in more detail so you know which Natren probiotic is right for you:
Life Start
Our Life Start line of probiotics all contain the beneficial bacteria known as Bifidobacterium infantis, it is one of the first probiotics a mother passes to her infant and it’s also the most predominant bacteria found in the guts of healthy breast fed babies. Many physicians are now advising that expectant and nursing moms supplement with it too. Infants born vaginally have a higher concentration of Bifidobacterium infantis than babies born via C-section. And, it is also more common in the guts of infants who are breastfed rather than bottle fed. You can read more about the role of Bifidobacterium infantis here. After infants have been colonized with Bifidobacterium infantis, it continues to live on in our bodies even as we age which makes it an ideal probiotic for adults with gut sensitivities. The Life Start line contains pure Bifidobacterium infantis to give your child the best start to a healthy life.
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Life Start is a dairy (cow’s milk) based powder that allows you to mix as much as you need and it’s especially great for mixing into drinks or applesauce for toddlers. Available in 3 sizes.
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Life Start 2 is also dairy (goat’s milk) based and available in powder and capsules. Nursing and expectant moms tell us they prefer the capsules. This is also a popular choice for adults with gut sensitivities who prefer capsules. Often kids with cow’s milk sensitivities can tolerate goat’s milk but always check with your child’s pediatrician if in doubt. Available in 2 sizes.
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Life Start Vegan (Non-dairy) is a unique probiotic cultured on an organic brown rice base formulated for those who are unable to tolerate dairy, and those with sensitive guts. Read more about Life Start Vegan
Healthy Start System
As children grow older, their needs change, and their bodies require a more complex and enriched diet; so we recommend introducing other beneficial bacteria like L. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, and B. bifidum found in our Healthy Start System. The powder form is ideal for adults too as a gentle introduction to probiotics because it gives you complete control over the amount of bacteria you use. You can use as much as you need as your body adjusts. The Healthy Start System contains the same 3 proven bacterial strains probiotics that are available in our flagship Healthy Trinity capsules. The system is available in both dairy and non-dairy.
Layering Probiotics
As we wrote in our blog Flexible Probiotics, our customers tell us that they find that flexible layering of each probiotic type from the Healthy Start System gives them the ability to tailor their intake to give them just the right amount of potency (CFUs), and the right mixture of probiotic strains. This works well if you have a very sensitive digestive system, particularly if you have gluten sensitivities, because you don’t have to worry about any potential unpleasant effects due to the sudden addition to your diet.
Healthy Trinity
Don’t forget that you as the parent, or even grandparents, and anyone else who’s exposed to what your child may have brought home, need to keep your own immune system healthy. You need all the strength you can get when you’re taking care of a sick child. If you’re like most of our customers, you’ll enjoy Healthy Trinity. This is our most popular probiotic. It is highly potent, containing over 30 billion colony forming units (CFUs) of three different targeted super strains of probiotic bacteria in a convenient single-capsule. It’s excellent for keeping your immune system in great shape.
With the right probiotic supplementation in place, the entire family’s immune system will benefit, which translates into fewer sick days home from school. That should make everyone happy.
The post When Your Kids Are Bringing Home More Than Homework appeared first on Natren Probiotics Blog.
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