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Writer's pictureAshley Allen

Are Probiotics Good For You?

Many of you have heard the news about probiotics or have seen the BILLIONS of probiotics on the shelf at your regular store? But how in the world are you supposed to know which one is the right one...


You walk in the store looking for a probiotic because you know it's good for your gut health and for many other systems in your body. You get to the supplement section and search for the P which is where all the supplements that begin with a P will be. Once you find it, your heart starts racing and your brain becomes overwhelmed because there are SO MANY CHOICES. What in the world are you supposed to do?


Here's what you should do... don't buy ANY of them. Go home and do your research.



Probiotics and how they work for everyone seem to continue to be a mystery. However, the question of "are probiotics good for you" is not a mystery. So, we know we need to take them to help us.


So, go home and do your research. Don't get one at the spur of the moment because... depending on which probiotic you get it can actually do more harm to your body than good.


Here are some tips.


Probiotics Will Be Expensive


No matter which probiotic you choose, it will be expensive.


However, the more expensive it is the more likely it is of better quality.


Do not get probiotics from cheap brands that put fillers in their vitamins in minerals. If this is the case, you will be paying for fillers rather than what you actually went to the store for. Your body will be too busy absorbing the fillers rather than the probiotic. So, you paid all that money for a product that won't work.


So, don't make a decision based on the price of the probiotic.



The Less Bacteria, The Better


This is going to sound strange but remember probiotics are there to feed the bugs in your gut. I like to call them gut bugs and they are SUPER important to gut health. It is your job to keep them happy and thriving so your body can function.


However, many companies are putting a TON of different bacteria in the probiotics when in reality, we don't need all of them. This is called clever marketing. The more I put in there and say we put in there, the more product we will sell. Don't fall for this. The bottles say there are 60 billion probiotics in them. Yes, this may be correct. However, are they the right ones? If not, what a waste right?


Most probiotics on the market right now have a LARGE amount of Lactobacillus Casei, Lactobacillus Reuteri, and Lactobacillus Bulgaricus. However, these are the strains you DO NOT want. They can increase or cause inflammation. These 3 strains are also the ones that are found in most yogurts.



There should not be 16 different probiotic strains in one bottle. That defeats the purpose, it can actually destroy your gut health, and it is completely unnecessary. So, stop buying those bottles.


Get ones that have 2-4 strains in them. Ones that your body actually needs such as Bifidobacterium Longum or Lactobacillus Helveticus. And it doesn't have to be 16 trillion probiotics. Usually, the lower ones are your better ones. The ones that are going to work properly. I like to stick to probiotics that are in the 2-3 billion probiotic range.


Prebiotic... What's That?


You cannot take a probiotic without a prebiotic. It just doesn't work.


Prebiotics are what you take before a probiotic. Prebiotics help push out the bad bacteria and help feed the good bacteria that are already living in your gut. However, pushing out the bad ones is key. This clears a path for the probiotics to do their job.


I have not had a whole lot of success with probiotics. I have tried many without feeling a difference at all. There are 2 brands that have worked which I talk about below.



But prebiotics, I have had incredible success with. When I started taking them, I could immediately feel a difference in how I was feeling.


I hear from many people about probiotics and how they don't feel anything. And most of the time it's because they are not taking them right, not taking a prebiotic with it, are on ones that have trillions of probiotics in them, or ones that don't even have the right probiotic in them.


If you are going to pay for something that is a little on the expensive side, why not get one that actually works?


I suggest to anyone who wants to either start using probiotics or who has tried them without success to take a prebiotic with it and see if that makes a difference.


Brands I Recommend


These are brands I have either tried myself and have noticed a difference or brands that I trust wholeheartedly to truly do what's best for my health.


And trust me... I don't trust very many brands when it comes to vitamins, minerals, and supplements. I want the best.



  1. Just Thrive Probiotic- have taken with their prebiotic, could definitely feel a difference

  2. Just Thrive Prebiotic- taking now and have felt an incredible difference, even without taking the probiotic

  3. BrainMD ProBrainbiotics- have not tried this one YET. However, I trust this brand with many other supplements especially when it comes to brain-directed supplements. I take many of their supplements already and notice a difference between taking other brands.






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