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We’ve all heard the term probiotic before. It’s a word that gets thrown around a lot these days and unfortunately, a lot of people have a tendency to lump it in with the various unsubstantiated health trends that are popping up all over the internet.

It’s right to be cautious when you see something offering advice about your health, but there is definitely truth to be found out there too. And in the case of probiotics, a bit of research does uncover that probiotics are a real thing with some real health benefits.

The word is quite broad, and it basically just refers to something that provides a health benefit when it’s ingested. Said health benefits could be anything to do with your body, your mind, your immune system or anything like that.

They can be found in a number of foods including yogurt, certain kinds of cheese and kimchi and you can also get probiotic supplements too. They will essentially become a part of the large community of microorganisms in your gut, which is where your immune response system is formed.

A great way to ensure that you get a good daily dose of probiotics, is to start off your day with a probiotic-rich breakfast. Let’s take a look at 5 huge ways that this will benefit your health.

1.    Supports Heart Health

The presence of bile in your body is important, because it helps with your digestion. It’s something that’s formed in the liver and it’s primarily made up of cholesterol. So while this is a good thing, it does have a natural consequence.

After it’s done the work of regulating your digestion, the cholesterol can then be reabsorbed into your blood where it can then start to have a negative effect on your heart over long periods of time.

One thing that probiotics will do is to help to break down the cholesterol to inhibit this from happening.. Eating probiotic yogurt has been proven to be especially beneficial in this regard so try having some of that every morning.

2.    Helps With Seasonal Concerns

Allergies don’t affect everybody, and they occur at different times and in different ways depending on the person, but those who do have allergic reactions will generally suffer quite a lot.

Certain trees and plants most commonly in the spring and summer are the main causes of seasonal allergies, and the symptoms displayed by those afflicted can include itchiness, coughing, sneezing and rashes.

Probiotics won’t cure your allergies, but they may help to ease symptoms. This is because your body is reacting to foreign bodies that your immune system is not used to, and probiotics can help to strengthen your immune system and thus give you some relief from the symptoms.

3.    Strengthens Your Gut

As we mentioned earlier, your gut is the source of your immune system and while it’s very important for that reason, there are other benefits to a healthy gut. There are hormones present which communicate with your brain too and so it helps to maintain your general health.

Your gut is susceptible to all kinds of different issues. Occasional diarrhea and mild constipation are common and relatively harmless, but if they become regular they can upset your daily life and also lead to more serious gut problems down the line.

Having a diet that is high in probiotics should ensure that these uncomfortable bowel issues are a rare occurrence for you, and also help to protect you from developing health issues in the future.

Ensuring you have a healthy gut is so important, that it might be worth looking into a probiotic supplement that is specifically catered to your gut that you can include in your diet.

4.    Supports Muscle Comfort

If you work out regularly, you are probably familiar with something called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS for short. It’s something that is always going to happen if you exercise, but it can slow you down a bit with daily tasks.

It makes movement just that little bit more difficult and it’s just unpleasant to constantly be in pain. Certain probiotics, most specifically the ones found in a fermented milk product such as kefir, can help to ease this.

It can help your body to more effectively utilize glucose which is beneficial for muscle repair. Drinking some in the morning with breakfast is a good time to do it, especially if you were working out the previous evening.

5.    Promotes a Positive Mood

As we discussed earlier, there is a definite connection between the gut and the brain, and an unhealthy guy can lead to some mood problems. Think about this for example, when you’re scared, it’s in your gut that you feel it.

Fear can lead to an upset stomach. There is definitely a connection there, and if it works that way then it’s likely it works the other way too. Feelings of stress and anxiety are linked to your gut.

Having probiotics in your diet could lessen these feelings, and if you eat a breakfast rich in probiotics then you could be setting your mood up well for the day ahead.

So as you can see, probiotics are beneficial in many different ways, and because you can find them in a number of different foods, it’s really not that difficult to effectively incorporate it into your diet.