It’s been a long road, 14ish years (7+ years online, if you have to put an actual timeframe to it) but my mindset has finally evolved. This journey is no longer just about losing weight, it’s first and foremost about my health. This certainly is a place I came to (painstakingly crawled to?) slowly. I have to say, I’m relieved.
The first of many changes was introducing my body to probiotics. My curiosity was first piqued last year when my father was prescribed probiotics to combat is 6+ months of antibiotics. It was rekindled when I learned probiotics can assist with digestion – an area (embarassingly) my body has struggled with for years. Wikipedia taught me that probiotics are dietary supplements containing potentially beneficial bacteria or yeast, with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as the most common microbes used. LAB have been used in the food industry for many years, because they are able to convert sugars (including lactose) and other carbohydrates into lactic acid. This not only provides the characteristic sour taste of fermented dairy foods such as yogurt, but acts as a preservative, by lowering the pH and creating fewer opportunities for spoilage organisms to grow.
The rationale for probiotics is that the body contains a miniature ecology of microbes, collectively known as the gut flora (sexy term, no)? The number of bacterial types can be thrown out of balance by a wide range of circumstances including the use of antibiotics or other drugs, excess alcohol, stress, disease, exposure to toxic substances, or even the use of antibacterial soap. In cases like these, the bacteria that work well with our bodies may decrease in number, an event which allows harmful competitors to thrive, to the detriment of our health.
Experiments into the benefits of probiotic therapies suggest a range of potentially beneficial medicinal uses for probiotics:
Managing Lactose Intolerance: Because LAB convert lactose into lactic acid, their ingestion may help lactose intolerant individuals tolerate more lactose than what they would have otherwise.
Prevention of Colon Cancer: In laboratory investigations, LAB have demonstrated anti-mutagenic effects thought to be due to their ability to bind with heterocylic amines; carcinogenic substances formed in cooked meat. Animal studies have demonstrated that LAB can protect against colon cancer in rodents, though human data is limited and conflicting. Most human trials have found that LAB may exert anti-carcinogenic effects by decreasing the activity of an enzyme called ß-glucuronidase (which can generate carcinogens in the digestive system). Lower rates of colon cancer among higher consumers of fermented dairy products have been observed in some population studies.
Cholesterol Lowering: Animal studies have demonstrated the efficacy of a range of LAB to be able to lower serum cholesterol levels, presumably by breaking down bile in the gut, thus inhibiting its reabsorption (which enters the blood as cholesterol). Some, but not all human trials have shown that dairy foods fermented with LAB can produce modest reductions in total and LDL cholesterol levels in those with normal levels to begin with, however trials in hyperlipidemic subjects are needed.
Lowering Blood Pressure: Several small clinical trials have shown that consumption of milk fermented with various strains of LAB can result in modest reductions in blood pressure. It is thought that this is due to the ACE inhibitor like peptides produced during fermentation.
Improving Immune Function and Preventing Infections: LAB are thought to have several presumably beneficial effects on immune function. They may protect against pathogens by means of competitive inhibition (i.e., by competing for growth) and there is evidence to suggest that they may improve immune function by increasing the number of IgA-producing plasma cells, increasing or improving phagocytosis as well as increasing the proportion of T lymphocytes and Natural Killer cells. Clinical trials have demonstrated that probiotics may decrease the incidence of respiratory tract infections and dental caries in children as well as aid in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infections (which cause peptic ulcers) in adults when used in combination with standard medical treatments. LAB foods and supplements have been shown to be effective in the treatment and prevention of acute diarrhea; decreasing the severity and duration of rotavirus infections in children as well as antibiotic associated and travelers diarrhea in adults.
Reducing Inflammation: LAB foods and supplements have been found to modulate inflammatory and hypersensitivity responses, an observation thought to be at least in part due to the regulation of cytokine function. Clinical studies suggest that they can prevent reoccurrences of inflammatory bowel disease in adults, as well as improve milk allergies and decrease the risk of atopic eczema in children.
Improving Mineral Absorption: It is hypothesized that probiotic lactobacilli may help correct malabsorption of trace minerals, found particularly in those with diets high in phytate content from whole grains, nuts, and legumes.
Prevents Harmful Bacterial Growth Under Stress: In a study done to see the effects of stress on intestinal flora, rats that were fed probiotics had no occurrence of harmful bacteria latched onto their intestines compared to rats that were fed sterile water.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Colitis: B. infantis 35624, sold as Align, was found to improve some symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in women in a recent study. Another probiotic bacterium, Lactobacillus plantarum 299V, was also found to be effective in reducing IBS symptoms. Additionally, a probiotic formulation, VSL3, was found to be effective in treating ulcerative colitis.
More about probiotics:
http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/probiotics.htm
So Tim and I are on a doctor driven diet that is low in fat and moderate in carbohydrates. It wasn’t long after we 86′ed the processed carbs that our habitual staples of string beans, broccoli, and spinach grew old, quick. In response to this bordem we’ve jumped head first into the wide wide land of atypical veggies. New to our stomachs (or our kitchen) in the month of February 2007: Green Cabbage, Celeriac, Collards, Daikon, and Swiss Chard. 
