Wait, So You’re Saying They’re Not The Same Thing?
The Difference Between Probiotics and Prebiotics
Probiotics are live bacteria that provide health benefits to your body, especially your digestive system, when consumed.
Prebiotics are a form of dietary fiber from the non-digestible part of foods that feed the good bacteria (probiotics) already live inside the large intestine.
Where You Can Find Them
Probiotics are naturally created in the fermentation process of some foods, such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and tempeh. Probiotics are also available in pill form, and as an added ingredient to other products.
Prebiotic fiber comes from the non-digestible parts of foods such as chicory root, dandelion greens, bananas, onion, garlic, asparagus and the skin of apples. Prebiotic fiber is also available in pill form.
How They Are Related
Probiotics and Prebiotics both act to improve your gut health, helping with various digestive problems and even boost your immune system. Probiotics are live bacteria that act to clean out your gut. They need to be fed in order to remain active and maintain their effectiveness. Prebiotics act as food for Probiotics, allowing them to thrive and benefit you as much as possible.
Why You Should Take Them
Probiotics are used to treat a variety of digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as skin conditions like eczema and perioral dermatitis. Studies suggest that Probiotics are also useful in preventing colds, allergies, and supporting oral health. Prebiotics increase the “good” bacteria in your gut, while also working to increase calcium and magnesium absorption, promote stronger bones, and boost your immune system! Many supplements on the market are just Probiotics. However, if you are not consuming enough Prebiotic fiber to support the live bacteria in your gut, the Probiotics will not be as effective. Due to this, adding a combination of Probiotic and Prebiotic supplements to your diet —in addition to the right foods— is a great way to ensure a healthy mix of bacteria in your gut.
Active Balance is a full-spectrum, pharmaceutical-grade formula that utilizes both probiotics and prebiotics and features 50 billion active cultures.
Give your body the balance it needs to perform its best. Active Balance contains both active Probiotic cultures and Prebiotic soluble fiber, improving digestive function and restoring digestive balance. It also helps support a healthy immune system and strengthens your body’s natural defenses.
Suffering from dry Winter skin? Yeah, we know the feeling.
Dry and dull skin happen when your skin is unable to retain moisture. This is super common in the winter when there is less moisture in the air. Dry skin can make you feel tight, flakey and scaley. Left unchecked it can even lead to a bigger issues like eczema or dermatitis. Other common causes of dry skin include using harsh soaps or cosmetics, extremely hot, long showers and household allergies.
While there’s a million and one skin care products on the market promising to cure your dry skin in return for a big chunk of your paycheck, did you know you can sooth and repair your skin with ingredients you have laying around your kitchen? Here’s 5 DIY face masks for your dry, Winter skin.
1. Cucumber & Aloe Mask
The aloe vera in this mask heals and hydrates while the cucumber cleanses and cools. You’re skin will feel clean, refreshed, and moisturized!
Ingredients:
1/2 of a cucumber
2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel
Directions:
Cut cucumber into slices
Put in a blender, mix until watery
Add aloe vera and blend until smooth
Apply, leave on skin for 10 minutes or until dry
Rinse
Follow up with moisturizer or skin care.
2. Banana Honey Mask
Bananas contain potassium, vitamin E and vitamin C that help hydrate your skin while the honey and yogurt work to sooth and repair itchy, flakey skin.
Ingredients:
2 bananas
1 tablespoon of honey
1/4 cup of yogurt
Directions:
Peel and mash bananas with a fork
Add yogurt and honey
Stir until the ingredients have a smooth consistency
Apply, leave on skin for 20 minutes or until dry
Rinse
Follow up with moisturizer or skin care.
3. Avocado Mask
Carrots are potassium rich and full of antioxidants, helping hydrate and revitalize the look of your skin. The avocado, honey, and egg yolk work to moisturize and smooth your skin, reducing dry patches and irritation.
Ingredients:
1 carrot, peeled
1/2 of an avocado
1 tablespoon of honey
1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 egg yolk
Directions:
Steam carrot until tender
Blend or mash carrot until creamy
Mash avocado and mix with carrot pulp
Combine all ingredients in a bowl
Stir until the ingredients have a smooth consistency
Apply, leave on skin for 15 minutes
Rinse
Follow up with moisturizer or skin care.
4. Strawberry Yogurt Mask
Strawberries contain powerful antioxidants and vitamin C. Greek yogurt contains lactic acid which is a natural exfoliant. Mixed with honey, these ingredients work to break down dead skin cells and hydrate your dry skin.
Ingredients:
3 medium strawberries
2 teaspoons of Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon of honey
Directions:
Blend or mash the strawberries, and add to bowl
Add the Greek yogurt and honey to bowl
Stir until the ingredients have a smooth consistency
Apply, leave on skin for 10 minutes
Rinse
Follow up with moisturizer or skin care.
5. Oatmeal Mask
Oatmeal contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that sooth your dry, irritated skin. Mixed with the hydrating and smoothing benefits of honey and olive oil, this mask will help moisturize your skin while reducing inflammation and dry patches.
Actually, vitamin D is more than just one vitamin. It’s a family of fat-soluble nutrients that share similar chemical structures. Beyond being produced in your skin as a result of direct sunlight, vitamin D is absorbed through our diet. The most commonly found in your diet are vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. While both a part of the vitamin D family, D2 and D3 are different in multiple ways.
What’s the difference?
Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption, regulates bone growth and plays a role in immune function. When someone says vitamin D, we often think of the sun. While it’s true that our skin produces vitamin D when exposed to the sun, those who spend most of their time indoors or live at a high altitude need to resort to getting the recommended amounts from their diet and supplementation. Vitamin D3 is found mostly in animal sourced products such as oily fish, egg yolks, and butter while vitamin D2 is found mostly in plant sources such as mushrooms or fortified foods such as milk. Both vitamin D’s are effectively absorbed into the bloodstream; however the liver metabolizes vitamin D3 better.
What does this mean?
Well, when the body processes vitamin D, it metabolizes it into compounds known as calcifediol. Calcifediol is the main circulating form of vitamin D, and the levels of it in your blood reflect your body’s stores of vitamin D. Physicians test your calcifediol levels to check for vitamin D deficiencies. Studies show that vitamin D3 yields more calcifediol than vitamin D2, with some studies suggesting that a single dose is nearly twice as effective as its counterpart. Due to this, it is suggested you consider supplementing your diet with vitamin D3 over D2.
What will it do for me?
Vitamin D has several important duties, such as regulating the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, and promoting normal immune function. It is so vital to your daily function, that being vitamin D deficient can lead to soft bones or brittle bones, fatigue, being sick more often and more! Now that you know the basics on why vitamin D, specifically vitamin D3, is so important let’s take a look four benefits of vitamin D3 you might not know about!
1 Protects Your Heart
Research suggests that having a deficiency in vitamin D3 increases the risk of heart disease or heart attack. Studies also show that vitamin D3 helps regulate blood pressure, preventing hypertension and ultimately supporting long term heart health.
2 Boosts Your Mood
When absorbed into the body, vitamin D3 activates neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin that affect brain development and overall function. A change of vitamin D3 levels in your body can affect the production and release of these neurotransmitters, therefore affecting your mood. Low levels of vitamin D3 have been linked to depression or SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), a mood disorder featuring depressive symptoms, occurring during the times of the year when there is relatively little sunshine. While this is not to say that supplementing with vitamin D3 will cure depression, studies show that vitamin D3 deficiencies have been known to impair or prolong recovery from depression.
3 Preserves Your Memory
Studies show that older adults with lower vitamin D3 levels are at greater risk for losing their memory and cognitive abilities faster than those with higher vitamin D3 levels. A recent study found that the risk for cognitive impairment was up to four times greater in those who had vitamin D3 levels below 25 when compared to those who had levels 75 and above. Supplementing with vitamin D3 can help prevent or delay the risk of dementia, memory loss, and help manage your overall thinking process.
4 Soothes Your Stomach
Vitamin D3 helps regulate the inflammation levels in your gut, soothing your stomach and aiding digestion. It is common to see those with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) or IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease) have low levels of vitamin D3 in their system, which may result in increased inflammation and therefore exacerbate their symptoms.
Vivid Health Nutrition High Potency Vitamin D3 is a high potency Vitamin D supplement formulated using only pure, premium grade Cholecalciferol (from Lanolin) the most bioavailable and natural form of vitamin D available.
Vitamin D3 is a very important nutrient to the body with a long list of health benefits; however, it is difficult to get a sufficient amount of Vitamin D from the foods we eat. The high-quality formula in Vivid Health Nutrition High Potency Vitamin D3 provides a long list of health benefits that include supporting and maintaining strong bones and teeth, promoting healthy metabolism, cardiovascular, heart, colon, & immune system function as well as regulating blood pressure, fighting depression, reducing stress and more.
