A new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition suggests that daily intake of the probiotic strain Lactobacillus casei may help protect against the flu.

More than 200 healthy study subjects at the Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan, Italy were split into four groups. Two groups received a daily dose of the probiotic strains BB-12 and L. casei. The other two groups were given a placebo pill. After two weeks, all four groups were given a seasonal influenza vaccine. Plasma and saliva were taken before the test began and at six weeks to compare the number of flu antibodies.

The results showed that while all groups received the vaccine, the L. casei group showed a 46% increase in the number of antibodies produced, compared to just a 2% increase in the corresponding placebo group.

Sam Lingo, director of operations for Enzymes, Inc., says studies like this will open the public’s eyes to the power that a balanced digestive system possesses.

“Many consumers don’t understand that the digestive system is at the very core of overall health,” Lingo says. “It really goes back to the foundations of enzyme therapy. If your body isn’t busy fighting a war in the gut, it has the biochemical resources it needs to focus elsewhere, including strengthening the immune system, responding to inflammation and helping to improve other vital systemic (organ and tissue) function.”

Probiotics have sparked a proverbial firestorm within the consumer food and health industry in recent years. From traditional probiotic-rich foods to new drinks, supplements and even “gummy” products, consumers are bombarded with the message that probiotics are nature’s answer to indigestion– eliminating “bad” bacteria and boosting “good” bacteria, all with little risk of side effects. However, probiotic manufacturers are going to great lengths to one-up their competitors, claiming that more strains of probiotics are more beneficial. Are they correct? Not necessarily. Click here to read more.

Enzymes, Inc. offers potent probiotic supplements comprised of the most effective types and quantities to produce the best results. ProSol[[$trademark]] Probiotic and Advanced Formula[[$trademark]] FlorEnz[[$trademark]] are also available through your healthcare practitioner.

Enzyme supplements work with probiotics in the digestive process. They help break down food, absorb nutrients and help decrease the symptoms of indigestion. WellZymes[[$trademark]] Digestive Health is a broad-spectrum enzyme supplement that includes specific digestive enzymes used to break down specific types of foods, including protein, fats, dairy and carbohydrates.

Don’t know what an enzyme is? Click here to view a brief educational video.

With late December holidays just around the corner–your mouth is already watering in anticipation of savoring your favorite candies, pastries, dishes and snacks.

While treats and comfort foods can be bliss for a time–they have a way of giving you amnesia after the fact. When it comes time to munch again, you’ve forgotten that eating goodies from morning till night will comes with a price. You’ll be extremely gassy, bloated and laying on the couch with an urge to unbutton your pants and give your insides some room to breathe. You may spend more time looking at bathroom wallpaper than enjoying your family or holiday entertainment.

You know it’s going to happen every year, but you do it anyway. You try to fight back against indigestion by taking scores of antacids and “the pink stuff.” But those remedies only cover up the underlying issue—the lack of complete food component breakdown.

To aid in the digestive process and help the body ease the discomfort that holiday foods carry,  include a broad-spectrum digestive enzyme supplement with every meal. By adding to the digestive enzymes your body uses to break down proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, you’ll also help decrease the amount of gas and fatigue you may experience afterward. And if you love the relish tray, there are also digestive enzyme supplements derived from plant sources to help maximize the digestion of legumes (beans), cruciferous vegetables and high fiber foods.

Digestive enzyme supplements may be the best gift you’ll receive this holiday season–one that allows you to have your fruitcake—and not pay the price for eating it, too.

While the term “organic” may carry with it a certain perception that anything labeled as such is pure and flawless, cooked and processed organic foods can’t be digested any easier than their non-organic counterparts.

Organic food advocates claim that organically grown foods are healthier because they are not raised with non-organic methods such as pesticides, non-organic fertilizers, antibiotics and hormones. However, during cooking and processing, organic foods lose vitamins and food enzymes, just as non-organic foods do.

Food enzymes, which are natural enzymes that both organic and non-organic raw foods possess, begin the process of breaking down food when you start chewing. When the food reaches the stomach and small intestine, half of the work has already been done, allowing food nutrients to be more easily and completely absorbed. But when food enzymes are cooked and processed out, the body must use more of its own enzyme resources to compensate. Improperly broken down food often leads to indigestion, gas, and bloating. And with the body working overtime, you may also feel fatigued after you finish eating.

To maximize the nutritional value of organic food, supplement your diet with a daily vitamin, probiotics, and a broad-spectrum digestive enzyme supplement, which helps break down any type of food and replace lost food enzymes.

“Mom! Mom! Dad! Dad! Look! I see the golden arches! Can we stop there? Please? Pleeeeaaassee? I wanna play on the slide and get the new toy! Oh please-please-please-please-pleeaassseee?”

If you have kids, you’re undoubtedly bombarded with this request every time you take to the highway for a long road trip. If you’re trying to make good time and haven’t planned ahead, succumbing to the allure of the fast food kingdom is easy and convenient. You think, “The kids will be thrilled, the food is cheap, and it’s ready in less than 90 seconds. Why not?”

Of course, the “why not” comes later, when the kids are crabby, sweating from dehydration, and too groggy to play, “I spy with my little eye.” The “why not” finds you, too—out of it and with acid indigestion and gas. Your family is pleading with you, “Roll down the window, for the love of Pete.”

We all know that greasy and fatty fast food is at the forefront of turning the United States into one of the most unhealthy and obese countries in the world. But what can you do on the road to avoid the fast food trap, promote a healthy lifestyle for the kids and get to your destination in a timely manner?

Let’s rewind all the way back to before you left for the trip. WebMD suggests you take a cooler and stock it with these healthy, convenient, and easy to serve alternatives:

· Water, low-fat milk, or 100% juice. Take cooled milk and douse it over whole-grain cereals that come in single-serve cups.
· Low-fat cheese sticks
· Tubes or cartons of yogurt
· Cut veggies or washed baby carrots and cherry tomatoes. Compliment with a container of low-fat dip.
· Sliced bananas, apples, grapes and pears.

Other healthy and portable items:
· Peanut butter in a tube or a small tub to go with crackers or bread sticks
· Single-serve cans of tuna with easy-open tops and crackers
· Cans or cups of fruit packed in their own juice
· Dehydrated bean soups (get hot water at a roadside rest stop)
· Trail mix made from dried fruits, nuts, seeds, pretzels, or cereal with a few chocolate chips thrown in for good measure.

Get the most out of what you’re feeding them

Even healthier food choices can still pose digestive problems, including incomplete nutrient absorption and indigestion. Many moms and dads supplement their kids’ meals with digestive enzyme supplements. These all-natural products help break down all types of foods, helping the body to absorb food nutrients. On the road, this helps make for kids that are more awake, chipper, and less likely to say, “Pull over, I think I’m gonna be sick.” There’s nothing more beautiful than upholstery that retains its original color.

As far as the slide and playtime, be sure to pack a Frisbee and your baseball gloves. Stop at a rest area with a park and have a catch with your kids. After all, it’s what happens on the journey that childhood memories are made of.

What type of food do you crave? Do your favorite snacks or meals consist of fruits, fried foods, vegetables, sugar, nuts, meats, dairy or all of the above? How do you typically feel after you eat? Are you energized, relaxed, focused, sleeping on the couch or in the bathroom?

Regardless of what you love to eat, here’s four ways to get the most out of your food and not pay the price afterward.

1. Use time to your advantage. We’ve all heard the term portion control, but how easy is it to sit down on the couch after a hard day and eat just 10 potato chips or a tiny helping of spaghetti with meat sauce? Difficult, to say the least.

To avoid overeating—and the indigestion that can come with it—next time eat the small portion and then set an egg timer for 20 minutes. Research shows that it takes food approximately 20 minutes to reach your stomach and turn off the hunger signal to your brain. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to say ‘no’ to another helping when you’re body says you’re full. If you don’t think this approach will work, promise yourself another helping when you set the egg timer, then wait and see. Chances are, you’ll change your mind.

2. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. When you eat foods high in sugar or sodium, you increase the amount of water the body needs to carry out the digestion and keep food moving through the intestines. If the food doesn’t contain enough natural water, constipation and slower digestion can be the result. If the food is so loaded with sodium or sugar that it has to draw water from the body, diarrhea and dehydration can be the result. Be sure to drink at least 64 fluid ounces of pure water per day.

3. Chew your food—no, really. The stomach doesn’t act like a high-powered blender. It takes a while for it to turn food into the creamy substance it needs before it can absorb nutrients and complete digestion. So it follows that the more broken down your food is when it reaches the stomach, the less effort the body has to put out to convert it into energy. Chewing each mouthful at least 20 to 30 times will also allow the enzymes in your saliva to start breaking down fats and carbohydrates right from the get go. If food sits in the stomach too long, a build up of gas can occur and cause reflux.

4. Take a digestive enzyme supplement. Because most of the foods we eat today are cooked or processed, they contain little or no natural enzymes that aid digestion. Ever wonder why you feel tired after eating? Your body is exhausted from trying to make up for the lack of enzymes, which do all the work.

Raw foods have increased in popularity because of their enzyme content. Supplemental enzymes can ease digestive stress on the body and help it better absorb nutrients from food. Enzyme blends that offer broad-spectrum digestive support, also include enzymes for problems that can stem from eating beans and vegetables or dairy.