Probiotics boost energy levels by improving digestion and producing B-vitamins. When we aren’t properly digesting our food, we aren’t getting the macronutrients and micronutrients necessary for our bodies to produce energy. We can be eating all the right things, but if our digestion isn’t functioning properly, the food is literally going in one end and coming out the other.
In this video, I explain the important role probiotics play in our digestion and energy levels. I talk about what probiotics are, how they boost energy levels, and how you can add them to your daily routine.
What probiotics are and their health benefits
Probiotics are the good guys in our gut that help us digest our food properly. They live in the digestive tract and have several roles:
- Support immune function and our ability to fight infections
- Manufacture energy-boosting B-vitamins
- Improve nutrient absorption
- Increase our resistance to food poisoning
- Prevent UTIs
- Help regulate peristalsis (muscle contraction in the intestines) and bowel movements
- Balance blood sugar
- Produce and regulate important neurotransmitters and amino acids like tryptophan that help you sleep.
It should be noted that unlike antibiotics that kill both good and bad bacteria, probiotics do not destroy anything. They make the conditions in the bowel inhospitable for bad bacteria which inhibits their the growth. This makes room for more good bacteria to move in and get cozy.
How probiotics boost energy levels
Probiotics manufacture energy-boosting B vitamins. These B vitamins work best when they are a team but they each have their own specialities.
- Vitamin B1 has a key role in cellular production of energy as part of the glucose metabolism process. It also helps convert carbohydrates to fat which can be stored until the body need it for energy.
- Vitamin B2 is a building block for two coenzymes that are important for energy production. The coenzymes help carry hydrogen, which is used in the production of ATP, when carbohydrates and fats are metabolized.
- Vitamin B3, aka niacin, acts as part of two coenzymes that play a key role in glycolysis, which is the process of creating energy from carbohydrates and sugar.
- Pantothenic acid (B5) acts as a coenzyme that is important in the cellular metabolism of carbohydrates and fats to create energy.
- Vitamin B6 facilitates the release of glycogen (stored glucose) from the liver and muscles so it can be transformed into usable energy for the body.
- Folic acid aids red blood cell production and helps in the breakdown and utilization of protein.
- Vitamin B12 stimulates the body’s utilization of protein, fats, and carbohydrates.
Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium, which are specific types of probiotics, increase the absorption of minerals such as iron, copper, magnesium, and manganese. This is important because these minerals are integral to the energy production process.
Eat your way to high energy levels
Now that you understand how probiotics boost energy levels, it is time to take action! You can take a probiotic pill every day, or you can eat probiotic-rich foods. In my course Eat Clean for Energy I share lots of yummy recipes that are bursting with probiotics. I also explain how the macro and micronutrients in the food you eat directly correlate to the amount of energy that’s available to you. From healthy fats to adaptogens, essential vitamins and balancing blood sugar levels, I break it down and shows which foods zap energy and which foods make it soar.