Just wanted to make a quick mention about this since it isn't really discussed very much, yet is of huge importance to anyone engaging in bodybuilding/bodybuilding lifestyle. Anyone doing this would be consuming diets very high in protein, and no doubt very high in caloric intake in general. I found that for myself, over time, especially as I got older, my digestive system was having a bit more trouble every year processing the amount of food I was eating. Not to mention I started feeling a bit more fatigued and sluggish during the day, and bowel movements were not what they used to be. You might find that while you're not constipated, you feel like you have to constantly have a bowel movement even though the stool might be soft, and after every bowel movement you feel like you need to void more but it just isn't coming out. There are also those of us whom adding in infinite amounts of fiber and greens just won't solve these problems. If you're having these issues/symptoms (or even if you aren't), it's definitely a good idea to start using probiotics.
For the longest time I honestly felt as though this probiotic craze was merely the latest fad and a gimmick (much like the 'detox' crap, which is definitely a snake oil gimmick/fad), but after grabbing the capsulized format and taking them just before meals, results improved big time almost immediately. Your gut and digestive juices require this assistance to properly digest and process the foods we eat, and this is especially the case if you're consuming a typical bodybuilder or bodybuilding lifestyle diet. We live in a day and age and environment where we sterilize everything around us, and as a result we don't ingest the proper microbes that help us with our digestion. Prior to a couple hundred years ago, people didn't care (or know) about sterilization, and were generally 'dirty' eaters, but the benefit that came with this was the consumption of these microbes (yes, both good and bad ones) that helped us. Without this bacterial assistance, inadequately digested food remains in the GI tract and can cause more bloating, gas, and the feeling like you have to have a bowel movement even though nothing is coming out (and like I said, this is NOT constipation). If you have actual constipation issues as well, this will also undoubtedly help with that.
I don't have extensive knowledge of the different probiotics out there and how to optimally use them, but this post is just a shout-out to stress the importance of their use with the type of diets we all engage in. If you can pick up a solid and trusted brand of probiotics and acidophilus, it should be good enough. Just take the recommended serving of capsules either prior to, during, or after meals and it will be a big help. I try to avoid the probiotic drinks and yogurts, and instead opt for the capsulized stuff because I don't want those extra calories, but to each their own.
For the longest time I honestly felt as though this probiotic craze was merely the latest fad and a gimmick (much like the 'detox' crap, which is definitely a snake oil gimmick/fad), but after grabbing the capsulized format and taking them just before meals, results improved big time almost immediately. Your gut and digestive juices require this assistance to properly digest and process the foods we eat, and this is especially the case if you're consuming a typical bodybuilder or bodybuilding lifestyle diet. We live in a day and age and environment where we sterilize everything around us, and as a result we don't ingest the proper microbes that help us with our digestion. Prior to a couple hundred years ago, people didn't care (or know) about sterilization, and were generally 'dirty' eaters, but the benefit that came with this was the consumption of these microbes (yes, both good and bad ones) that helped us. Without this bacterial assistance, inadequately digested food remains in the GI tract and can cause more bloating, gas, and the feeling like you have to have a bowel movement even though nothing is coming out (and like I said, this is NOT constipation). If you have actual constipation issues as well, this will also undoubtedly help with that.
I don't have extensive knowledge of the different probiotics out there and how to optimally use them, but this post is just a shout-out to stress the importance of their use with the type of diets we all engage in. If you can pick up a solid and trusted brand of probiotics and acidophilus, it should be good enough. Just take the recommended serving of capsules either prior to, during, or after meals and it will be a big help. I try to avoid the probiotic drinks and yogurts, and instead opt for the capsulized stuff because I don't want those extra calories, but to each their own.