Benefits of GanedenBC30® Probiotics for Runners and Athletes

This post has been sponsored by GanedenBC30® through Kitchen PLAY.

“Digestive wellness” has been trending now for a few years, especially the use of probiotics to help support a healthy and active lifestyle. Unlike some of the weird and potentially dangerous nutrition advice on the uptick, probiotics have been around since the dawn of time, are safe to use, and are backed by volumes of serious scientific research.

"I'm Using products featuring the GanedenBC30 probiotic to support my healthy active lifestyle," says Jennifer Fisher of TheFitFork.com

As a life-long runner and competitive athlete, I believe my diet is equally as important as my training. I strive to eat a balanced and functionally beneficial diet that supports my fitness goals – complex carbs from fruits, veggies and whole grains; a variety of lean proteins; heart healthy fats; specific micronutrients targeted to my needs and the like! I also rely on probiotics to help support the optimal functioning of my body and recently discovered the shelf-stable probiotic,GanedenBC30 (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086). Read on to learn more about this natural probiotic ingredient which is conveniently found in many of my favorite brands of foods and beverages.

 While I like to have fun, I take my recreational activities seriously – I’ve been doing all this sporty stuff for my entire life and train hard, rest easy, and eat clean. When I need convenience in my diet (like packing snacks for an adventure race or fully embracing rest mode and avoiding cooking duties), it’s reassuring to know there is a probiotic strain available to support my lifestyle needs in easy-to-find, easy-to-fix, easy-to-store products that taste great too – like that chocolate protein muffin I’m snacking on (top pic) that is fortified with GanedenBC30.

#ad Learn the benefits of probiotics for runners, athletes and weekend warriors – such as help support digestive and immune health. GanedenBC30® is a safe and effective spore-forming probiotic that can withstand extreme temperature changes (such a boiling, baking, microwaving, freezing), making it a versatile and reliable ingredient used in many consumer products you can find at the market today! #GanedenBC30 #BC30 #Probiotics
Pin this for reference later!

So, what are probiotics anyway and why do I need them? Simply put, probiotics are helpful bacteria that live in the gut and do beneficial things for the body. Having bacteria in your gut sounds a bit gross, but the human body has trillions of good bacteria cells that live in and on our bodies. When in balance, the flora help ensure we are functioning at our best. However, everyday lifestyle stressors can disrupt gut microbiota and this can impact overall health and wellness. Antagonists to a healthy gut environment include the use of antibiotics and certain other medications, hormonal changes, a poor diet, illness, aging, stress and travel. Regularly taking a probiotic can be a safe and effective way to take your health and wellness to the next level.

How can probiotics help me as a runner, athlete or active and on-the-go person? While probiotics won’t directly make you run faster, jump higher, or swim longer, they will help keep your body’s systems functioning at their best, optimizing your health – which all indirectly allows you to train harder and recover faster.  There is no denying that a healthy athlete is a better athlete, at least that’s my experience. As a hardcore fitness enthusiast, who has high expectations on my body to perform well, I am particularly interested in how probiotics (especially GanedenBC30) provide:

  • Digestive System Support: As a runner, I don’t need tummy troubles or a surprise call from nature when out on a run and GanedenBC30 has been shown to help support digestive comfort and improve stooling habits.
  • Immune System Support: It’s common for endurance athletes to catch colds or other illnesses right after a race or during periods of over-training. As beneficial as exercise is for the body, it’s also a stressor that requires adequate recovery.  A significant portion of our immunity (up to 70%) can be linked to the helpful flora in our gut – these microscopic super-heroes facilitate an environment where your immune system can do its job better, making you more resilient in the process.

 Check out the research studies on GandedenBC30 and assess the merits of this probiotic for yourself.

What foods are probiotics found in? Not too long ago, probiotics (because they are “alive”) were typically only found in refrigerated products like yogurt, kefir, kombucha and other fermented foods. Also, probiotics in capsule, tablet or “pearl” form have been available, but for me that was always a hard pill to swallow (pun intended, lol)! The good news is that the GanedenBC30 is a spore-forming probiotic, which means it can survive harsh preparation processes (think boiling or freezing), which means it can be used to add probiotics to your everyday foods and beverages.  

Product categories GanedenBC30 can be found in include teas and coffee; juices and smoothies; powdered and liquid beverages; snacks, dips, spreads and baked goods; frozen foods and desserts; plus, gummies and confectionary!

Are all probiotics the same? NO! There are many, many, MANY strains and no two from the same bacterial species are exactly alike. This means, the benefits and characteristics of a specific probiotic strain can vary, and data from one strain can’t be used to support the benefits, safety and efficacy of another.  Make sure to check out all of the benefits and research on GanedenBC30 (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086) and/or other probiotic strain before starting a regimen to ensure it will adequately meet your needs.

What makes GanedenBC30® different? Unlike sensitive vegetative probiotics in things like yogurt, GanedenBC30 is a spore-forming probiotic, which means it has a protective shell allowing it to better survive extreme temperatures – like microwaves, boiling water, and the freezer. This makes it very versatile and a quality-consistent ingredient in consumer food products – like teas, baking mixes, and other things that face extreme temperature change in some other way. GanedenBC30 can also survive stomach acid allowing the bacteria to successfully travel down into your intestines where they team up with your own bacteria. Non-spore, vegetative probiotics are much more fragile and often fail to survive these internal and external challenges, meaning few of them arrive in the gut still alive. Research has shown that GanedenBC30 is an effective probiotic choice that supports digestive health and  immune health– all in easy-to-source consumer products found in most markets and online.

GanedenBC30 is a probiotic ingredient found in many healthy food, packaged and frozen foods, drinks and consumer snack products found at the grocery store.
Here are a few products I love featuring GanedenBC30. This safe and effective probiotic is found in 1,000 leading food, beverage and companion animal products around the world.

To determine if a consumer product is made with the ingredient GanedenBC30, simply flip the item over to the nutrition and ingredient label and look for the GanedenBC30 logo

To determine if a consumer product is made with the ingredient GanedenBC30, simply flip the item over to the nutrition and ingredient label and look for the GanedenBC30 logo

Is GanedenBC30® safe?Yes, research shows this spore-forming probiotic is safe for everyone including children, adults and seniors. It is gluten-free, non-allergenic, vegan, and Kosher and Halal certified. Foods fortified with GanedenBC30 can be eaten daily without worry of having too much. However, if you have specific health concerns, please consult with your medical professional for further advice. 

Improving gut health is a goal in 2021 for me. I’ve done pretty well taking care of myself in this way in the past, but there is always room for improvement. Improving gut health is a goal in 2021 for me. I’ve done pretty well taking care of myself in this way in the past, but there is always room for improvement. Being proactive and supplementing with easy-to-find and tasty products that contain GanedenBC30, a safe and effective probiotic that provides benefits for my top issue areas – digestive help and immunity, is an easy way for me to take care of my health.

Lean more about GanedenBC30® at BC30probiotic.com , or:

How Prebiotics Fuel Probiotics & Good Gut Health for Runners and Athletes

This post is sponsored by Rowdy Prebiotic Bars. However, all opinions, comment, and content (except as noted) and enthusiasm remain my own.

“I’ve heard of probiotics, but what are prebiotics and why do I need them?” This is a question I hear from many runners, cyclists, triathletes, swimmers, obstacle course races and other athletes looking to improve their performance, in part, through nutrition.

Gut Health for Athletes - how prebiotics fuel probiotics

Simply put, prebiotics are the food that probiotics, those good bacteria in your gut, eat to thrive and, in turn, help you thrive. But, to understand more about prebiotics you need to understand the synergistic relationships that go in the gut microbiome of an athlete (or anyone). Continue reading

3 Ways Probiotics Help Runners #HealthiestDaysAhead

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Hyperbiotics, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #HealthiestDaysAhead  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Runners already have a leg up on health. Hitting the road, trail or treadmill a few times a week has countless benefits for cardiovascular health . . . and even mental health! But, what about gut health? 3 Ways Probiotics Help Runners

It’s true that running on a regular basis can help keep you “regular” (wink, wink), but runners often struggle with other gut issues including the runner’s trots, post-run digestive issues, and just the havoc that a modern diet or hormonal fluctuations can wreak on your digestive system. Read on to find out three ways Hyperbiotics, a collection of specifically formulated probiotics found at Target, can help runners get back and stay on track. Continue reading

Yoga Workout for Active Recovery + Daily Multi-Vitamin for Wellness!

New-Chapter_Blog-Photo-11Training is hard. Rest days are harder, often they can be a hard pill to swallow!  I hear this from dedicated runners, triathletes CrossFitters, obstacle course racers, weight-lifters and other hard-core athletes all the time. In fact, I often fight the urge to workout 365, even when I know rationally that my body needs adequate time to recover from a hard effort on the track or in the gym. In part, it’s this drive to go balls out regardless of pain and suffering that distinguishes winners from losers on game day. However, keeping this mindset every day of the week can wear you down mentally, tear you down physically and get you stuck in a rut where you’ve plateaued and are no longer making gains.

jennifer laughing crossfit situpBut who among the athletic elite (and even us regular people just striving to be the best we can be) want to sit around on the couch all day, waiting for some sort of generic mandate of “not moving a muscle” to pass?!  That’s not really the best option mentally and physically either. Activities on these light load days should take into consideration your current fitness level and fatigue felt from the previous workout – less volume, less intensity (less than 60% effort) and keeping it fun are the key points!  My go-to active recovery day includes a short walk followed by a gentle, stretching yoga sequence to help flush out toxins and encourage mobility so I’ll be ready to go harder the next day! Here is one of my favorite active recovery “Rest Day” Yoga Workouts:

Yoga Rest Day Workout for Active Recovery

Getting enough sleep (7 to 8 hours would be optimal), rehydrating with plenty of water (check out my post on 50 Shades of Pee) and eating well with a focus on fresh vegetables and fruit paired with lean proteins are also important to workout recovery.

Another important part of recovery is eating right, right?! Most of us are aware that carbohydrates metabolize into the quickly-sourced energy that powers performance and that consuming a protein-rich snack post-workout (in a 3:1 to 4:1 carb to protein ratio) helps repair muscle and tissue taxed by exercise. But what you eat every day, day in and day out, has a profound effect on athletic performance too – you can’t outrun a poor diet!

New-Chapter_Blog-Photo-24

In addition to eating a balanced diet of lean proteins, fresh fruits and veggies and healthy whole grains, I I also take a daily multivitamin to make sure my bases are covered. Every Woman’s One Daily Multivitamin from New Chapter caught my attention from the hundreds (if not 1000s of different brands out there) because of the way that it’s made. These vitamins are fermented with probiotics and whole foods and gentle enough to take any time – even first thing in the morning on an empty stomach!  I’ve never feel woozy or nauseous after taking any of their products.

Every Woman’s One Daily Multivitamin from New Chapter is ideal for active women because it contains extra nutrients for energy support, stress support†, immune support and bone support.* And, this award-winning vitamin (BEST Multivitamin Award.  Delicious Living 2016 Supplement Awards) is Non-GMO Project Verified, made with certified organic vegetables & herbs, vegetarian, kosher, gluten free and has no synthetic fillers. I love how they are equally helpful to the planet as they are to us – all ingredients are mindfully and sustainably sourced!

You can purchase Every Woman’s One Daily Multivitamin at a number of online retailers including Amazon.com– love how I can usually get free shipping and also save by setting up a subscription (because, it really sucks to run out of vitamins)!

What are your tips for recovery and general wellness for an active lifestyle? Are you racing competing, training or taking it easy this weekend — please share in the comments, I’d love to chat! XOXO — Jennifer 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, care, or prevent any disease.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

4 Trail Energy Recipes with Protein Powder

This post is sponsored by NOW Foods via Mamavation.

These four easy, packable recipes use protein powder for added nutrition -- making them perfect to take on a hike or trail run.I’m not going to hide the fact that I’m a meat-eater. I do all the proteins – beef, chicken, fish, and so on.  But often, I’m in such a rush for breakfast in the mornings or after a workout, that I’m not able to cook up a big juicy steak. Nor do I always want to. Using protein powder is a go-to on these days when I have a light appetite, but realize my body needs adequate protein for muscle repair and maintenance.  I ask my body to do a lot at my age and, in return, I try to feed it what it needs!

I’m sharing some of my favorite recipes using protein powder that are perfect for taking on a trail run or stowing away in your gym bag. I’m also reviewing two great options from NOW Sports that each work well in the recipes.  I’ve tried dozens of different protein powders and these two rank pretty high in my book – they are affordable, made with quality ingredients and offer the right ratio of protein to carbs and fat that I prefer.

These four easy, packable  recipes use protein powder for added nutrition -- making them perfect to take on a hike or trail run. 

 

1) Pumpkin Protein Granola

2) Nut Butter Protein Nuggets with Cacao Nibs

3) Apricot Chocolate Almond Protein Bars

4) Chocolate Cherry Protein Trail Cups

 

 

Now Foods Plant Protein

Incorporating protein powder into your diet, it’s all about balance!

Plant Protein Complex (Creamy Vanilla) – Great for vegetarians and vegans (and even meat-eaters who want a change of pace), the NOW Sports Plant Protein Complex is a versatile choice made with a pea, brown rice, hemp and quinoa protein blend. Each scoop provides 22 grams of proteins and 3,900 mg of branched chain amino acids and 1,800 of L-Arginine. Less than 1 gram of sugar and sweeted with Xylitol and Stevia.

Sprouted Brown Rice Protein (Natural Vanilla) – Everyone needs protein to thrive and survive, however those with certain food allergies (such as whey, egg, soy, etc) are often left with few choices when it comes to protein powder. NOW® Sprouted Brown is a great solution and can be used with the confidence that only natural and pure ingredients are being used – no soy or dairy and is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

 

Additionally, I recently tried these two other NOW Foods products – thumbs up to both, especially for convenience. When doing healthy things is convenient, I’m more likely to participate!

NOW Foods Slender Sticks - Acai LemonadeLemonade Slender Sticks – These single-serve drink mix packets are so convenient for summer travel or to stash in a gym bag. What I like about them, other than the sweet-tart taste, is peace of mind knowing I’m using a product with made natural sweeteners and non-GMO ingredients, no artificial flavors or preservatives, and contains 50% of nine daily vitamins. Oh, and only 15 calories per serving!

NOW Probiotic 10 + Inulin has 10 billion live organisms per packet to support gut health.Probiotic-10 + Inulin: More single-serve packets, so you can get probiotics anytime, anywhere! This convenient supplement helps to maintain a healthy microbial balance in the gut – thanks to 10 probiotic strains and 10 billion organisms per little packet!  Suitable for vegans, vegetarians and those on dairy-free and gluten-free diets, this easy-to-use powder simply mixes into water for drinking.

 

What is your favorite way to use protein powder? Have you ever used a Probiotic supplement?  Please share in the comments below — XOXO, Jennifer