Best Women’s Probiotics from Sprouts for Digestive Health
Navigating the shelves of probiotics can be a challenge, especially with so many options at a health store like Sprouts Farmers Market. You want to get the best option, and the biggest bang for your buck! The health benefits from supplementing with a good probiotic (or eating fermented foods) are amazing. It’s honestly an overall health boost when done correctly. Here I’ll discuss some of the best probiotics & digestive support products from Sprouts, then give you some recommendations of how to get the most out of them!
Garden of Life Raw Probiotics
I love this brand. They focus on providing nutrition from whole, functional foods. And by doing so, they provide nutrition in a compatible form that your body can assimilate. They have a number of third-party certifications, including USDA organic, non-GMO certified, certified B-corp, Kosher, cruelty-free, and so many more.
This specific product is certified to be made in accordance with the non-GMO project, and has a potency promise that it contains live cultures. It is marketed to promote colon health and immune function, but based off of the ingredients, I think it can cause a number of other beneficial effects. Overall, this is a very well-rounded product with the highest variety and amount of probiotic strains.
Product Information Highlights
- Suggested use: take 3 capsules a day, best taken 3 different times throughout the day.
- Servings per Container: 30. (So, if you take 3 capsules a day, this container will last you about a month.)
- Raw Whole Food Probiotic Blend: This blend contains 33 different strains of probiotics, with a total of 85 billion CFU. (The good bacteria are measured in “colony-forming units”)
- Dairy-Digesting Enzyme Blend: This product contains 4 different enzymes to help your body break down dairy and improve digestion.
- Vitamins and Minerals: This product contains vitamins C, D, E, B6, B12, and a number of other vitamins and minerals.
- Keep this product refrigerated!
Solaray Women’s Formula
This product contains 24 probiotic strains and prebiotics to feed the live cultures. It is lab verified, gluten free, vegan, and is made without soy. Solaray also has a team of in-house scientists with degrees in the fields of biochemistry, biology, and other related sciences and disciplines. This product does not have as many strains or as high of a potency as Garden of Life, but it is still a good option.
Product Details
- Serving size: 1 capsule
- Servings per Container: 30 (This one will also last you about a month)
- Probiotic Blend: 24 strains with a total of 50 billion CFU.
- Prebiotics: Non-GMO potato startch, oat fiber blend
- Keep this product refrigerated!
Femdophilus
This product has the least strains and concentration of probiotics, but it really shines in the research. (Jarrow formulas boasts 30+ years of clinical research on the specific cultures used!) L. reuteri and L. rhamnosus have many benefits, including improving women’s vaginal and urinary tract health.
If you have yeast infections, I recommend this article from Dr. Aviva Romm about a Probiotic Approach to Yeast Infections. The strains L. reuteri and L. rhamnosus have been shown to improve yeast infections, and she recommends Femdophilus!
Helpful information
- Serving size: 1 capsule
- Servings per container: 30
- Probiotic Blend: 2 strains with 5 billion CFU
- This is made without dairy products and other common allergens.
Digest Complete
If you are having digestive upset, gas, bloating, or indigestion, you might want to try a supplement to support digestion. Digest Complete contains enzymes to digest carbohydrates, proteins, fibers, fats, and lactose. You can also try a papaya supplement, which also contains helpful enzymes to support digestion. Sometimes the pancreas and digestive system need a little help!
How to Get the Most out of your Probiotic Supplement
I know it would be magical to just take one pill and have it change your entire health. But, just the use of probiotics alone won’t be enough to truly change your health. In our modern world of processed, inflammatory foods, lifestyle changes are needed to make real lasting improvements to human health.
A high-fiber diet will help to feed the helpful bacteria in the probiotics, which improves the gut microbiome. You should also avoid chemicals and toxins, which will kill the live cultures and harm your gut lining and microbiome. Focus on eating whole foods, and avoiding processed, fake foods. Aim for eating adequate amounts of nutritionally-dense foods, and high amounts of fiber.
Using Your Probiotics to Make Yogurt
If you want to make the bottle stretch a little longer, use one of the capsules to make your own yogurt. Simply open the capsule and mix into milk as a yogurt starter, then ferment.
By fermenting the cultures, the friendly bacteria will grow exponentially. Just one capsule of a probiotic could make several servings of a very strong probiotic yogurt. Potentially even stronger than the probiotic capsule itself!
This is a health hack that more people need to know about, and I’m on a MISSION to teach everybody about the benefits of homemade yogurt. Not only does this save you money and stretch your product longer, you can ferment your yogurt for long periods of time, creating an even more potent concentration of beneficial probiotics.
Fermented Foods for Gut Health
Don’t get me wrong, I do recommend probiotics for improving your health. But I know that they can get really expensive! A good way to get probiotics in your diet without breaking the bank is through fermented foods.
You can find sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurts, kefirs, and other fermented products at Sprouts. Regularly consuming even small amounts of these fermented foods will slowly and surely improve your gut health.
You can also make your own fermented foods for a fraction of the cost, and keep (nay, improve) all of the probiotic benefits. Whatever works best for you, just know that there are options to improve your gut health no matter your budget! This article about the best time to eat sauerkraut will teach you how to get the maximum benefit! You might also be interested in making your own strawberry drinkable kefir, it is the easiest introduction into the world of fermentation.
On a Gut Health Journey?
If you have found this article helpful, stick around! This blog is part of my effort to share different ways to improve gut health and overall well-being. Consider joining our email list so you don’t miss a thing! And if you have any questions from the article, ask away in the comments! Did I miss any brands? What is your favorite probiotic from Sprouts?
Question: would you double up on a supplement & fermented foods?
It just depends, for most people I think that eating fermented foods is enough to do the trick. If you want to get a specific strain of probiotic, then storebought supplements are the most sure answer. I mostly just focus on fermented foods, but it’s nice to have some probiotics around to use as a yogurt starter, or to take if I really need a boost!
I love this! I like to switch my probiotics after I finish a bottle. Thanks for the great options!
Good idea, then you get different probiotic blends!
Such good advice! I find your guide to the probiotic supplements really helpful! I used to buy them in the past, but had no idea what to look for and I don’t think they were very good. I don’t buy them now, but I love to ferment dairy and vegetables for the benefits, their great taste, and for preservation. And I think it’s great that you’re spreading the word!
I love the idea to add it to your yogurt! I never thought about that before. Thank you for the information it was fantastic. I am always looking for a good probiotic.
Of course, thanks for stopping by!