Hello everyone, Linsy here! Have you ever heard the term? probiotic layering?
Jini believes probiotics are fundamental to gut health – not just for infections or flare-ups, but also for long-term healing and maintenance. You probably know that she only recommends Natren brand probiotics, but if you’re curious why, you can read Jini’s blog post, “How to Choose an Effective Probiotic.” This post is a guide to finding a potent and effective probiotic, and you’ll see why Natren ticks all the boxes!
Well, I recently had a conversation with Natren’s CEO and Founder, Natasha Trenev, and she explained to me that probiotic layering ensures that all 27 feet of your gastrointestinal tract are effectively treated for maximum benefit. If this is new information for you, please read on to find out exactly what probiotic layering is and how you can implement this latest protocol. 🙂
Probiotic layering
According to Natasha, “Ideally, you should take the Healthy Trinity capsule AND a layer of powdered probiotics at least twice daily.”
This means taking the Healthy Trinity capsule at the same time as all three Natrens powdered probiotics (click here for dairy-free powders). An easy way to do this is to follow these instructions directly from Natasha:
“The powders can be taken with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of each powder. Fill a glass of filtered water and mix 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the powder. Then drink with the healthy Trinity capsule right before a meal (at least 20 minutes). This is my layering system for reaching all 27 feet of the gastrointestinal tract and my diet and nutritional support.”
Why is this beneficial?
1) This stratification protocol reaches all 27 feet of the gastrointestinal tract.
Why? Because the Healthy Trinity capsule actually targets the small intestine, large intestine and lower areas of the gastrointestinal tract, while the powders tend to focus on the upper gastrointestinal tract such as the mouth, stomach, esophagus, etc. So you can see that taking these capsules synergistically benefits your entire gastrointestinal tract.
*Please note that many people do well and achieve results just taking the powders or the Healthy Trinity. That doesn’t mean you won’t get results if you don’t use this layering system! However, when you apply these precision probiotics in layers, you can be truly confident that all areas are being treated effectively.
2) The powders and Healthy Trinity contain the same strains of bacteria but different CFUs.
To explain this, I grabbed the following two excerpts from Natren’s FAQ section:
“Healthy Trinity and the Healthy Start System (the powders) deliver the same three beneficial bacteria species. Healthy Trinity is our most powerful probiotic at 30 billion CFU per capsule. It combines the three most powerful super strains of probiotics, protected by unique oil matrix technology for ultimate survivability, in one convenient capsule. It ensures the ultimate survivability of the 3 super strains of probiotic bacteria.”
The Healthy Start System is a box of three bottles, each with a different, gentle serving of a probiotic super strain, to create a customized nutritional supplement program for the whole family.”
As you can see, both offer excellent benefits. The CFU count can vary, but keep in mind that they each target different parts of the gastrointestinal tract.
Remember – the gastrointestinal tract starts in the mouth and extends to the anus! Since it’s not just the stomach and intestines, layering (for maximum benefit) can help reach all areas of the gastrointestinal tract. The powders alone provide benefits by swishing or leaving them in the mouth while the Healthy Trinity capsules open in the small intestine.
Probiotic sensitivity
Now you may be thinking: How should I go about layering if I’m sensitive to probiotics?
If you have read or watched my videos and listened to my journey, you will remember it was me SO sensitive to one of the probiotic Natren powders. This was because my small intestine was suffering from an overgrowth that I didn’t know about at the time and I just couldn’t stand it!
Every time I took on this particular strain, my stomach bloated so much that I could barely walk. This was right at the beginning of my journey, so I had a lot of imbalances that I needed to work on. The solution my trainer and I came to was to take the Healthy Trinity capsule as the powders were a problem. The funny thing is that I tolerated it quite well, even though the healthy trinity is the strongest of all! That was the solution to the problem, all the bloating was gone within two days!
My point is that my journey was exactly the opposite of what I’m going to recommend, so use that as a guide – but listen and do what your body says!
How I would personally start this layering process:
- Since the powders contain lower CFU content and you can easily control the dosage due to the powder form, I would highly recommend you start with these.
- It is recommended to start with this one powdered variety each. I like to leave it on for at least three to five days to make sure I don’t react to this strain. Then, once you have reached the recommended dose (½ – 1 teaspoon twice daily) of that strain, slowly add the other powdered probiotics one at a time. I started with just a pinch of one strain and took months to reach a therapeutic dose. It really depends on your microflora, so don’t rush it and cause more problems!
- Once you are satisfied with the recommended dosage (using all three probiotic powders twice daily), add Healthy Trinity.
*Please note that it is recommended to do this layering process twice daily, but again, go with your gut as I have found this part to be very subjective depending on your needs and symptoms. There were times when I used them three times a day and times when I only needed them once a day.
If you decide to try layering probiotics, I would REALLY love to hear from you! Leave your experiences in a comment below or send us an email as I would love to see how this works for all of you.
Until next time, happy healing – and remember to always listen to your gut! 🙂
Linsy is Jini’s assistant. From a highly sensitive/reactive case of ulcerative colitis to a fully medical and surgical treatment using all-natural methods, Linsy truly understands first-hand the interplay of mind/body/spirit on the healing journey.
