And that pretty much applies across the board from the place you call home, to the cars you drive, and to many of the consumables you buy as well.

But every once in awhile, something comes along that becomes an exception to all this. Sometimes the exception is strictly a marketing ploy of some sort... to con you into believing you're getting more value for your hard-earned money than you really are.

For example, many automobile manufacturers compare their products to higher end vehicles.... These manufacturers might try to convince you their vehicle has all the bells and whistles comparable to the higher-end vehicle... but at half the price.

At first blush, you might start believing what they say is true.

But when you dig deeper, you may find their vehicle may have most of the tangible features of the luxury cars, but the quality doesn't come close. Or, when you test drive their vehicle, the road-feel is not anywhere near that of the more expensive vehicle.

This is by no means an endorsement for any auto brand, but simply an example of how value exceptions can sometimes end up being misleading... and how they really require you to be on your toes to watch out for them... to do your homework.

And in the complex world of nutritional supplements, it's important for you to know...

How Perceived vs. Actual Health Value Can Be Very Dicey

Don't be fooled by very low-priced
supplements. Many are made from
cheap, unhealthy synthetic ingredients.

Many supplements claim to provide great benefits at very low prices. But when you dig deeper you often find out that cheap, synthetic ingredients were used.

Or, at the other end of the spectrum, the producers of more expensive supplements try to convince you a special process or hard-to-find ingredient is needed to justify the higher cost... in my opinion, often times this is simply a marketing ploy.

For every one that makes it through my rigorous acceptance gauntlet, dozens upon dozens more get rejected.

I truly believe that with what I'm about to show you, you'll see why I consider this to be one of the best health values for your money*... a true value exception with facts to back it up... a situation where I believe you simply will get more value for the same amount of money.

To get started, let's take a brief trip back in time...

The History Behind Fermented Foods and Their Health Benefits

History provides us a few clues on how different cultures promoted their intestinal health before modern times. Years ago, people used fermented foods like yogurt and sauerkraut - as food preservatives and as support for intestinal and overall health.

Ancient Indian culture (as well as today),
promoted intestinal health with a raw yogurt
drink called lassi - full of probiotics

Here are a few examples...

• During Roman times, people ate sauerkraut because of its taste and benefits to their overall health.
• In ancient Indian society, it became commonplace (and still is) to enjoy a before-dinner yogurt drink called a lassi. These Indian traditions were based on the principle of using sour milk as a probiotic delivery system to the body.
• Bulgarians are known both for their health and their high consumption of fermented milk and kefir.
• In Asian cultures, pickled fermentations of cabbage, turnips, eggplant, cucumbers, onions, squash and carrots still exist today.
• People of the Ukraine consume probiotics from foods like sauerkraut, raw yogurt, and buttermilk.

The interesting thing was most of these dietary habits were born from tradition... at the time, no one really knew or understood why they were so healthy to your digestive system.*

How Probiotics Got Their Start - An Uphill Battle 
Against Big Pharma

Well, things changed in the early 1900s, when Russian scientist Elie Metchnikoff (Nobel Prize 1908) proposed that the Balkan population enjoyed excellent health due to consumption of large quantities of fermented milks containing beneficial bacteria.*

These 'good' bacteria were later defined as probiotics, which comes from Greek terminology meaning 'for life.'

In the 1950s, the USDA licensed a probiotic formula for use in the digestive tract of pigs. Later on in the 1970s, the effectiveness of the probiotics in that role in pigs was discovered. Probiotics were later pioneered for human use.

So, what took so long to bring probiotics to the forefront in human health enhancements?*

I believe that the mere fact that large pharmaceutical companies were able to leverage millions of dollars to market their products pushed probiotics out of the way... relegated them to the back-burner.

But today, the health trend has clearly begun to shift toward natural nutrition. And that has allowed probiotics to resurface and gain the attention they deserve.

And that's why I spend so much of my time researching factual data on how to provide you with the best probiotic formula available.

All this is well and good, but...

Why Are Probiotics So Vital to Your Health?*

Why do many caesarean-section infants have
less-than-optimal health after birth?

From the very first breath you take, you're exposed to probiotics.

How so?

On the way through the birth canal during a normal delivery, a newborn gets dosed with bacteria from their mother. This event starts colonization in the infant's gastrointestinal (GI) tract of 'good' bacteria. Compelling new research now shows many caesarean-section infants have less-than-optimal health after birth. This is most likely because they are not exposed to the mother's healthy bacteria in the birth canal which would then serve to populate its own GI tract.

As you mature, you're faced with many threats to the beneficial bacteria in your gut... from chlorinated drinking water... to overly-processed foods.

The 'good' bacteria in your gastrointestinal system can only provide you with optimum health if the proper balance of different types of bacteria is maintained in your gut.*

This is where probiotics can have a profound effect... not just on your GI health, but on your overall health as well.* Keep in mind, 80% of your immune system actually lives in your gut.

Probiotic formulas are available with many different types of bacterial strains... with the most common being Lactobacillus acidophilus. But as you'll find out shortly, not all probiotics are created equal... and not all probiotic formulas are properly produced to provide optimal benefits.*

In general, if formulated properly, the major benefits of a high-quality probiotic are to...

• Aid you in digesting food, particularly hard-to-digest foods and foods to which some individuals are more sensitive.*
• Enhance the synthesis of B vitamins and improve calcium absorption*
• Help you keep a healthy balance of intestinal microflora*
• (In women) Promote vaginal health*
• Support your overall immune function*

And more...

I strongly believe the key to an optimal probiotic formula is through science-backed research by a qualified non-biased laboratory... and through a manufacturer with rigorous high-quality process standards in place.

You'll see more evidence of this unwavering belief I have coming up...

When's the Best Time to Take a Probiotic Supplement?

One of the confusing issues with probiotic supplements hinges around timing... when is the best time to take them?

When's the best time to take a probiotic?
See my recommendations here

Recommendations are pretty much all over the place on the best time to take them around meal times.

I can tell you when it comes to this, my team and I have carefully researched this issue and even consulted with the one of the foremost authorities and pioneers on probiotics...

The bottom line... my recommended approach and timing for taking a probiotic supplement are...

• Take it prior to eating breakfast with a glass of pure water
• Wait 10-15 minutes after taking it before you eat because stomach acid from your meal could impact some of the 'good' bacteria (you could lose 5-10%)
• Avoid taking it within 3 hours of taking any antibiotic

And talking about meals and probiotics, something I hear quite often is...

"If I Eat Yogurt, Should I Still Take Probiotics?"

You are probably wondering why using nearly any commercial yogurt might not be as beneficial as a probiotic supplement. Afterall, traditional cultures have been consuming cultured, fermented foods like yogurt for years for digestive health promotion.

Most commercial yogurts are not a good source
of probiotics. Heat pasteurization significantly
reduces most of the 'good' bacteria benefits

The problem arises because...

• Traditional yogurts were phenomenal sources of beneficial bacteria due to their raw and unpasteurized state.
• Most of today's yogurts are pasteurized, unless specially purchased raw and unpasteurized from a local farmer. Sadly, pasteurization radically reduces most of the benefits.
• Even most of the yogurts certified organic by the USDA are pasteurized in some fashion.

So what, in my opinion, is wrong with pasteurization?

Well, it basically kills or sterilizes most of the beneficial and other bacteria during the heat processing. And some yogurts (particularly the frozen ones), don't contain any live bacteria at all.

So, as great-tasting as many of them are, don't be fooled by yogurt products advertising live cultures beneficial to your digestive system... many have likely had the beneficial bacteria already reduced or wiped out by heat-intensive pasteurization processes.

To me, this is one of those cases where it appears that in our collective zeal to rid ourselves of every trace of infectious agents in our food supply and homes, we may have outdone ourselves.

As a whole, we're less exposed to bacteria now than in the past, including beneficial bacteria. Antibacterial products, hand sanitizers, and the like have made for a world that's a whole lot cleaner, but is it really that much healthier?

Due to strict food safety regulations, less bacteria (including the 'good' ones) survive the manufacturing process. Many overly-processed products, just like yogurt, undergo pasteurization or sterilization, which may destroy beneficial bacteria.

While this may be helpful in some ill-health prevention, it also means we are exposed to less health-enhancing bacteria.*

And with helpful bacteria less available in our food, I'm even more convinced how crucial it is to consider supplementation with high-quality probiotics.

But, I first must raise the caution flag and give you fair...

Warning: Make Sure You Get the High-Quality Solution

So, how do you go about finding a high-quality probiotic supplement?

First of all, before we're through, I'll help dispel some of your guess-work with my findings on some of the latest probiotic discoveries... and provide my recommendations as well.

But before I do that, there are some key factors I feel differentiate the good probiotic formulas from those that are questionable... and may even be a waste of your money.

Basically, without the following key factors, any probiotic formula can be suspect at best, unless it...

• Contains effective bacterial strains - it must be strain specific*
• Is viable and dose specific
• Remains stable and viable for long period of time
• Has the ability to survive the stomach and into the intestine
• Produces beneficial effects and thrives in the intestine*

This complicates the world of probiotics a bit because there are so many manufacturers out there making claims on digestive health promotion.

But you don't need to fall for any of the misconceptions... I'll help you dig through the maze and minutia as we go.

If Your Probiotic Formula Does Not Contain THIS, In My Opinion, You Shouldn't Waste Your Time

If your probiotic does not contain this specific
lactobacillus acidophilusbeneficial strain (DDS-1), you could
be wasting your time

One of the key formulation factors in a probiotic supplement that I already mentioned, is it must contain effective bacterial strains.* Now, as you can imagine, this is a rather complex issue.

But of all the strains produced over the years, there is one I believe exceeds all others... and to me, if the probiotic formula does not contain this strain, well quite frankly, you're not getting your best health-bang for the buck.*

I no longer consider taking a probiotic as part of my daily regimen without this strain!

This strain has the distinction of being one of the few bacterial species for which probiotic attributes have been shown to be effective.*

So what is this strain?

Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1 is the name of this highly effective strain of beneficial bacteria*... and the 'DDS-1' is really important. There are other strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus out there, but without the DDS-1 specificity, your potential health benefits could come up short.*