If you are looking to level up your gut health this year, you have probably heard conventional (and useful!) wisdom, such as prioritizing a balanced, healthy diet full of fermented foods like sauerkraut and yogurt. But did you know there is a game-changing option to support your gut health and microbiome? Introducing Synbiotic+, Ritual’s gut health solution — and Rescripted’s pick for anyone looking for an easy way to improve their gut health.
Rescripted members get 25% off their first month of Ritual with code RESCRIPTED25!
But first, why is gut health so important?
Gut health has been a trending topic for the last few years, and for good reason — research has found that our gut plays a huge role in our mental and physical health. The gut’s primary function is to help the body digest food and absorb nutrients. But did you know that the gut also plays a huge role in the body’s immune response, hormone regulation, and even cognition?
As much as 70% of the body’s immune response lives in the gut, and your gut has more nerve cells than the spinal cord. This helps your gut relay (and receive!) messages from your brain — called the mind-gut connection. A healthy gut microbiome facilitates this connection, producing neurotransmitters like mood-boosting serotonin. Every microbiome is unique, but genetics, diet, and even the environment can influence its makeup.
The gut is impacted by everyday occurrences like stress, diet, medication, or travel, and it’s possible to experience painful and unpleasant symptoms like bloating, stomach pain, constipation, and diarrhea. Because the gut is integral to so many important bodily processes, maintaining a healthy gut microbiome can play an important role in your overall health.
What are the benefits of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics for gut health?
You have probably heard about probiotics — the live cultures that are purported to have gut health benefits when taken as a pill or in probiotic-rich fermented foods like yogurt and kombucha. These live cultures adjust the composition of the gut microbiome, adding beneficial bacteria strains to the gut, which can aid in digestion. Probiotics have been used to address digestive discomforts and can help the gut after a round of antibiotics.
Prebiotics and postbiotics are the new kids on the block and function differently than probiotics. Prebiotics are found in whole grains and alliums like onions, garlic, and bananas. Prebiotics essentially function as “food” for probiotics, fermenting to produce short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, which provide energy to the cells in the colon.
The byproducts of digested pre and probiotics are called postbiotics, but they are far from an afterthought in the body. Postbiotics, or short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, serve as the primary energy source for the cells that line the colon. So, you could say they’re pretty important.
What's the difference between a probiotic and a synbiotic?
A traditional probiotic contains a mix of live bacteria cultures designed to reach the large intestine. Synbiotics are different from probiotics because they contain a mix of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics. The pre, pro, and postbiotic mix works synergistically to deliver probiotics more effectively to the body, ultimately boosting the amount and diversity of beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiome.
Why do we like Synbiotic+?
We’re fans of Synbiotic+ because we know that it works — and Ritual can back that up with research. Here are just a few reasons why we recommend Synbiotic+:
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Rigorously tested: Ritual conducted in-vitro testing on Synbiotic+, and their results were astonishing. In testing, they found that the majority of pre- and postbiotics in Synbiotic+ were delivered straight to the colon, and the majority of postbiotics were released into the small intestine, where they could be broken down into a healthy energy source for the cells in the colon's lining! (You can read more about the study methodology and design here.)
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A formula backed by research: Ritual selected two of the most clinically studied probiotic strains for its formula, supported by over 100 human clinical trials.
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Easy to take: Gone are the days of taking three pills a day. Ritual’s synbiotic only requires one pill a day and is shelf-stable, meaning that it doesn’t need to be refrigerated like many other probiotic brands. It’s also lightly essenced with mint, so there’s no unpleasant aftertaste!
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Delayed-release capsule: Ritual’s synbiotic is designed to help reach the colon (not the stomach), an ideal place for probiotics to survive and grow.*
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Fill in the gaps in your diet: Since probiotic-rich foods can be tough to incorporate regularly, Synbiotic+ can help complement a healthy diet full of lean protein, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables by delivering live cultures safely and effectively to the gut.
The bottom line? Gut health is foundational to our overall well-being, and we’re delighted to see a game-changing solution entering the market in Ritual’s Synbiotic+. Rescripted members get 25% off their first month of Ritual with code RESCRIPTED25!
Erin Pettis is a content strategist, freelance writer, and women’s health advocate. She lives in New York City and holds an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business.