Why Not Everyone Needs Probiotics – The Truth About Gut Health and Supplementation

Why Probiotics Are Not a One-Size-Fits-All Solution

Many people assume that taking a probiotic is always beneficial, but gut health is much more complex than that. Your microbiome is a delicate balance of good and bad bacteria, and adding probiotics without knowing what your gut needs can disrupt that balance.

Some people already have a well-balanced microbiome simply from their diet, consuming enough fiber, polyphenols, and naturally probiotic-rich foods without supplementation. But throw in a high-dose probiotic when your gut isn’t asking for it, and suddenly, you’ve got a gut microbiome throwing a house party you didn’t approve of. And trust me—too much bacteria throwing a rager in your intestines isn’t as fun as it sounds.

Another big issue? Probiotic quality matters. Not all supplements are created equal, and some don’t even survive stomach acid to reach your intestines. Poor storage, weak strains, or just outright ineffective formulas mean a lot of people are basically paying for very expensive, fancy-flavored air.

And then there’s the bacterial balance itself—your gut is largely made up of bacteroidetes and firmicutes, the power duo responsible for breaking down food and maintaining your metabolic health. But too many firmicutes? You might be fermenting food like a kombucha brewery and gaining weight in the process. Balance is everything.

SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) is a prime example. Probiotic bacteria are meant to live in your colon, not the small intestine. But if they settle there, they ferment food too soon—causing bloating, gas, and slow digestion. Fun, right? But again, not everyone who has SIBO is over fermenting....some still need probiotic support, it just depends on the kind!

Then there’s candida and fungal overgrowth—yeast love certain prebiotics and fermented foods, which means you could be unintentionally fueling their takeover. Candida overgrowth can lead to a range of symptoms from fatigue to skin issues, and probiotic supplements containing certain bacterial strains can sometimes aggravate the problem instead of fixing it. I also want to mention candida and fungal overgrowth make it hard to lose weight because of the issues it causes with bloog sugar and estrogen dominance.

And for those with histamine intolerance, fermented foods like kimchi and kombucha can trigger inflammation, skin rashes, and congestion. Some probiotics even produce histamine, making symptoms worse for those who already struggle to break it down.

How to Know If You Actually Need Probiotics

Instead of blindly adding probiotics to your routine, listen to your gut—literally. If you’re dealing with bloating, irregular digestion, or random food sensitivities, it might not be a lack of probiotics that’s the issue—it might be an imbalance somewhere else in your digestive system.

Other signs that indicate a need for deeper gut analysis include:

• Recent antibiotic use – If you’ve been on antibiotics, your gut bacteria have been wiped out, and strategic repopulation may be needed.
• Digestive discomfort after taking probiotics – If probiotics make you feel worse, it could mean you already have bacterial overgrowth, histamine intolerance, or the wrong strains for your gut.
• Unexplained bloating or weight gain – Gut bacteria influence metabolism, and the wrong balance could be affecting how your body processes food.
• Indigestion, acid reflux, or undigested food in your stools can also indicate one of the other underlying reasons your system over ferments or has pathogenic overgrowth to begin with. Stomach acid and our digestive enzymes kill off pathogens before they enter the stomach, and digestive enzymes help to process the food we eat. When we don't have this support, our gut becomes severely imbalanced and pathogens can thrive!!!

The best way to know if you need probiotics and other digestive support is through testing. A GI-MAP DNA stool test can show exactly which bacteria or other pathogens are thriving, which are slacking off, and whether you need support in certain areas.

What to Do Instead of Blindly Supplementing

So, what’s the move? Instead of just grabbing a probiotic off the shelf, focus on a comprehensive gut health approach:

• Optimize digestion first. Support bile acids, digestive enzymes, and stomach acid production before introducing probiotics.
• Incorporate probiotic and prebiotic foods strategically. Instead of overloading on fermented foods, start with more polyphenols and fiber to see how you tolerate it. Sources such as psyllium husk fiber, berries, cacao powder, green tea, acacia fiber, and fiber found in lightly steamed vegetables. If you do try any fermented foods or probiotic rich foods, start SMALL and give your body a good week on a dose before you slowly work up.
• Use spore-based probiotics cautiously. These strains tend to survive digestion better and may be beneficial for some, but they aren’t a one-size-fits-all fix.
• Test, don’t guess. GI-MAP testing provides real insights into your gut bacteria levels and your digestive organs/enzymes so you can customize your approach.

There are specific brands I recommend for those who aren’t following a customized plan with me—ones that aren’t too high in overall CFUs but contain strains that support the bacteria commonly found in a balanced gut microbiome and/or help kill off some commonly seen bad bacteria. Choosing the right probiotic can make a big difference in whether you’re actually benefiting from it or just wasting money. I typically recommend this formula here. It's just one a day on an empty stomach about 20-30 minutes before a meal.

Probiotics can be an amazing tool for gut health—but only if your body actually needs them. Just like you wouldn’t wear someone else’s prescription glasses and expect perfect vision, you shouldn’t take random probiotics without understanding what your gut truly requires.

My goal is never to make people more confused, it is to give them a deeper understanding of the body so they can make better, more informed decisions!

Want a deeper dive into this topic? I break it all down in my latest YouTube video. If you're serious about gut health and want to make smarter choices with probiotics, this video is a must-watch!

🎥 Check it out here: