At the start of 2023, many new wellness trends began to emerge, including sleep synching, sense hacking and a big focus on gut health. As predicted by Country & Townhouse, the connection between the gut and the brain is becoming more of a priority and trend this year, and by taking care of your gut health, this can have a positive impact on your overall wellbeing and lifestyle.
With this in mind, I decided to look into ways to support and improve gut health. Alongside exercising regularly and eating more fermented foods, one thing that was constantly recommended was adding a supplement into your diet. Incorporating a probiotic supplement into your day-to-day is said to deliver a large number of live gut friendly bacteria and rebalance your gut microbiome, which in turn reduces digestive problems.
As someone who experiences stomach issues, I was very intrigued by this so I did some research and found Symprove. Symprove is one of the most talked about probiotic supplements that’s been recommended by health experts, celebrities and athletes, including long jumper Jazmin Sawyers, actress Gemma Atkinson and singer Alexandra Burke.
I decided to give Symprove a try for a full month to see how it improved my gut health… and this is what I found.
- For more health tips, here are 7 signs of an unhealthy gut
What is Symprove?
Symprove is a water-based supplement that contains 4 strains of live and active bacteria. Backed by scientists from King’s College London and University College London, Symprove is designed to deliver billions of bacteria to the gut to support the microbiome. Because it’s water-based, Symprove doesn’t trigger digestion so the bacteria reaches your gut alive. This bacteria gets to work on your gut to improve your digestive system, balance the good and bad bacteria in your microbiome and better your health. Symprove is also vegan, dairy free and gluten free.
To support your gut with Symprove, all you need to do is take a 70 ml shot of Symprove every morning, 10 minutes before you eat or drink anything. Depending on the amount of Symprove you choose, the pack will arrive with instructions, individual bottles of Symprove and a cap that perfectly measures the 70 ml you need to take each morning. You can also choose from three different flavours: Original, Strawberry & Raspberry and Mango & Passionfruit.
On the Symprove website, you can choose two purchase types: one-time or a subscription. The one-time purchase starts at £79 for the 4 week pack (which is what I tried). If you want a 12 week pack, you’ll pay £149.99. With Symprove subscriptions, you can choose 1 month, 6 months and 12 months plans which start at £39.99.
What happened when I tried Symprove for a month
As I mentioned before, I tried the 4 week pack of Symprove in its Original flavour for a full month. I started this challenge after I got back from a 2 week holiday, so it felt like I was kick starting my health after overindulging on a beach for a fortnight! As suggested, I kept the bottles of Symprove in the fridge and when I woke up in the morning, I went through to the kitchen to have my daily shot before I carried on with the rest of my routine. I found it very easy to fit into my schedule, especially during the weekdays, and it became an automatic habit for the next few weeks.
One of the most common things I’d heard about Symprove was the flavour. Many people have said they don’t enjoy the taste of the Original, and while it’s not the most amazing thing I’ve ever tasted, it’s definitely not as bad as some people say, so don’t let this put you off! The daily dose is also only 70 ml so if you really hate the taste, it’s quick and easy to get down.
Moving on to how it supported my gut, one of the first things I noticed was after having my Symprove shot, my stomach immediately kicked in. For the first week or so of using Symprove, I experienced lots of movement – if you catch my drift – which didn’t feel uncomfortable or unpleasant. I definitely felt like my gut was working more effectively and everything was much more regular.
As someone with IBS and lactose intolerance, I experience stomach discomfort and bloating fairly regularly. While taking Symprove, I found this calmed down a lot and I felt much lighter and more comfortable, even when I was having a stomach flare-up after accidentally eating some cheese! When I forgot to take Symprove, I noticed my stomach was a lot fussier, so I would say it definitely helps ease digestive symptoms and improve your gut.
As the weeks went on, I became more conscious about what I was putting in my body and I really started to notice my body’s reactions. I felt like I was taking care of my body better by incorporating Symprove into my diet so it’s definitely something I’d consider using full-time and not just for a 4 week period.
Symprove: should you try it?
Personally, I enjoyed taking Symprove every morning and found it incredibly easy to add into my diet and routine. I do think Symprove helped my stomach and gut issues, and while my IBS isn’t exactly going to disappear from taking a shot everyday, it definitely made everything feel more comfortable and regular.
The price is what puts many people off, as the one-off purchase of £79 is pretty pricey. The Symprove subscribe & save is more cost-effective, you can save 20% and delay orders, but you’ll still be paying £39.99 a month for 12 months (Symprove’s most popular plan). It’s definitely something to consider if you want to invest in your gut health but it might not be feasible for some.
