Today I’m sharing my Just Thrive Probiotic review.
I was first introduced to Just Thrive through The Skinny Confidential podcast back in 2020. Tyler and I have ordered and used Just Thrive probiotics a handful of times over the years and have always had such good experiences.
After walking through a miscarriage and intense recovery this summer, I plan to be laser-focused on my physical health and wellness this fall. I’m currently in the process of honing my supplements and routines to support my healing: we are doing strength training, electrolytes, long (for me) runs, sauna sessions, lots of protein, you get the idea. I also decided to get back on a really good probiotic to support my body through all of the changes.
I have done a decent amount of research on probiotics over the years. For the most part, what I’ve found is that while probiotics are great in theory, not many strains can actually survive the trip to the gut. If probiotics do not arrive alive in the gut, they are ineffective.
What has always stood out to me about Just Thrive is that their proprietary spore-based probiotic is formulated for 100% survivability. We’ll get it into all of that in this post.
Having already been a huge fan of Just Thrive, I am unbelievably honored to partner with them on today’s review.
My Just Thrive Probiotic Review
In this Just Thrive Probiotic review, I’ll kick things off with a little background about Just Thrive. I love the company’s mission. Then, I’ll share my review of the Just Thrive probiotic.
Note: In case it’s not wildly obvious, I am neither doctor nor a scientist. I hope you know to take everything you read here with a grain of salt, as I can only speak to my own experience! As always, please consult with your physician about all things health related.
About Just Thrive
Tina and Billy Anderson, the founders of Just Thrive, began their careers in the pharmaceutical industry. The two eventually burned out when they realized that the over-prescribing of medications in the US was contributing to our health epidemic, not helping it.
Tina and Billy began to look at the root causes of the health problems we face today. They set off on a rabbit hole researching the science behind gut health and probiotics.
The gut, as we know, is intimately connected to digestion, immunity, and brain function. What they found was that probiotics support our immune system and overall health by fortifying the gut microbiome.
Tina and Billy partnered with one of the world’s leading microbiologists, Kiran Krishnan, to secure the rights to their specialized spore strain of probiotics found in Just Thrive products.
What is a spore based probiotic?
The science was clear and pointed to four specific strains of probiotics that can survive the trip from the mouth to the gut. These four strains, known as Spore Bacillus strains, have been used in Asia and Europe for half a century. (The website goes into the science behind these strains here–very helpful. And here is a study done on this specific strain).
Spore Bacillus strains are more challenging and expensive to manufacture which is why many companies have opted for lacto or bifido-based probiotics. Lacto/bifido-based are the strains you’ll see in many other popular brands of probiotics. These strains can be beneficial but, in many cases, don’t survive the trip to the gut, rendering them ineffective.
There are some spore-based probiotics available via prescription, but Just Thrive was the first 100% spore based probiotic available on the retail market.
Just Thrive guarantees that their probiotic will arrive 100% alive in your gut and has 1000x better survivability (!) when compared to other probiotic brands.
In an ideal world, you’d get enough probiotics by incorporating enough fermented foods in your diet, such as kefir, yogurt, kimchi, kombucha, sourdough, miso, and sauerkraut. Since that’s not always possible, a spore-based probiotic supplement can support the good bacteria in our gut.
Just Thrive Probiotic Review
After just a few weeks of consistently taking Just Thrive Probiotic capsules, I have noticed less bloating and, most notably, more energy. I have been sleeping better since I started too.
Tyler told me–without me even asking, mind you–that he’s noticed a huge improvement in his digestion.
Everyone is different, of course, but we are both really impressed by the product and excited about the long term health benefits.
Ingredients
Just Thrive Probiotic & Antioxidant capsules are spore based. The problem with most probiotics on the market is that the bacteria dies before it makes it to your gut. When a probiotic’s directions say to keep it refrigerated, that is actually a sign of weakness in the formula. After all, if a probiotic can’t survive at room temperature, how can it survive at 98.6 degrees?
Just Thrive is made with four of the most heavily-researched and clinically proven spore strains:
Bacillus Indicus Hu36™: This is Just Thrive’s proprietary strain that makes antioxidants in the gut to encourage a strong immune system.
Bacillus Subtilis Hu58™: This strain is proven to produce defenders against harmful bacteria.
Bacillus Coagulans: This strain is known to support a host of digestion issues.
Bacillus Clausii: This is the only known strain proven to resist damage from antibiotics. This strain restores beneficial gut flora that would have otherwise been wiped out by antibiotics.
Just Thrive probiotic capsules are non-GMO and made without gluten, soy, dairy, sugar, salt, nuts, or histamines.
Benefits
Did you know that 70-80% of the immune system is located in the gut? This means that if we have gut issues, our immune system has to work even harder.
Taking it a step further, the gut is also known to be connected to our brain function and mood. A healthy gut is so important to our overall health and wellness.
Probiotics encourage healthy gut flora and can support a thriving immune system and digestion.
Probiotics are known to fortify the good bacteria in our gut microbiome, but only if they arrive alive.
How to use Just Thrive Probiotics
Since Just Thrive’s formula is so potent, their team recommends starting slow and taking one capsule every other day for the first week. After that, you can move to one capsule per day.
Neither Tyler nor I had any major issues adjusting to the probiotics, but it’s worth noting that a “die off” period can be totally normal. Die off, also known as the Herxheimer Reaction, happens when the harmful bacteria are killed and burst within the gut. Put simply, I understand this to be somewhat of a purge of bad bacteria as your gut microbiome begins to flourish.
The beneficial bacteria in the product has been found to grow and strengthen with food, so the team also recommends taking the capsule with a meal. I take mine at dinnertime alongside the rest of my vitamins and Just Thrive’s PREbiotic capsules (prebiotic fiber that feeds the good bacteria in the gut–think of it as a fertilizer!).
Since the formula is sturdy and shelf-stable even at high temperatures, you can open and mix the powder from the capsules for cooking or baking which I think is so cool.
Kids of any age can take Just Thrive probiotics, although, obviously, it’s recommended to avoid having children under eight try to swallow a capsule. You can easily sprinkle the powder into smoothies, yogurt, or oatmeal to give your kiddos a little immune boost. And, of course, check with your pediatrician!
If the powder capsules don’t work for you, Just Thrive now carries probiotic gummies too.
Just Thrive Promo Code
If you are interested in trying Just Thrive, use my code RUTH15 for 15% off at checkout.
Another thing I love about this company is that if you are not 100% satisfied, they will refund your order, no questions asked–even if the bottle is empty!
Thank you to Just Thrive for sponsoring today’s review. As always, all opinions are my own. I may make a small commission on links purchased through my blog, at no cost to you as a reader.
On that note…
