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Probiotics: using fermented foods instead of (or in addition to) supplements

Keela Too

Keela Too

Sally Burch
Messages
900
Location
N.Ireland
I love kefir and have been drinking it or using it in smoothies for a few years now. I understand gut issues can be related to depression - and I've heard that probiotics can help prevent depression. Perhaps this is what has helped me to not feel too melancholic over my illness.

Either way I just love the taste and drink it straight quite happily. Mine is made from the grains. My mother in law saw them one day and said she grew them in the '70s when they were called buttermilk cauliflowers!

I've just started sauerkraut for the first time. Mine's a little salty, but I'm trying small amounts now to see how it affects me.
 
sueami

sueami

Senior Member
Messages
270
Location
Front Range Colorado
Bubbies is a brand of fermented food, if you can't make your own. I love their pickles. Haven't tried their saurkraut because I have a friend who makes awesome kraut and I grow the cabbages for her.

I make water kefir and used to make milk kefir but now that I am eliminating dairy, I've stopped that.

Fermented foods are a much cheaper way to get your probiotics in, that's for sure. I haven't found them to be a cureall, but I think they do improve my digestion.
 
M

Mij

Senior Member
Messages
2,353
I took tons of probiotic supplements (expensive ones) years ago and had a test done to see if my Lacto and Bif strains in my gut were increased, but they were not. I had 0 Lacto growth.
 
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Messages
263
Mij said:
I took tons of probiotic supplements (expensive ones) years ago and had a test done to see if my Lacto and Bif strains in my gut were increased, but they were not. I had 0 Lacto growth.
Click to expand...

Hi @Mij

I took loads of Lacto and Bifido combination probiotics(with equal counts of both strains)which also showed 0% Lacto with stool testing. However strangely enough my Bifido count was through the roof, like 10x the highest range. Elain Gottschal in her book "Breaking The Visious Cycle" says Bifido can overgrow and become aggressive/pathogenic just like Candida does in "weak" digestive systems....
 
M

Mij

Senior Member
Messages
2,353
Hi @end I made my own yogurt for years based on her book but I didn't see any improvement in digestion as I did with the fermented foods. My Bifo was in normal range.

How do you reduce your Bifo growth? Have your tried fermented foods?
 
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Messages
263
Hi @Mij

It was a good book although quite strict of a protocol. McBride with her GAPS protocol I found more helpful and a little more simplistic and lenient. However I never tried the fermented vegetables advocated. I have tried quite a lot of fermented diary made from "packet Kefir" but felt no real difference. I need to stay away from LAB strains as blood work has shown high d-lactate levels. Symptoms of anxiety are increased highly on any LAB strain, however LGG has no negative reactions even at very high dosages which makes sense as it does NOT produce d-lactate

I avoided any probiotics with Bifido in them and only took LGG which after 24months on retesting showed normal Bifido counts and high Lacto counts! I think like KDM advises, the probiotic you take should be based on ecology testing...
 
BadBadBear

BadBadBear

Senior Member
Messages
571
Location
Rocky Mountains
I had my worst flare in 2012 when I was eating a lot of kefir, made from grains and fresh goat milk. I still consume small amounts of kefir at times - nowadays I water it down and blend in some resistant starch and fruit. I have not noticed any benefits from kefir during the time I've consumed it. I also tried pep-zin and didn't notice any effect from it, either. Resistant starch + low sulfur/low folate veggies seem to be better for my gut than anything else (knock on wood, I have had a really good 3 weeks or so since I started resistant starch). I keep making kefir only because my DH is celiac, and he enjoys his daily kefir smoothie.
 
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