Actimel

[Diyena]

I know healthy gut bacteria is really important to help towards good health. Is Actimel any good? Or do the sugars and dairy counteract any goodness gained from the bacteria?

[Justiina]

Instead of actimel I'd make my own yoghurt or buy proper probiotics. Actimel contains unnecessary sugars and probably very little proper bacteria.

[humanbean]

No, Actimel are expensive, and don't have any real benefit. They also have a limited fridge life and can go off. It is far better to take capsules of a product which has good reviews and/or has been recommended by someone with similar health issues to you.

Because probiotics can be sold with different mixes of bacteria, I tend to mix my brands, I'm not loyal to one brand or another. I try to buy ones that have a high level of good bacteria in.

Do some research into kefir (milk and water varieties) - you can grow your own. Also Kombucha, fermented vegetables, natto. I think natto is an acquired taste - I've never tried it myself. Quite a few things can be made at home which have lots of good bacteria in them.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir

traditionalcookingschool.co...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombucha

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauer...

There is lots of good stuff out there. Actimel (in my opinion) isn't one of them.

[Hidden]

I don't but Actimel but I buy pre and probiotic capsules online.

[Hidden]

I was told it is better to take probiotics in capsule form as it's more potent then.

[Diyena in reply to Hidden]

More tablets 😭

[Hidden in reply to Diyena]

For me, it was the better option as I have to avoid dairy.

[Jefner in reply to Diyena]

lol, same here Diyena, I bought some Actimel before I asked on here so I think my mum is now going to have it. By the way did you see my message saying where I lived to you? xx Maybe we could get together sometime and compare notes lol

[Diyena in reply to Jefner]

My notes aren't very long, but yes we could 😃

[Jefner in reply to Diyena]

I have done nothing but read the last week or so and my poor brain lol

[Diyena]

I made sauerkraut once but wasn't that keen. I think yoghurt is my best bet as I like yoghurt. Just not sure how you get started and where to get the starting bacteria from. I tried kefir / kombucha? once and that was bearable But not something I'd enjoy

[Hidden in reply to Diyena]

I like the idea of saurkraut but bought a jar and was transported back to the cabbagey dining room at primary school.

You can buy yoghurt starter cultures on Amazon.

I bought an Easiyo kit and love their yoghurts but they're expensive.

[Diyena in reply to Hidden]

We buy easyo but it's still full of sugar

[Hidden in reply to Diyena]

I bought the Greek style one:-

Ingredients

Pasteurised skim and whole milk solids* (98%) from free range cows, live lactic cultures (l.bulgaricus, s.thermophilus, l.acidophilus).

But you're right, the others have sugar and it's too easy a way to consume a lot of sugar.

H x

[SmallBlueThing in reply to Hidden]

Unfortunately, most sauerkraut sold in jars has been pasteurised.

[humanbean in reply to SmallBlueThing]

Thanks for that info. I didn't know. I know it is possible to make our own but I've never investigated how.

[SmallBlueThing in reply to humanbean]

It can get a bit involved, with jars/pails with airlocks and fingertips sliced off by mandolins, but yoghurt, kefir and sourdough are easier and quicker, hence safer from invasion by bad bugs.

amazon.co.uk/The-Art-Fermen...

[Pookie50 in reply to Diyena]

I make Kefir and drink daily. I bought the 'seeds' on Ebay. I'd suggest you check out Kefir on google to see if you want to give it a go. It's very easy to make, which is a bonus.

Good luck.

[SilverAvocado in reply to Diyena]

Yoghurt is very easy to make. All you need is some existing yoghurt (bought or your own previous batch), and milk. You heat the milk to kill any nasties, then add a little yoghurt to introduce the bacteria you want, and keep it warm overnight.

You can easily find more detailed instructions online. I think the easiyo machine you've already got will handle the warming, so you don't even need to muck around with hot water baths.

[shaws Administrator]

Some more info for you:-

naturalfoodfinder.co.uk/pro...

webmd.com/digestive-disorde...

[faith63]

i was told to get off of dairy and gluten by 3 functional medicine doctors because i have hashi's.

[Josiesmum]

Kefir is easy but follow instructions carefully. Nice whizzed up into a smoothie with banana and blueberries However, it's high in histamine so be careful if you have an issue with intolerance to high histamine foods.

[Diyena in reply to Josiesmum]

I've no idea if I have intolerences to histamine foods but I do get bad hayfever 😏

[Josiesmum in reply to Diyena]

If you do try fermented food then it may be worth going very slowly, eg starting off with a teaspoon and build up gradually if you tolerate it.

[Angel_of_the_North]

I read somewhere that it is mostly a fibre called inulin (for constipation). Also contains nasty artificial sweeteners. Studies done by UCL showed that Actimel didn't survive the stomach, so pretty pointless. Very expensive way to get a minimal benefit. You'd do better to buy a good quality probiotic capsule/tablet, or make your own live yoghurt with organic milk.