probiotics

[Auders]

hello lovely knowledgeable people. Has anyone tried taking probiotics and if so could they please recommend a brand? Thanking you 🙏

[Hypopotamus]

I would suggest making your own rather than buying tablets etc. Kefir (water of milk), sauerkraut, live yoghurt etc. There is plenty of information on YouTube and other parts of the Internet to get you started. Water Kefir is possibly the easiest.

[Auders in reply to Hypopotamus]

thank you so much. Don’t like yoghurt or sauerkraut so I’ll look up kefir 🙏

[SmallBlueThing in reply to Auders]

Beetroot is very easy to do as a lactic pickle, and you can use the remainder of a pack of cooked beetroot from which you may have taken one piece for a salad. Chop the beetroot into convenient pieces, plus a bit of onion. You need the weight of the veggies and the water they'll be covered with so, if using electronic scales, place a jar on them and tare (zero) the scales, fill the jar with the beetroot and onion and top up with water to cover, making a note of the weight. You need 1 to 2% of the weight as salt, so if the veggies + water weigh 500g you need to add 5 to 10g of salt (non iodised). A teaspoonful is about 6g. Screw on the jar lid and tip the jar around to mix everything up, then loosen the lid so the carbon dioxide can escape as it ferments. Within a few days you should have something more mellow than beetroot pickled in vinegar, with the benefit of the gut-friendly bacteria. You can also ferment beetroot into kvass. Made with sugar, rather than salt, it's a pleasant carbonated drink, similar to water kefir, but without requiring you to acquire kefir grains from a sharing group or eBay etc.

[Auders in reply to SmallBlueThing]

ohhh thank you, sounds very interesting. I love beetroots 🙏

[Ukie]

Hi Auders. I find probiotics helpful, but I have to also give them plenty to ‘work on’, so I eat lots of cabbage, and Flax seeds (available in most supermarkets) each day with my cereal. If you look on the pots they tell you what bacteria are in them. I was on one with loads of different bacteria in, but I can’t remember the name of it. I am now on a cheap one called Vitawell Biotics containing only lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium lactis, and to be honest I find it more helpful. You are not supposed to take them all the time, so I tend to use it for a few weeks when I am expecting a change of diet (eg Christmas, holidays), stress levels, or if my meds aren’t quite right. I hope this helps.

[Auders in reply to Ukie]

thank you so much for the info 🙏

[Ukie in reply to Auders]

Also I forgot to mention, I think it’s important to take them immediately after food so they have something to act on. Ideally after/with breakfast according to what I read.

[Summer64]

I've used many in the past but the hospital dietician told me they don't work and that they only approve one make which is Symprove. It costs over £70 for a months supply so I've never tried it. I did try one the other week though called prebio7 which has prebiotics in it too. It gave me such awful wind that I had to stop it after just two capsules.

[Auders in reply to Summer64]

thank you so much. The wind is the thing I want to reduce! 🙏

[Summer64 in reply to Auders]

I don't know if it's a good thing and shows they are working but it was crippling.

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

Probiotics are a very individual thing due to our different gut microbiomes. There are apparently only a few that are proven to work and they can be expensive, such as Symprove which gave me incredible pain. VSL3 is another that's not cheap either.

Eating the rainbow can help along with a wide range of meats to include offal and game. Making your own kefir from any of dairy, or water kefir if you buy the right grains can work well and did for me for a long time.

[Auders in reply to Jaydee1507]

thank you very much 🙏

[Ellie-Louise]

These are what I use, and I have been very happy with them.

amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01...

edit: I have tried eating sauerkraut but couldn’t get used to the taste.

[Auders in reply to Ellie-Louise]

thanking you very much 🙏

[Marfalarfa]

Hiya - if I've had to take antibiotics (which Id rather avoid!) I take Biokult for a month or so.. and I've found these help, i have Crohns Disease and they've definitely helped with flare ups too. I agree with others that homemade fermented foods are best, but these are a quick easy option.. And I'm sure you already know this but important to include prebiotics in your diet.. e.g. leeks, potato etc.

There's a brilliant, accesible book called Gut by Guilia Enders I recommend!

Sorry that's a long answer, love this subject! All the best

[Auders in reply to Marfalarfa]

thank you so very much. A lot to ponder on! I do eat a lot of potatoes already 🙏

[blondpalomino]

Hi,

I take Natures Aid Acidophilus complex which I get on Ebay. I have taken acidophilus ( not necessarily the same brand) for many years when they were recommended to me by a herbalist I was seeing at the time. I sometimes have a break from them for a few weeks, but definitely feel better when I am taking them,they seem to help with bloating and my stomach feels better when taking them. I take them after my evening meal.

[Auders in reply to blondpalomino]

thanking you very much, lots of reading about these things to do!🙏