Which Are The Best Probiotics?

[Julieanne]

I am taking wild oregano oil to deal with lung issues. I read somewhere (maybe here? )that I should take probiotics with this.

So I would like recommendations please. I guess they are all expensive, but one at a reasonable price would help!

[mellowsong]

Julieanne; Do you eat any lacto-fermented foods? Don't discount these as a major source of good, acid-resistant probiotics. Although I've only taken probiotics when I've been on long term antibiotics, a few I've seen recommended over and over again are:
Bio-Kult
VSL
Dr. Ohhira
Culturelle (although this only has one strain of bacteria, apparently it is pretty good and more affordable)
Jarrow has a pretty good reputation
Garden of Life Primal Defense and other formulas
Threelac and Fivelac

This is by no means a complete list. More than brand, what you want to look for:
Guaranteed live bacteria counts in the billions
Multiple different strains
Many include FOS which the good bacteria feed on. However, many people are sensitive to FOS (like inulin) so use caution. For most people, it is probably just fine

I've also read not to take anything with Bifidus for long periods of time continuously (say more than 3 months) as apparently, this can crowd out lactobacillus and you end up with an over growth of bifidus. I have nothing to back this up, just what people have shared in groups I've belonged to based on stool analysis.

[Pattypans]

Wow, Mellow. Thank you for that excellent information.

[Islander]

Just to add to what Mellow has said...I would emphasize the multiple strains in a product.

Have you thought about fermenting your own kimchi and sauerkraut? It's so easy and foolproof!

[Reesacat]

Dr. Mercola published an article about gut health recently and toward the end stated:

"Here's a case in point: It's unusual to find a probiotic supplement containing more than 10 billion colony-forming units. But when my team actually tested fermented vegetables produced by probiotic starter cultures, they had 10 trillion colony-forming units of bacteria. Literally, one serving of vegetables was equal to an entire bottle of a high potency probiotic! Fermented foods also give you a wider variety of beneficial bacteria, so all in all, it's your most cost effective alternative."

Video at end has some more info.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/27/probiotics-gut-health-impact.aspx

[Julieanne]

[QUOTE=Islander Have you thought about fermenting your own kimchi and sauerkraut? It's so easy and foolproof![/QUOTE]

Silly me! I realised some time after posting the question that making sauerkraut would be a good idea. Does it have to sit for long before you can start eating it?

Thank you mellow for the information - I wouldn't know where to start, so those are helpful suggestions. What is 'FOS'?

Edit: I hit 'reply with quote' but not getting the blue bubble.

[mellowsong]

Silly me! I realised some time after posting the question that making sauerkraut would be a good idea. Does it have to sit for long before you can start eating it?

Thank you mellow for the information - I wouldn't know where to start, so those are helpful suggestions. What is 'FOS'?

Edit: I hit 'reply with quote' but not getting the blue bubble.
It depends on the method you use for your sauerkraut but probably a minimum of 2 weeks. I use water kefir as a starter (works much better than whey and leaves it nice and crisp). Sits at room temp 3 or 4 days, then in the fridge another 2 weeks. I think Islander only uses salt so she can tell you better about length of time to let that ferment.

FOS is fructooligosaccharide. It is basically a fiber. Bacteria can ferment it so it is used as a "pre-biotic", in other words, something for the bacteria to feed on. Supposedly "good" bacteria like it more than bad but I am not sure I buy this. I think it started out as a cheap filler and the hype followed. Just my personal opinion. I wrote an article about inulin several years ago but basically, how much FOS you can tolerate is very individual. Some, like me, can tolerate almost none and others have no problems whatsoever. All I can say is try it. If you get cramping, gas, diarrhea or constipation etc, then you aren't tolerating the FOS. I got extremely ill from it about 5 years ago, eating yogurt that contained it. Took a while to figure out what the problem was. I've avoided it since. However, I consider my gut pretty much healed and maybe could tolerate it now. Gee, maybe I should try Islander's Jerusalem artichokes again :)

On the quote thing, sometimes it leaves off the brackets on one end or the other. See where the bracket is missing here? [QUOTE=Islander There should be a close bracket after Islander.

[Islander]

Yup, I do the easiest thing possible, I don't pound it (though there's nothing wrong with that, just time-consuming). I shred cabbage (you can add carrot, apple etc. but now you're talking about kimchi). Add sea salt, mix well, pack into canning jars, cover with water, screw on lids, walk away. I think exact quantities are in the recipe forum. It can be left at room temp forever...mine go down cellar where I store home-produced food and temps are cool. A few days at ambient temp may be enough, depending on temperature, but I'd leave it at least a week, then sample. Not sour enough? Replace the cover, let it sit some more. You really can't make a mistake!

[mellowsong]

I tried just salt once and that's the one time I got significant mold. I think that has to do with living in a very hot, humid climate, lol. It is really really hard to go wrong with it. I don't pound either.

[Julieanne]

Thank you all. I'm going to have a go next week. Think I'll chop it up in the food processor - seems like an easy way to start.

[Julieanne]

[QUOTE]=Reesacat But when my team actually tested fermented vegetables produced by probiotic starter cultures, they had 10 trillion colony-forming units of bacteria. .QUOTE]

I only just picked this up on re-reading. Sounds like they added these? If so, where do you buy them?

[mellowsong]

I only just picked this up on re-reading. Sounds like they added these? If so, where do you buy them?

I'm not Reesacat but... People use whey from kefir or yogurt or other lacto-ferments or actually purchase cultures to use as starters. The only commercial one I'm aware of is from Body Ecology but I'm sure there are others:
http://bodyecology.com/control-weight-vegetable-culture-starter.html

[Islander]

I once used whey from yogurt. Don't know how you can tell that it made a difference. I guess you just have to trust that it did.