Yogurt as a probiotic?
 

Hi everyone,

The title says it all really. Can yogurt be used as a good probiotic when on an antibiotic? Is there a specific better one that I should purchase?

I'm having one tooth extracted next Thursday and another one probably the week after that one.
Thanks for any suggestions!

Gretchen

Hi Gretchen
yes yoghurt is good but I personally prefer kefir as it has more probiotic power :) (Lifeway or their Greek version, Helios, is best IMO)

If you do use yoghurt, try to get one that is not filled with all the sugar, dyes etc that some of the commercial ones have. They are frequently more of a "treat" than a health product!...rather get something like Stoneyfield Farms

Hi Chemar - thanks for getting back to me so quickly. :) I am just about to leave for shopping, so it's timely.

I will look for kefir. Usually I get the fat free Yoplait yogurt.
I don't suppose the TCBY frozen yogurt is advised, even though it has probiotics. ;)

Gretchen

Hi Gretchen,

Commercial yogurt is not the potent probiotic that the manufacturers want you to believe. The reason being is that the various strains of bacteria are highly sensitive to temperature, light and the actual processing of the product. By the time you purchase it in the store, it has little to no valuable bacteria left. Also, any form of sweetener including the added fruit will kill off the good bacteria because it cannot survive in a sweet/sugary environment. Most brands have preservatives, dyes and sweeteners in them. Unsweetened, no fruit added, organic brands are a bit healthier, but still go through the rigorous processing.

The idea of taking a probiotic is to replenish and restore a healthy intestinal flora of good bacteria. So the best bet is to make your own or take a daily supplement that has been processed carefully as to maintain the integrity of the product. An excellent quality probiotic is called Culturelle. It is a patented strain of bacteria called lactobacillis G that is quickly processed in a temperature controlled environment and then is immediately packaged in safety sealed individual packs to help seal in the colonies of bacteria. It can be purchased at most large drug stores, some food stores like whole foods, health food stores or online.

For optimal health reasons, it is best to supplement with a quality probiotic or make your own on a daily basis for life. This gives you the advantage of having an abundance of healthy intestinal flora as a reserve in case you have to take an antibiotic. Because once the reserve is low, it takes time to build it back up again and this can be difficult to do with people who have any chronic medical condition as their immune system is already working harder than in someone who isn't dealing with that.

Glad to hear that you are having those teeth out! It's a good idea to prepare a nutritious soft food diet ahead of time so you will not have to think about what to make to eat at the time. Soft foods means less chewing and easy to digest. Homemade soups are a perfect example of this type of diet..... as well as soft fruits like bananas, mangoes, watermelon.... protein shakes (without the sugar) drunk from a glass (no straw) or eaten with a spoon.... eggs.... mashed potatoes (white or orange) ... things like that.

Please keep us posted.... I'm sure everything will be okay!

Bryanna

Hi Bryanna, Your post is also very timely and appreciated. I didn't know about the loss of good bacteria in yogurts, but I can understand how that would happen.

I've never heard of making your own probiotic. I'd love to know how to do this!
I will look for the Culturelle today also.

The tip of stocking up on nutritious soft foods is a good idea. I had thought of soups and smoothies that I make with frozen fruit, yougurt and 100% cranberry juice.

I'll keep you posted on the extractions. I have a consultation with the oral surgeon on Tuesday and the first extraction next Thursday. I am nervous, but keeping a positive outlook. :)
Gretchen

I second the Kefir suggestion! It has TWELVE different strains of useful different bacteria as listed here:
http://www.lifeway.net/CustomerService/FAQ.aspx

My life totally changed with Kefir. I can't compare it to anything else, since Chemar suggested it for me last September!
We've used various yogurts for over 20 yrs...and nothing
compares to Kefir!
This is the one I get at Kroger's...
http://www.lifeway.net/Products/Kefi...wFatPeach.aspx

Kefir
 

MrsD, I didn't know that Kefir was a drink - thank you for that! I will look for it next time I'm at the store.

I did find the Culturelle and bought that, even though it's quite expensive.
Can you overdose on probiotics? Just a thought.......

Gretchen

The liquid Kefir is not expensive. The website also has coupons you can retrieve once a month. I also get the smaller bottles at
Costco now in a 12 count box. I started at 4oz a day and now I use about two little bottles a week. It will also recolonize your female areas as time passes, and reduce burning/itching and other discomforts most women are prone to.

It continues to ferment and grow in the bottle. Shake it well before pouring. It typically comes with an expiration date of about 2months ahead or so. As it ages it gets a bit more acidic, but with the fruit added, that is not so obvious as the unflavored one I started with. I believe in the long run it is far superior to any yogurt for re-establishing colonies in the GI tract.
I like Chobani for the high protein content, but I don't use it often, when I do the Kefir instead.

The problem with Culturelle is that it is one strain of probiotic, Lactobacillus. It's better to have multiple strains. Our guts are composed on many, many different bacteria, all serving different purposes.

Kefir is great, but watch the sugar content. If you can, buy it plain and add your own stevia to it.

Also, you can try fermented foods like kimchee or even Kombucha, provided it's not pasteurized. Those have lots of probiotics, and at the moment, I'm making my own kombucha scoby in my closet....

Good luck!