Probiotics page

[Lodini]

I've seen a lot of people on here advising Probiotics for digestive health... after doing a little (I admit, a VERY little) amount of research, I wonder... where would Grok have found these supplements in the old days? In other words, what makes taking supplements Primal?

Same goes for vitamins, etc, I guess...

[twinmama]

I think the premise is that Grok got his probiotics generally cause he was a bit more dirty than the general public of today. Eating dirt was probably no biggy, and well, he didn't risk eating fertilizer and pesticide, if he chose not to wash his produce and such.

Regarding vitamins. I'm not sure that we need a ton of supplements. However, deficiencies exist. Many, not all, can be tested via blood. And some deficiencies are difficult to treat with just food. Especially food that may have been grown in depleted soils....

[Grol]

Raw veggies are loaded with probiotics. Dr. Ayers (Cooling Inflammation blog) recommends them wholeheartedly because with a few exceptions the probiotics in supplements and dairy never get past the small intestine, while those in veggies make it to the colon where they do the lion's share of the "grunt" work.

Edit to add the probiotics in the small intestine are also important so supplement or eat lots of yogurt -- they both have the same basic cultures. Find a yogurt with bifudus regularis and you're getting a nice bonus.

[lmyers04]

yea, basically groks meat and veg didnt come pre-washed and wrapped nicely in the case. Ingesting enzymes from healthy soil was part of his life.

I think the only supp that everyone should take intially is fish oil. Everything else can be obtained through food, or sunshine. Now, you have to be pretty vigilant on making sure you are hitting all your marks vitamin wise, and this is just another chore for me. I would rather eat as healthy as possible, but have a back up to net any vitamins my modern food may be lacking in. If you eat emough wild fish, and consume no excess omega-6s through oils and such, you really dont even need fish oil. But, I think taking it is wise, as it makes up for the challenges of eating in restuarants (where a lot of our omega-6 intake comes from), something that grok didnt have to worry about.

+1 on the fermented dairy option too.

real food should always be 95% of your gig. Supplements should be just that.....supplemental to your foundation.

[m e g a n foxy]

Would Chobani 2% greek yogurt be a good option for getting some probiotics? I just started taking a supplement of them as well, but i've heard yogurt is a better option. Yogurt would be my only source of dairy because I am assuming the lactose in it is virtually gone. I'm really on both sides of the fence with yogurt if you cant tell!! :/

[MalPaz]

what is the difference between taking a digestive enzyme and taking a probiotic?

[britt007]

Probiotics are the good bacteria that live in your gut and keep the bad guys in check. Taking digestive enzymes is helpful to make sure your food is getting properly digested. Properly digesting your food helps keeping your body getting what it needs from your food and can help certain digestive issues. A lack of either of these things can be bad news for digestion and overall health, so they are both helpful in their own ways.

[lmyers04]

what is the difference between taking a digestive enzyme and taking a probiotic?

Enzymes are complex proteins that stimulate chemical changes or reactions in other substances. there are three types of enzymes: digestive enzymes, food enzymes and metabolic enzymes. digestive enzymes help us to digest, assimilate, utilize and eliminate our food by breaking the food down into a liquid called bile so that we can absorb nutrients in our small intestine.

Probiotics are the good bacteria that live inside our small and large intestines. they do many important functions, including killing harmful bacteria, killing fungus also known as candida, and building B vitamins for the rest of our body to use. They also help our bodies produce enzymes, help to change the acidity within our body and many other important functions.

[lmyers04]

Would Chobani 2% greek yogurt be a good option for getting some probiotics? I just started taking a supplement of them as well, but i've heard yogurt is a better option. Yogurt would be my only source of dairy because I am assuming the lactose in it is virtually gone. I'm really on both sides of the fence with yogurt if you cant tell!! :/

I believe yogurt still has some lactose? I thought the only lactose-free dairy was heavy cream and butter. The lactose in yogurt would be minimal, though, as many lactose-intolerant people can eat it.

Robb Wolf recommends a non-dairy probiotic source if one is trying to lean out. In my opinion, it all depends on the amount. eating, for example, 1/2 of 2%Fage yogurt, is about 45 calories. Thats not going to be any significant percentage of your calories, and in that case dairy is not going to stall body fat oxidation. eating lots of fermented dairy, like chugging kefir smoothies or going crazy with yogurt or cottage cheese even, that tends to stall fat loss in females especially.

I eat 1/2 container of yogurt a couple times a week, and take a probiotic everyday.

[KG]

When it comes to supplementing with probiotics do they only need to be taken for a short duration? I recall Mark saying that once they're in your system, they have a tendency to multiply by themselves; he then goes on to recommend taking probiotics only on occasion, such as a trip abroad or upon taking antibiotics. The probiotic that I wish to take is Lactobacillus Acidophilus with 3 billion active cultures, and will last me about 3 months if I take one capsule per day. Is this sufficient?