Looking for the best yogurt around -- to cure my lactose intolerance page

[Docter]

According to the "Cooling Inflammation" Blog...

Food Intolerance Reveals Inadequacies in Gut Flora
Food intolerance is a sign of depleted gut flora diversity. Gut flora have hundreds of genes that can break down a huge diversity of polysaccharides derived from plant cell walls. Gut flora of Japanese who routinely consume kelp have specialized enzymes to hydrolyze unusual algal sulfated polysaccharides. Essentially all of the polysaccharides in plant fiber can be consumed by bacteria in the anaerobic environment of the colon. Inability of individuals to digest particular food components usually results from a deficiency of the gut flora and an indication of a history of dietary simplification and antibiotic use. Lactose intolerance, for example, results from depletion of lactose-degrading bacteria from the gut flora and can be remedied by simply eating lactose with probiotics for a couple of weeks. Gut flora can adapt, but they need persistent exposure to diverse, i.e. non-processed, food.

If this is true I am intent on trying it. But I need some awesome yogurt, so lemme know what you guys like to eat!

[sarahmasteller]

I get plain Stonyfield Organic Whole Milk yogurt. Sometimes i make my own from raw milk which is better but that takes time I would like to get greek yogurt but locally I can only find 0% or 2% of the Fage brand so...I'll pass on low fat stuff.

[canio6]

Yeah, I really like the full fat fage. It is fantastic, but like the above poster around here all we can get is 2% and 0 fat. To hell with that.

[loafingcactus]

Lactose intolerance is caused by not having the gene to digest the sugar lactose, or by consuming so little lactose that this gene has gone to sleep. In the first case, the bacteria in the gut are already super happy with their sugar dose, that's what causes the suffering. In the second case, slowly increasing consumption of milk can turn it back on. So I would put that article in the category of wishful science.

[Dr. Bork Bork]

Fage Total (full fat). Absolutely glorious.

[Docter]

Lactose intolerance is caused by not having the gene to digest the sugar lactose, or by consuming so little lactose that this gene has gone to sleep. In the first case, the bacteria in the gut are already super happy with their sugar dose, that's what causes the suffering. In the second case, slowly increasing consumption of milk can turn it back on. So I would put that article in the category of wishful science.

I mean, I really can't say you or the other article is correct. My test run will speak for itself.

Do note that I am looking at this as an experiment, not a magic pill.

[jkr]

Make you own 24 hour fermented yogurt. Start with 1 tsp and SLOWLY work it back up.

[RLaVigna]

Speaking from my recent experience. Lactose intolerance can also be result of the intestinal villi being damaged from something like celiac disease (gluten intolerance). These things do not always have one cause for everyone.

Good luck.

[loafingcactus]

Good point Richard. Agreed.

[spughy]

Not sure if your experiment will work, but either way, yogurt is for sissies - kefir is the way to go. Get yourself some grains (not really grains, they're symbiotic bacterial/yeast cultures that look like mini cauliflowers), stick 'em in a jar of milk, leave it on the counter for a day, and you've got kefir. That'll put you right, if anything will. (Raw milk kefir is best, but whole pasteurized is a good second choice.) And the best part about kefir is that if you don't tolerate the milk well at first, you can make it with coconut milk instead - the grains will culture that happily. (At least for a while. Most people find it's good to give them a real milk "vacation" now and then.) I find kefir to actually have observable results - my innards are SO much happier with a dose of it every day or so.

ETA: the other plus of kefir is that even if you have to pay for the grains (which, if you can find any in your area, may be free since the bloody things don't ever stop growing and once you've got some, you'll be constantly trying to dispose of the excess), it's still way, way cheaper than yogurt because it's just milk that your kefir grains hang out in for a day. Once they're done with that batch, you put them in more milk, and away they go.