Probiotics page

[Graycat]

So, I recently began taking daily probiotic supplement. The Garden of Life brand.
Things are moving along beautifully if you know what I mean. As someone who has suffered with irregularity all my life regardless of diet, this is a pretty big deal to me.

However, with about $30 a month for that supplement alone it really adds up and I'd imagine it would not be financially sustainable for me long-term.

My question I suppose is: If the gut flora gets balanced, or repaired - for the lack of a better term, is it really necessary to continue taking probiotics. Does it get repaired over time at all?
Basically, is this something that needs to be taken continuously?

I know another option is consuming fermented foods often, but my question is specifically about probiotics.
So, what's your experience with them?

[primalrob]

i stopped taking probiotics after a while, and i recommend the same. you're right that once things get better or repaired, there's not a whole lot of continued repair going on. it certainly won't hurt you...except for in the wallet. good probiotics are expensive.

however, if you stop supplementing with a pill form probiotic, i would consume food based pre and probiotics as often as you can. so, the fermented foods like kombucha, kefir, kimchi, fermented pickles, etc. and plenty of dirty food and ocean plants.

[Dr. Bork Bork]

however, if you stop supplementing with a pill form probiotic, i would consume food based pre and probiotics as often as you can. so, the fermented foods like kombucha, kefir, kimchi, fermented pickles, etc. and plenty of dirty food and ocean plants.

This! Yogurt and kefir and booch are way cheaper (and probably taste better)

[PaleoMom]

You're taking a great probiotic, I really like that one a lot. I would say that after you are tolerating a large dose well and stay there a few months you can back off to 1 cap a day or just do fermented foods. I wouldn't stop though until you really feel like everything is in balance though. Don't switch to a cheaper probiotic though, Garden of Life is worth it and will get you healed faster and better than the others.

[Drumroll]

Just eat fermented veggies. You can buy 'em pretty cheap at a lot of farmer's markets or even better, make 'em really cheap at home.

Sauerkraut, kimchi, okra, pickles... Possibilities are limitless.

From what I've read, a properly made fermented food should have more good bacteria per gram than most probiotic supplements do anyway, so cheaper, AND packed with more good stuff!

[Damiana]

I was taking a daily probiotic for awhile, then realized that I didn't really want to be spending 30 a month for stuff I could've getting through food. I stopped taking the probiotic, started eating miso, kimchi, and a cup of Greek yogurt daily, and things have never been smoother.

[cori93437]

I agree with Paleomom...
I worked up to a good high dose for a good while to help heal my guts (I have gluten intolerance that has caused medical issues)... then backed off.
Now I take one a day... and skip days here and there. It's not critical to take it daily anymore.

But I also cannot eat any fermented veg due to sodium issues.
I do consume raw, multi-strain, full fat greek style yogurt though... but not daily. Just when I feel like it.

[vb66]

Agreeing with everyone here. The probiotics in pill form provided transient benefits. They're good to take if you really need a boost in gut flora but won't "repopulate" your flora for a long period of time. Consistently eating fermented foods is the way to go long term.

[dirk41]

as long as you don't indulge in SAD foods, you should be fine ditching the pills. personally i like greek yogurt

[jammies]

I think the real answer here is that there is just know way to know for sure. There are literally thousands of species of bacteria in our guts. Even the best probiotics or cultured foods only provide a small fraction of those and probably only transiently at that. It's just not known what we need to do to permanently alter our gut flora - particularly in regard to improving it.

So we are left to experiment. I would keep the dosing that is working for you for a couple of months and then taper down until you find a dosing schedule that works for you.

Theoretically, if you can heal your gut (i.e reduce intestinal hyperpermeability) then you should have stable gut flora. But every time you get a GI infection of any kind, take an antibiotic, or get exposed to a pesticide you can disrupt your gut again, so who knows how long anything will last.