Start Your Day With A Parfait
To get a jump on your probiotic consumption, simply top a breakfast bowl of yogurt with your favorite granola and some antioxidant-rich berries, says Stefani Sassos, MS, RDN, CDN, a registered dietitian at The Good Housekeeping Institute in New York City. Yogurt is cultured or fermented milk that has been soured and thickened by adding live active cultures that promote the growth of good bacteria in the gut.
While theres plenty of yogurt available at the grocery store, making it at home is simple too. For convenience, make it the night before so its ready and waiting for you in the morning, Sassos adds. I start with my favorite Greek yogurt, add two tablespoons of organic granola, and then top that with frozen organic berries. Place that in the fridge and, when you wake up, the berries will be perfectly defrosted. If you like your granola crunchy, store it in a separate container and add it just before serving.
Q What Is The Difference Between Yakult And Yogurt
YAKULT and yogurt are both fermented dairy products made from milk fermented with live bacteria. YAKULT is unique because it is made using Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain with live bacteria, not the strain of bacteria used in yogurts.This strain of beneficial bacteria reach intestines alive, which is scientifically proven. YAKULT has been produced for the sole purpose of maintaining a balance of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system.
Yogurt is not a substitute for YAKULT and vice versa. They complement each other as part of a well-balance diet.
Can You Overdose On Probiotics Side Effects Include Bloating And Gas
- You cannot overdose on probiotics to the point where it causes death.
- Common side effects of too many probiotics can lead to bloating, gas, and nausea.
- People at greater risk of dangerous side effects are those with a weakened immune system or serious illness, in which case you should consult a doctor before taking large amounts of probiotics.
Some doctors may suggest incorporating probiotics into your daily supplement routine but is it possible to take too much?
There are trillions of bacteria already living in our gut that are associated with good and bad health. The theory behind taking probiotics is that they may foster the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut and improve health, but research is still mixed on the benefits.
That said, in the traditional sense of the word, you cant overdose on probiotics to the point where you suffer dangerous side effects or death. There havent been any accounts of such occurrences, says Ashkan Farhadi, MD, MS, FACP, gastroenterologist, and director of MemorialCare Medical Groups Digestive Disease Center.
Heres what you need to know about the complexity behind probiotic dosage and what can happen if you take more than an average dose.
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Can Probiotic Supplements Be Harmful
Though many companies and influencers encourage everyone to use probiotics, they are, in fact, not beneficial for everyone, and different strains have different effects on different people.
More research is needed, but preliminary research has shown that probiotics may be harmful to people with certain underlying conditions or diagnoses, such as those with critical illness, AIDS, organ transplantation, necrotizing enterocolitis, cancer, and allergies. In such cases, probiotic supplementation may lead to life-threatening illnesses, including pneumonia, endocarditis , and sepsis.
Make Sure Any Supplements You Buy Are Coated
Some probiotic strains canât survive the acidity of your gut. So if youâre taking a supplement, make sure itâs coated the outer shell will help it reach your intestines intact. If you can find only an uncoated version, take it with food to help protect it from the aggressive environment.
This article originally appeared in the March 2019 issue of Womens Health. For more intel on how to live a happier, healthier life, pick up an issue on newsstands now.
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Alex’s Official Response To Yakult Australia’s Response
Sugar: Fair enough, for your product to sell it needs to taste great. And it’s a valid point regarding serving size, but there is still 11.4g of sugar in one serving! That is nearly three teaspoons of sugar! I believe many Yakult drinkers would be surprised to hear that there was added sugar in their Yakult. And many people wouldn’t knowingly down three teaspoons of sugar every morning in the name of ‘health’.
Skim Milk Powder: I think Yakult Australia has missed the point. Sure skim milk powder is lower in nutrients when compared to full-fat milk, but my concern is about the harmful effects of skim milk powder. Some of these effects can be mitigated by using full-fat powder, or even better, full-fat milk.
Homogenization: Again, it’s appealing to the masses and manufacturing efficiencies . I understand. My thoughts are simplehomogenization can destroy food molecules and make them inferior from a health point of view. It goes back to what I said beforesimply eat unprocessed naturally fermented foods and avoid UHT, homogenization, etc. Oh, and what’s wrong with cottage cheese?
Sucralose: Fair enough that they say it is ‘safe for human consumption and permitted for use under the Food Standards Code’. Also, I must give credit to Yakult for seeking out potential alternatives to their use of sucralose . And they still didn’t state why they use an artificial sweetener and added sugar.
Mistake #: You Take More Than One Type Of Probiotic Supplement
If you are considering layering your probiotic supplements for different health concerns, know that different bacteria can interact. Think of it this way: part of the reason we take probiotics is to fight off other bacteria, says Nielsen. It is possible, in a multi-strain product and if you take two different probiotic products at the same time, that they can out-compete each other. Research supports this: you can include 10 strains in a single product but without proper study, you cant be sure that one strain isnt out-competing the other nine. Nielsen says to check out the manufacturers website for clinical studies that the strains were tested together.
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Probiotic Drink Recipes To Keep Your Gut Healthy
Think bacteria, and most of us think of illness-causing organisms. However, there are certain kinds of bacteria that are friendly and essential for good health and vitality. We call them Probiotics. These live bacteria and yeasts are good for your overall health, especially the digestive system. They keep the gut healthy and can help treat diarrhoea and may help people with irritable bowel syndrome and Crohns disease.
Why not add a probiotic drink or two to your daily diet and ensure that you are at your healthiest?
Where Can You Buy Yakult
You can find Yakult probiotic drink at most grocery stores, including Walmart and Costco. These distinctive probiotic beverages are usually found in the refrigerated dairy section alongside your typical yogurt and kefir.
When you are too busy to go shopping yourself, Instacart and Amazon are also great options for getting your Yakult fix.
If for some reason you are having trouble finding Yakult products, you can always make use of the product locator on the Yakult website.
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The Importance Of Balance
Ideally, your gut always contains more probiotic bacteria and less pathogens.
But these days, its all too easy to disrupt the delicate balance of your gut microbiome, leading to an increase in bad bacteria:
- Bad bacteria enters your body through a cut, scrape, or your mucous membranes.
- Stress emboldens pathogens and can tip the scales in their favor.
- Antibiotics disrupt the balance of bacteria in your gut flora.
- Diets high in processed foods or sugar negatively affect beneficial bacteria.
Regardless of the cause, this imbalance can lead to illness, infection, digestive issues, and a slower metabolism. Adding probiotics can strengthen the colonies of beneficial bacteria and help restore the balance once again.
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How Many Probiotics Should You Take
The first thing to know about probiotics is that they come in far larger doses than most other supplements or nutrients.
While dosage can vary, American Family Physician recommends children take 5 to 10 billion colony-forming units of probiotics per day, and suggests adults consume 10 to 20 billion.
Additionally, some research shows theres potential value in consuming multiple strands of probiotics daily rather than just one.
These findings suggest that probiotic-rich foods, like Cleveland Kitchen sauerkraut, pack multiple strands of beneficial bacteria that can be more valuable than probiotic supplements with far fewer strands.
So, instead of opting for a single supplement with one billion CFU, try a few tablespoons of sauerkraut, or other fermented veggies, for up to 100 million CFU in a more diverse and flavorful package.
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Is It Okay To Consume Activia Probiotic Dairy Drinks Every Day
The benefits of Activia come with daily consumption. We recommend that you consume Activia twice a day for two weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle to help reduce the frequency of minor digestive discomfort. Minor digestive discomfort includes bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, and rumbling. We recommend consuming Activia regularly to continue receiving the probiotic benefit. For specific advice on which style of Activia best suits your dietary needs, we would suggest that you consult a healthcare professional.
When Should You Give Kids Probiotics
Probiotics deliver their digestive benefits directly to the gut. Its best to take probiotics with a balanced meal. As your childs body begins to digest the meal, the probiotics can begin to work. Theyll settle into the gut and help the body efficiently process the food to waste. Its best to give your child probiotics with their breakfast. This gives the probiotics enough time to work throughout the day.
Probiotics arent a laxative. Your child wont rush off to the bathroom after using probiotics. It usually takes a few weeks of daily probiotic use to see a meaningful improvement in gut health. If your child uses probiotics, they should use them daily.
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Is It Ok To Take Probiotic Twice A Day
You may take probiotics twice a day if they have a high colony-forming unit ount. Probiotics with a high CFU count can help improve your gut health. However, the optimal dosage is still unclear, and depends on the specific product. Some people may take a probiotic once a day, while others may take it twice a day.
Do Activia Probiotic Dairy Drinks Have The Same Cultures As Activia Probiotic Yogurt
Activia Probiotic Dairy Drinks are made with the two basic yogurt cultures, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. Each serving of Activia Drinks also contains billions of the culture Bifidobacterium animalis lactis DN-173 010/CNCM I-2494), which has been shown to survive passage through the gastrointestinal tract in sufficient amounts. Activia may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive discomfort when consumed twice a day for two weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Minor digestive discomfort includes bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, and rumbling.
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What Fruit Has The Most Probiotics
Probiotics That Work. A single apple has over 100 million microorganisms, much more than any dietary supplement. Tufts University researchers presented a nutrition conundrum in April. They compared those who took vitamin tablets to others who acquired the same nutrients by eating meals the old-fashioned manner.
Should I Try Probiotics
If you are interested in adding probiotics to your diet, its worth a conversation with your healthcare provider. Many providers may suggest giving them a try to see if they help with your general health. It is important to remember that not all probiotics behave the same way and have the same effects. Each has their own individual benefits. They generally dont cause harm. One easy way to start can be by simply introducing probiotic-rich foods into your diet, like yogurt.
Before you start any supplements, make sure you talk to your healthcare provider. Your provider may be able to point you in the right direction, helping you figure out the best probiotic to take, how much to take and when to take it. A conversation is always worth the time when it concerns your health.
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How Often Should I Take Probiotics
We need to divide things down into times per day and time of day for good bacteria ingestion to establish your ideal probiotic schedule: According to Harvard Medical School, taking one dosage of probiotics every day in the form of a supplement or a probiotic-rich snack or meal is the best way to go.
How Much Should You Take Daily
The gut microbiome is unique to every person, so the amount of probiotics needed daily likely varies widely between individuals. Many factors influence the environment of your gut, such as your genes, health conditions, medications, including antibiotics, stress and diet. In addition, many different strains of probiotics are linked to different health benefits, and the amount of probiotics necessary to achieve a health benefit varies.
The dosage of probiotic supplements is listed in colony-forming units . Were still learning about the optimal amount of CFUs needed, but research shows that probiotics with between 1 million and 1 billion CFUs are adequate to produce health benefits. However, some probiotics have been shown to provide benefits at much lower amounts, and others need much higher doses.
The delivery mechanism is also important as it can offer probiotics protection against deterioration during manufacturing, storage and digestion. Techniques like freeze drying the good bacteria and rehydrating them in water prior to intake are used to help CFUs arrive as viable, live cultures to your large intestine, where they will be most impactful.
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Why Are Yakult Bottles So Small
The smaller bottle is more hygienic because it is easier to clean.
The larger bottle is more risky because it is more open to infection.
Yakult only sells in small bottles because it is more hygienic for the consumer and it has a lower risk of infection.
The smaller bottle is also more economic for the company, because it uses less plastic.
The smaller bottle is better for the environment because it uses less plastic.
Where To Find Probiotics
You don’t have to take a daily supplement to get enough of this beneficial bacteria. Probiotics are found in yogurt and other fermented dairy products such as kefir, naturally aged cheese such as Gouda, fermented soybean foods such as miso and tempeh, naturally fermented sour pickles and cabbage such as sauerkraut and kimchi, sourdough bread, and the fermented tea kombucha, says Newgent.
“You can get plenty of probiotics from foods you eat,” notes Newgent. “If you’re regularly eating foods rich in probiotics, purchasing these probiotic drinks isn’t necessary, especially if you’re on a tight food budget,” she adds. But it’s certainly fine to opt for a probiotic beverage, especially if you have minor digestive issues or don’t regularly consume natural food sources of these good bacteria, says Newgent.
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What Happens When You Take A Probiotic Every Day
Many people have no idea what they are taking and how it affects their bodies. Probiotics are actually good bacteria that are usually found in the digestive tract.
When they are there, they help your digestion process and keep you regular. But sometimes they get lost in other bacteria that make up the digestive system.
When you take a probiotic every day, you will increase the number of good bacteria in your digestive tract.
Many of the antibiotics used to treat conditions like inflammatory bowel disease can have some serious side effects.
You could end up having diarrhea or other problems as a side effect. If you are taking antibiotics for a longer period of time, you could even be making your own bacteria disappear!
This is why many people who are taking antibiotics for other ailments, as well as pregnant women, cannot take probiotics. They undo all of the good work that the original antibiotics have done.
Probiotic bacteria need a steady supply of carbohydrates and protein to survive.
If you change your diet so that you are getting enough carbohydrates and protein, and you eat only raw or uncooked vegetables and fruits, you will start to see the benefits almost immediately.
You may find that you have more energy, feel better, and have more rest. If you are taking an antibiotic, you may experience a decrease in the size of the bacteria or an increase in the opposite type.
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How Long After Taking A Probiotic Can You Drink Coffee
Because bacteria have the best chance of surviving the acidic environment in the upper intestine and empty stomach, this is true. As a result, you may take your probiotics before brewing your daily coffee. However, you should wait at least 60 minutes after taking them before reaching for a cup of coffee.
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Diarrhea Gas Bloating And Other Digestive Symptoms
Some people experience mild upset stomach, excess gas, diarrhea, or bloating during the first few days of taking probiotics as the gut microbiome rebalances. These side effects typically subside within a few days and dont necessarily mean youre taking too large of a dose. But experiencing continued side effects may be a sign to decrease the amount of probiotics youre taking.
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