Need a probiotic for digestive health.

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acmorris77
acmorris77 Posts: 80 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What is the best probiotic to take for digestive issues? Since losing weight entails a lot of food that cause or trigger IBS symptoms, I need recommendations on a probiotic that will help. Eating rice, bananas and white bread is not an option!
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  • Brithicks
    Brithicks Posts: 148 Member
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    I take inner-eco fresh coconut water probiotics. I like the berry flavor.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    The only consistent advice I've heard on probiotics is to get a variety, so if you are taking a supplement make sure it lists several different types on the ingredient list. You can also get some through foods like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, and other pickled veggies.

    Just wanted to add, there is no reason you can't eat rice, bananas, and bread while losing weight. Just eat correct portions and fit them in your calories goal. I eat rice and bananas almost every day, and bread when I get in sandwich mood :)
  • williammuney
    williammuney Posts: 2,895 Member
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    NOW foods acidofilus
  • michellesz
    michellesz Posts: 428 Member
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    A friend did numerous research for me and suggested the following that I purchased, Ultimate Flora probiotic. 25 billion live cultures per capsule. 10 probiotic strains and supports digestive and immune health as well as vaginal and urinary health.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
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    @kimny72, bananas, rice and bread can make IBS symptoms worse.
    OP, ask your gastroenterologist what he/she recommends. I wouldn't recommend beyond live (refrigerated) cultures. Pills seem to be less effective.
  • acmorris77
    acmorris77 Posts: 80 Member
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    Thanks everyone!! I guess it will just be trial and error! I'll try anything at this point!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    @kimny72, bananas, rice and bread can make IBS symptoms worse.
    OP, ask your gastroenterologist what he/she recommends. I wouldn't recommend beyond live (refrigerated) cultures. Pills seem to be less effective.

    Yeah, I got a little confused because she said losing weight entails eating foods that aren't good for IBS, and then said she couldn't eat bananas, rice, and bread. And after I posted that, I questioned if I had read it right. Thanks for clarifying :drinker:
  • lucys1225
    lucys1225 Posts: 597 Member
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    Kimchi
  • acmorris77
    acmorris77 Posts: 80 Member
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    @kimny72 I was originally told by my doctor to follow the BRAT diet of bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Therefore, most of the things I eat including eggs, veggies, and lean meats were not in the diet. Adding in a ton of processed carbs is not something I want to do, so I felt at a loss. But, if I can get it under control, I can eat the foods that I like to eat to stay healthy and lose weight. So, I'm hoping all of your recommendations can improve my gut health!
  • Sassie_Lassie
    Sassie_Lassie Posts: 140 Member
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    I take Renew Life Ultimate Flora. It has 50 billion live cultures per capsule. I also take a fiber/prebiotic supplement and a digestive enzyme (when I remember).
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    acmorris77 wrote: »
    What is the best probiotic to take for digestive issues? Since losing weight entails a lot of food that cause or trigger IBS symptoms, I need recommendations on a probiotic that will help. Eating rice, bananas and white bread is not an option!

    Losing weight only entails consuming fewer calories than you burn, you can eat any type of food to do this.
  • acmorris77
    acmorris77 Posts: 80 Member
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    @extra_medium I understand this, but for me, eating those foods don't really fuel me, they make me hungrier and tired. I end up gaining weight.
  • ames105
    ames105 Posts: 288 Member
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    extra_medium wrote: »
    acmorris77 wrote: »
    What is the best probiotic to take for digestive issues? Since losing weight entails a lot of food that cause or trigger IBS symptoms, I need recommendations on a probiotic that will help. Eating rice, bananas and white bread is not an option!

    Losing weight only entails consuming fewer calories than you burn, you can eat any type of food to do this.

    I think you missed the point of the OP's question. While the general argument is a calorie is a calorie and you reduce intake of calories to lose weight, in practice, some people have problems with certain foods in their diet.

    OP I haven't found a great probiotic to recommend but was told to find one with different strains and higher survivability. The probiotics have a long way to travel until they get where they need to be to help and they don't all make it there alive. For me personally, I have had to play with foods to find out what I can eat to not bother my digestive issues while still being healthy to obtain nutrition and lose weight. Trial and error, which isn't easy or exciting but it has helped me. Good luck!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    acmorris77 wrote: »
    @kimny72 I was originally told by my doctor to follow the BRAT diet of bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Therefore, most of the things I eat including eggs, veggies, and lean meats were not in the diet. Adding in a ton of processed carbs is not something I want to do, so I felt at a loss. But, if I can get it under control, I can eat the foods that I like to eat to stay healthy and lose weight. So, I'm hoping all of your recommendations can improve my gut health!

    Best of luck :). I have been fortunate enough to have an iron stomach, but I have a couple of family members, one with IBS and one with Crohns, so my heart goes out to you!
  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
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    acmorris77 wrote: »
    What is the best probiotic to take for digestive issues? Since losing weight entails a lot of food that cause or trigger IBS symptoms, I need recommendations on a probiotic that will help. Eating rice, bananas and white bread is not an option!

    I have gastroparesis. My doctor has me on Align. Just one pill a day.
  • ClubSilencio
    ClubSilencio Posts: 2,983 Member
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    You might also want to look into digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid supplementation. The BRAT diet flared up your IBS? If so, I'm not really sure how just a probiotic would solve your problem. You need to figure how to get your body to digest these simple foods. If I'm not mistaken the majority of our gut bacteria resides in the lower intestine. So if you eat something and immediately have digestive trouble, wouldn't that point to a lack of stomach acid or enzyme production before the gut flora comes into play? I feel like all these things roll together anyway so just something to check off the list. Bring it up with your gastro.

  • paulgads82
    paulgads82 Posts: 256 Member
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    I'm not fully up on probiotic research so open to correction. It seems silly to have probiotics yet not feed those already in your gut, so for this I have porridge everyday. It's also good for my reflux so might help IBS. That said I do drink water kefir but mainly cos I like the taste and watching it grow.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    paulgads82 wrote: »
    I'm not fully up on probiotic research so open to correction. It seems silly to have probiotics yet not feed those already in your gut, so for this I have porridge everyday. It's also good for my reflux so might help IBS. That said I do drink water kefir but mainly cos I like the taste and watching it grow.

    I'm curious, how does porridge help? :smile:
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Christine_72 wrote: »
    paulgads82 wrote: »
    I'm not fully up on probiotic research so open to correction. It seems silly to have probiotics yet not feed those already in your gut, so for this I have porridge everyday. It's also good for my reflux so might help IBS. That said I do drink water kefir but mainly cos I like the taste and watching it grow.

    I'm curious, how does porridge help? :smile:

    I'll hazard a reply. The existing flora in the stomach need to be fed. So why not porridge?

    I feed my bread yeast flour, after all, and it multiplies happily in a few hours.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    Not sure about "best" for you, but most greek yogurt has a reasonable selection of biobugs, and is high-protein to boot.

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