Probiotics

amioc

Hi do any of you take probiotics? If so which brand and do they work for you?

wi1234567890

A relative of mine had a C diff infection several years ago. After treatment in hospital her doctor recommended Jarrodophilus. She has been taking them ever since and says she can feel difference on the rare days when she forgets to take them.

Frank19556

I took probiotics for a while. I didn't see any difference and I don't think they were worth the cost. There are questions on what products actually survive to do any good. Now I eat yogurt and drink kefir, a yogurt like product. Also, no matter what you take, you should incorporate prebiotic foods into your diet, they are probably more important, as it makes for the most healthy gut flora.

WailingDusk

Probiotics are good at jump starting your gut health, but they aren't a panacea for sure, and they can get expensive.

I'd recommend using them at the start, but increase the amount of prebiotics you consume (high fiber foods. Legumes, oats, high fiber vegetables) and eat foods that have probiotics in them. If you do dairy, plain greek yogurt. Kimchi, sauerkraut (make sure it's not canned or jarred. Those are usually pasteurized and it kills the bacteria), tempe, miso, natto (if you have an Asian market close), kombucha (this can be pricey and high in sugar sometimes, so make sure to read the labels).

The most important thing is the prebiotics. Make sure that the good bacteria in your gut have a constant food source. Stay away from too much dairy and high fat foods or the wrong kind of bacteria proliferate. Once you do that, you won't really need to take probiotics.

corinasue1143

I take them from time to time, when I think I need them. I buy the brand that’s on sale. I also follow up with yogurt, etc. I just happen to like prebiotic and probiotic food, so only take pills rarely.

mel941980

I take the RenewLife ultimate flora women's care probiotic daily. I started taking probiotics a couple years ago when I was having digestive issues. I had terrible acid reflux.

While the brand I use is expensive, I personally find probiotics to be beneficial. I rarely get heartburn anymore and Nexium is no longer something I take daily. I know weight loss has contributed to this, as well.

TriAlways

I recommend probiotics to my patients with GI problems as a jump start to help rebalance the GI system. For a pill I recommend Garden of Life Colon Care, for a non-pill supplement I recommend Coconut Cult Yogurt (the serving size is 1-2 Tablespoons so it's closer to a supplement than a food).

I second WailingDusk's recommendations of probiotic foods - Greek Yogurt, raw Sauerkraut, fresh kimchi, etc. I'd say the one that even the pickiest eaters tend to like is Kevita Sparkling Probiotic, which has a soda kind of vibe to it and much tastier than, say, GT Kombucha. The drinks all have sugar in them but you only need a few swigs at a time to see benefits, and they also lose their sugar the longer they sit at room temperature or in your refrigerator.

+1 on the Prebiotic foods being just as if not more important, namely vegetables, beans, fruits, and specialty fiber containing foods like Fiber One or various cereals/bars/protein drinks.

One more thing: avoid artificial sweeteners as best you can - Aspartame (Equal), Sucralose (Splenda), Saccharin (Sweet n Low), Acesulfame Potassium, Neotame. All of these have been shown to kill off our good gut bacteria and a majority of my reflux/diarrhea/constipation patients come in consuming a lot of these. We talk, they switch to natural sugar free sweeteners like Stevia/Monkfruit/Sugar Alcohols/Allulose, they add probiotics and prebiotics, and many of them recover without any other intervention.

JustRamona

Good Point @TriAlways, one I quit the diet soda and artificial sweetener in my coffee, my gut healed itself