USEFUL BACTERIA

Do we need probiotics?

We have explored some ways to help our digestive system work more efficiently. I hope that, by now, you have reviewed your food intake and eating habits, and observed the way your body is dealing with the food you give it. This is a very important step in gaining the most value from your food, and plays a vital role in regaining wellness.

There are many circumstances that might disturb the balance of bowel flora. The obvious circumstances include use of some medications such as antibiotics for infections (sometimes necessary), steroid drugs for inflammation (often over-prescribed), or proton pump inhibitors for reflux or GORD (never useful). Other circumstances include poor dietary habits, irregular eating, some food additives, long-term stress, and other states of illness.

I have spoken, in earlier classes, about the importance of regular bowel motions, and of maintaining a suitable bowel motion consistency. In summary, we should each enjoy at least two complete bowel motions each day (one per meal is even better), and the stool should be of firm to soft consistency (like a ripe banana), easy to pass, and contain no blood or obvious fat or food remnants.

It may be difficult to tell, without stool testing, whether your bowel flora is healthy and active or not. However we do have important indications throughout our daily life. If you are confident that you are eating an excellent diet in line with the food guidelines I have presented in this program, and that your eating habits are regular and relaxed, and yet you can answer yes to any of the questions below, it is time to consider restoring the health of your bowel.

• Is there usually more than 12 hours between your bowel motions?
• Do you find it difficult to pass stool?
• Do you find that there some days during which you have no urge to open your bowels?
• Do you have times of loose or explosive stools, or bowel motions that vary in consistency and comfort?
• Do you feel uncomfortable after eating even though you’re eating excellent food and have good eating habits?
• Do you feel bloated after eating?
• Do you suffer from acid reflux or significant indigestion after eating?
• Do you develop flatulence (gas) that seems excessive?
• Do you feel tired and sleepy after eating?
• Have you taken antibiotics, steroids, or proton pump inhibitors within the last two years?
• Have you ever had symptoms of Candida (often called thrush and/or vaginal yeast infestation)?
• Do you find that you are quite sensitive to infections such as colds and flu even though you are eating well, exercising, and living an otherwise healthy life?
• Do you feel dissatisfied after a meal?
• Are you hungry most of the time even though you are eating well?
• Is your appetite suppressed, and you find that you have no urge to eat?
• Does food interfere with the uptake of your Parkinson’s disease medication?

It is important that you have already undertaken changes in your eating habits, diet, and lifestyle as suggested in earlier classes before assuming that any of the symptoms above are entirely due to an imbalance in your bowel flora. However, if you have persisted with my advice, and developed healthy eating habits as avised, and you have answered yes to any of the questions above, it is time for us to look at improving the balance of bacteria in your bowel, and otherwise improving bowel function.

 PROBIOTICS

Probiotic is the general name given to nutritional supplements containing beneficial bacteria normally found in the human digestive system. The most common bacteria included in the supplements are the lactobacillus group including acidophilus and bifidus. However, there are a number of preparations that include a wider range of human bacteria, and these are often preferable (unless a stool analysis has identified only one or two strain deficient).

These supplements can be taken in the form of coconut yogurt (not cow, goat or sheep yogurt) or, preferably, powder or capsules. Yogurt, and similar soured milk products, is the oldest form of probiotic supplementation, and has been used for hundreds if not thousands of years. Originally, these products were made from raw milk drawn from small, semi-domesticated animals such as goats, primitive sheep and yaks. The milk was allowed to ferment or sour naturally before being consumed. This was particularly useful in very cold and inhospitable areas where food variety was very limited, and winters were very difficult as inhabitants ate foods preserved in various ways such as salting, smoking, drying or storing in ice caves. The difficult climate and food preserving habits reduced the nutritional value of the food, so reducing the ability of the human intestinal system to maintain appropriate bacteria levels.

Yogurt is very commonly consumed in the Western world, mainly by people who believe that this is a healthy part of the diet. However, many yogurts on the market today have been pasteurized or otherwise processed, thus reducing or eliminating the useful bacteria. Also, many yogurts have additives such as colours or flavours reducing the value to us as food. There are some good quality yogurts on the market, on the other hand, and these are made from organic coconut milk, and contain living bacteria.

Coconut yogurt is quite easy to make at home and there are a number of internet sites giving instructions. There are many internet sites giving instructions, like this one https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-2-ingredient-coconut-yogurt/. Here is a basic recipe:

• 1 litre unsweetened, organic, full-fat coconut milk  or mix 50/50 coconut milk and cream (for a thicker yogurt).
• 1/4 tsp. non-dairy yogurt starter OR 2-3 dairy-free probiotic capsules (open them) or ½ tsp probiotic powder.
• 1-2 tbsp. raw honey OR 1 tbsp xylitol powder (from birch). Eliminate this if you like your yogurt tart rather than sweet. It will take a bit longer to set, but will work okay.
• 1-2 tbsp. agar agar OR 1-2 cups puréed young coconut meat.
• 1 cooking thermometer

Instructions

1. Sterilize your yogurt containers, mixing spoons and other utensils with boiling water.
2. In a saucepan, bring coconut milk to 85 degrees C (180 degrees F), then remove from heat. Do NOT boil the milk; watch it closely. Your coconut milk must reach 85/180 degrees or you risk contamination with harmful bacteria.
3. While the milk is still hot, thoroughly mix the agar agar into your batch. You might need to experiment a little to find the exact amount of thickener for your taste.
4. Add maple honey xylitol and stir thoroughly. The sweetener provides food for the bacterial culture and your yogurt will ferment more slowly without it. Cover and cool the milk to 35 degrees C (95 degrees F). If the milk is too hot, it will kill the bacterial culture you are going to introduce.
5. Remove about 1/2 cup of cooled coconut milk, and mix in your starter culture or probiotic. Stir well.
6. Thoroughly mix the inoculated batch back in with the remainder of the cooled coconut milk.
7. Pour cultured milk into your sterile yogurt maker jars, or any sterile glass or enamel containers that work for you.
8. Cover and ferment at 40 degrees C (105 degrees F) for 7+ hours.
9. Check for taste at around 7 hours, and ferment longer for a more sour, less sweet, taste.
10. To keep the correct temperature for the culture, use an oven on a very low setting or a temperature-adjustable heating pad, or a slow cooker on the lowest setting. You can even make the recipe in a crockpot, but you’ll need to adapt these directions a bit. (Remember, too high a temperature will kill the bacterial culture; too low of a temperature will prevent proper fermentation.)
11. After fermenting, stir to an even consistency and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. You must refrigerate for the agar agar to thicken your yogurt.
12. If your yogurt separates after chilling, stir it with a spoon before consuming.

I have sometimes found it useful to take my probiotic in powder form. This can be done by stirring the powder into water or juice, or simply placing it into your mouth. The taste is pleasant, and the bacteria are absorbed quickly. However, this is not always convenient, especially if you at work, or moving around. In these cases, it would be best to take your probiotic supplement in capsule form.

When you purchase probiotic supplements, check that there is a broad range of human strain bacteria in the supplement, and that each serving contains at least 30 billion microorganisms (CFU). The supplement should also be free of any sugar, artificial sweeteners, preservatives or additives. When you have the supplements at home, it should be kept in the refrigerator to preserve the life of the bacteria as long as possible.

There are some “shelf-safe” probiotic supplements available these days and these can be most useful when travelling, or if needed during your working day. I use a combination of “shelf-safe” during the day and a refrigerated version before bed.

How Much Should I Take?

There are many recommendations for taking probiotic supplements, and great disagreement about how much and how often we should take them. However, if you definitely have a Candida infestation, taking probiotics two or three times each day can be very useful. For most of us, however, we need to observe our symptoms, and take probiotics as needed to the extent that we relieve the symptoms. This may be once each day, twice each day, or only once or twice each week.

Your daily food/symptom journal (if you have started one) will be most useful in understanding your need, or lack of need, for probiotic supplementation. If you have read this far, and you have answered yes to one or more of the questions above, you probably need probiotic supplementation. Note your symptoms in your journal, then begin taking probiotics once each day and observe changes in your health over two weeks. If your symptoms do not change significantly, take your probiotic twice each day and again observe.

You can safely adjust your dosage and frequency of probiotic supplementation from week to week as your symptoms indicate. You are the best judge of your need for probiotic supplementation. In general, however, a useful rule is “if in doubt take it”.

There is some discussion about whether probiotics need to be taken with food, before food or before bed on an empty stomach. I believe there is no hard and fast rule, as each individual will have individual needs.

For general health maintenance, 30-50 billion CFU once daily (before bed) is probably sufficient, but it is important to observe your symptoms and responses and adjust accordingly. Appropriate probiotic supplementation will certainly assist our energy levels, reduce inflammation, improve brain function and production of neurotransmitters, and improve bowel function.

 GARLIC

A useful food to include in your diet frequently, especially if you have symptoms of bowel dysfunction, is garlic. This food can be included in your diet raw or cooked, in whatever quantity is suitable for you. It is better to use whole garlic, either grown in your own garden, or purchased as whole cloves, rather than crushed garlic, stored in a jar, with added substances to preserve its shelf life.

I hope that now, with the information included in all my food and dietary classes, you are able to maintain a satisfying, healthy diet, and notice improvements in your health with each change that you make.

Our food is the fuel for our body and health maintenance. Our digestive system is the engine that converts the food into energy, and our bowel is a major organ of elimination. We need to be vigilant in maintaining all these areas at the highest possible level.

References

• “Stop Parkin’ and Start Livin’”; John Coleman ND, Michelle Anderson Publishing, Melbourne, Australia, 2005.
• Nutrition Australia.
• The Lectin Report; Krispin Sullivan; CN 2/28/2000.
• Biol. Neonate 1991: 59(3): 121.5
• BMJ 1999: 318: 1023-1024 (17 April 1999).