Activa yogurt eases constipation

Makes sense to me. I have found that any well made yoghurt with live cultures has the same effect if you eat enough of it, which is not an onerous amount for me. That's why I make my own, then I know it is fresh. I guess it is trial and error with yoghurt. Just cos it has a long "Best Before" date stamped on it, and is sitting in a nice cold cabinet when we buy it doesn't make it good yoghurt, even if it does say it has live cultures in it. There are a lot of things that happen to yoghurt between Dan the Dairyfarmer's cow and my fridge.

A recent trial of yoghurt, done by Choice Magazine in Australia (published by the Australian Consumers Association) showed that the strains and numbers of live bacteria in many brands of quality yoghurt were very variable. If you have found one that works well I would be sticking to it, but I bet it is not the only good one around. Go for it.

Cheers

Louise

The theory behind products like Activia is sound, as probiotics are known to improve and maintain gut function (probiotic foods are probably essential, but lacking in modern industrial diets) but I question using products like these, as they are highly processed, full of added sugars and unnecessary ingredients. I'm quite sure they will often show benefit for people consuming the SAD (standard American diet) of common supermarket store foods, but there are other ways to consume probiotics from real food instead of 'enhanced' junk food.

Prior to ubiquitous refrigeration, heat canning, and industrial preservation of foods, lacto-fermentation was a part of every traditional food culture and used in meat curing, vegetable and fruit pickling, and dairy preservation. Grains were also fermented, as yeast products were not yet widely used (true sourdough). Lacto-fermentation increased digestibility and nutrient availability, as well as actually improving nutrient content in many foods. Additionally, long fermentation neutralizes anti-nutrients (esp phytates) in problematic foods like soy, wheat, etc. so that they are less damaging). Everyone everywhere would have regularly consumed some forms of lacto-fermented food, that is until industrial processing of foods became the norm. Now it is rare for industrial people to consume foods that the probiotic bacteria we need, because our food is so standardized and sterile.

Homemade yogurt, of course, is teeming with probiotics, is inexpensive, and quite easy to make (especially if a regular routine is established). Plain whole milk yogurt can be consumed as is or flavored to taste with fruit, honey, maple syrup, or made savory with mint, garlic, olive oil, and cukes for a nice tzatziki sauce. Yogurt can also be made with coconut milk for a non-dairy option, though it will not thicken as much. I like to make yogurt with heavy cream, actually. Other probiotic options include kefir, etc, but like yogurt, most of the commercial options are only available in low fat (not a whole food!) and adulterated with lots of sugar, gums, and colorings. Better to make at home.

Raw sauerkraut (or kimchi, pickles, and various other condiments) made in the traditional way is another fantastic probiotic food. Beware of the commercial sauerkrauts made with vinegar - they are not probiotic unless they are pickled with salt and never heated. Real sauerkraut is so easy to make at home - essentially chopped or sliced cabbage and salt are pounded until the juice flows (brine added if necessary) and the naturally occurring lacto-bacillus bacteria anaerobically reproduce and create lactic acid, inhibiting pathogens and other organisms. It's important to keep the cabbage (or other veggies) under the brine line (there are fermentation containers that facilitate the anaerobic conditions). Depending on ambient temperature and how fine or coarse the veggies are chopped, the fermentation is done in a few days to a week or so, then kept stable in a cool environment like a root cellar or refrigerator. A tablespoon or two of raw sauerkraut daily (by itself or tossed in a green salad) works wonders for gut health; a bit of the tangy juice added to homemade mayonnaise or salad dressing is another way to regularly consume probiotics.

Raw apple cider vinegar, raw miso, raw traditionally fermented wheat-free tamari are also probiotic foods (provided they are not heated above 110°F or so).

Even cured meats used to be preserved with lacto-fermentation. Now questionable preservatives are used. But one can still make or seek out traditionally made cured meats in some areas.

We each carry around with us several pounds of bacteria in and on our bodies and we wouldn't be alive without our bacterial tagalongs (sterility is NOT our friend). But we need to make sure that the bacteria that populate us (our "inner garden") are mostly the varieties that are beneficial, not the pathogenic or even neutral bacteria that constantly compete with the friendlies. It's a delicate balance that we do have enormous control over with our diet and lifestyle. The estimate is that for every one cell of our own, there are ten bacterial cells, and the conditions we create in our bodies determines if the bacterial population is more of a beneficial one or one that works against our health. Regularly consuming "living" foods that are naturally probiotic (and not full of artificial foods additives) are a huge part of tipping that balance in favor of the friendly bacteria.

BTW, when I say "living foods" I don't mean the same "living food" as in the raw foodism movement, which mostly is concerned with not cooking foods rather than enhancing probiotic bacterial quality and quantity. It's actually better cook many foods, as they become tastier, easier to digest, and the nutrients are more absorbable. Just not the probiotic foods.

There are lots of variations on the equipment used when making yogurt. Some people have a "proofing" setting in their oven that works quite well, or just having the oven light on provides the right temp. Others use thermoses, insulated coolers, or heating pads around a bowl. I use a non-electric insulated product called Easiyo (boiling water is used for the heat source), but I don't use the yogurt packet mixes that Easiyo makes (too processed). I also have a Salton electric yogurt maker, which is very similar, but I think it runs a bit warm. Both make 1 quart of yogurt (they come with plastic containers for the milk/yogurt culture, but will also hold a 1 qt glass wide mouth canning jar if you prefer). There are many varieties of yogurt making appliances from dirt cheap to ultra expensive. They all do essentially the same thing - maintain the constant low temps needed for culturing.

The yogurt principle is basic - gently heat the milk to 180°F first to kill any bacteria that will compete with the yogurt cultures, then cool to a slightly warm temperature that fosters multiplication of yogurt bacteria cultures and conversion of lactose to lactic acid, but not so high that it kills them (110°F is perfect), then maintain that temperature. When the desired degree of tanginess/firmness is reached, chill to slow bacteria reproduction and conversion of lactose into lactic acid).

Our family doesn't drink a lot of milk anymore, but what milk we do drink for a beverage is almost always unadulterated grass-fed raw milk (it is legal to sell/buy raw milk in California, thankfully so we don't have to jump through hoops to get it). Raw milk is naturally full of probiotic bacteria, but some of them will compete with the yogurt bacteria, so I do heat the milk gently to 180°F when I make milk yogurt to neutralize the natural milk bacteria so it cultures consistently (properly produced raw milk does not contain pathogenic bacteria and we have never been sick from raw milk, in fact we are far healthier now since we stopped consuming pasteurized milk).

Most people will probably be making yogurt with pasteurized commercial milk, but it also needs to be heated to 180° because contrary to popular belief, pasteurization does not make milk sterile ( it's actually is more susceptible to bacterial contamination after pasteurization because of lack of competition from beneficial bacteria). Pasteurization usually is done by rapidly heating to 161°F then rapidly chilled (though the process isn't gentle on the delicate milk proteins). Ultra-pasteurized milk is rapidly heated to extremely high temperatures and really "cooks" the milk, which is especially damaging to the delicate protein structures and flavor, so UP/UHTmilk won't culture into yogurt well at all (nor will UP cream whip well). Ultra-pasteurized milk and cream are not recommended at all for consumption. UP and UHT might preserve the milk so that bacteria don't consume it, but the high heat also alters/damages the nutrients so that our bodies can't really benefit either.

After heating milk to 180°F, take it off the heat and let cool to 110°F (cool it more rapidly by immersing pan in a cool water bath if desired). Mix 1 or 2 tablespoons of previous live yogurt batch (not too old), a good commercial yogurt, or a powdered live yogurt culture powder, with about 1-4 to 1/2 cup of the warm milk - to create a slurry. When this is well blended, mix the slurry into the warm milk and stir well (this step better distributes the culture than stirring it directly into the warm milk).

Then put the mixture into whatever yogurt maker device or arrangement you prefer to maintain the 110-115°F temperature for the culturing time. How long you culture the yogurt is up to personal preference for thickness, tanginess, etc. Experiment. I like to leave the yogurt undisturbed for at least 6-8 hours, then cool it before using, but many stop the culturing earlier or later. I say undisturbed, because stirring it (especially while warm) will start a separation process; the whey will leak out of the milk solids because there are no added gelatin, gums, or starches to thicken and maintain emulsification with natural yogurt. The less disturbed, the better until cool and ready to use. I stir in any added flavorings in a separate container just before serving.

Or you can strain the yogurt in a fine mesh strainer and a coffer filter/fine muslin cloth to make thick Greek-style yogurt (short straining) or a cream-style yogurt cheese (long straining). Save the protein-rich and probiotic whey that drains off - it keeps a long time in a glass jar in the fridge and is useful for creating other lacto-fermented foods (as a starter), adding to smoothies and tart cool beverages to boost protein content and provide a tangy flavor, etc. You can also add whey to soups cool or hot, but too much heat will inactivate the probiotics).

I also culture heavy cream the same way. YUM! Better than sour cream. More like crème fraîche. Delicious whipped or made into ice cream.

I also make a non-dairy coconut milk yogurt for use in smoothies (I try to buy canned coconut milk without gums, emulsifers, or preservatives). CM yogurt doesn't thicken as much as milk yogurt (stays quite runny) and like coconut milk without gums or emulsifiers, it separates into solids and liquid when it sits so I stir it before using. I only heat the coconut milk (full fat, either homemade from dried or freshly grated coconut soaked in warm water or from canned full fat coconut milk) to 125°F initially, then cool to 110-115°F, then proceed as for milk yogurt. Also, because coconut milk does not have lactose (milk sugar) for the bacteria to consume and convert to lactic acid, I add a tablespoon of raw honey, maple syrup, or coconut/palm sugar to "feed" the bacteria. Most of the sugar is used up in culturing. I use a tablespoon of dairy yogurt cultures with coconut yogurt, but there are online sources on non-dairy yogurt cultures for those who want to avoid all dairy exposure). Then I culture it the usual way about 8 hours in the Easiyo. I keep this yogurt in a glass jar in the fridge for making smoothies or pouring over fresh fruit. Coconut milk doesn't keep as long as milk does, so I suggest using within 3-5 days, a week at the most.

Hi All

FYI, I use an Easiyo and their Greek yoghurt premix, because I am a lazy sod. I find that the Greek yoghurt has a very beneficial effect on my bowel function. You can google them. They are available worldwide.

In a perfect world I would have a cow or goat and go through all the palarva that you have to go through to do it properly, but I find the packet method, which takes all of 2 minutes once the kettle has boiled, is sustainable, ie I do actually get around to making the stuff!

I do like the idea of using the Esiyo canister and not using the packets though. Will try doing my own.

Louise