FAQs
I have a recipe for Greek cucumber yogurt sauce that calls
for Greek yogurt. Can I use my favorite brand of regular nonfat yogurt?
About 2 days after opening my 32 oz carton of plain yogurt,
I find there is a watery layer on the top. If I pour it off would I be discarding
anything of value?
I have been reading about probiotics as "protective" against
the flu. Should I be giving them to my family of two young children and a
healthy husband?
I recently saw sheep’s milk yogurt in my supermarket. Would
you please educate me about this yogurt?
In your point of view, what are the best prebiotic foods?
What do you think of probiotic supplements?
What is a probiotic?
What is a prebiotic?
What is probiotic gum?
What are probiotic straws, how is that possible?
What about kombucha?
I have a recipe for Greek cucumber yogurt
sauce that calls for Greek yogurt. Can I use my favorite brand of regular nonfat
yogurt?
Yes, you can, but you need to drain it first.
Ellie Krieger in her cookbook The Food You Crave recommends spooning the
yogurt into a strainer lined with paper towels and let sit for 30 minutes.
I tried it with 1 cup of yogurt and it worked beautifully. Remember the liquid
that drains off is full of nutrients so you may want to add that to your
favorite juice or milk and drink it down.
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About 2 days after opening my 32 oz carton of
plain yogurt, I find there is a watery layer on the top. If I pour it off would
I be discarding anything of value?
The short answer is yes, you would be discarding a nutrient filled liquid.
I contacted Springfield Creamery in Eugene Oregon who helped me identify
the liquid as acid whey. It contains valuable nutrients, whey protein and
carbohydrate as well as minerals calcium, phosphorus and potassium. It probably
also contains some of the active cultures.
I suggest you just stir it back into the yogurt, however, if you like the
thicker yogurt that results when you pour off the liquid then rather than
discarding it mix it with a little juice and drink it down. That way you
receive all the natural nutrients of the yogurt.
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The flu is expected to hit us hard this fall
and winter. Pregnant women, children, and young adults are particularly at
risk. Research supports that probiotics can optimize your immunity, which
is just what you and your family need for protection.
An interesting study was just published in
Pediatrics (Probiotics Effects on Cold and Influenza–Like Symptom Incidence
and Duration in Children. Leyer GJ, Li S, Mubasher ME, Reifer C, Ouwehand
AC. Pediatrics 2009, Volume 124: e172-e179) which reported that probiotic
consumption over the course of 6 months reduced fever, cough, and runny nose
symptoms in children. They also found a trend towards more positive results
with a combination of strains. I think an important aspect of their study
results is that, if we can use probiotics to reduce symptoms, we can decrease
antibiotic use in early life. This is a win-win for you and your family.
Check out Gut
Insight for a listing of products, all natural food sources, that
you can incorporate into your family’s daily diet.
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I recently saw sheep’s milk yogurt in my supermarket.
Would you please educate me about this yogurt?
Sheep’s milk yogurt is available in some supermarkets — we have it in the
San Francisco Bay Area produced by Bellwether Farms in Sonoma County. I tried
it recently and it is delicious with a rich, creamy taste. Because it has
a higher solids content, it’s nutrient profile has an advantage over cow’s
milk, particularly in minerals such as calcium.
The yogurt at Bellwether is made from pasteurized sheep’s milk and the live
active cultures L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, L. acidophilus, and Bifidus
are added after pasteurization. Fruit is on the bottom. Bellwether Farms
web site is www.bellwetherfarms.com/sheeps-milk-yogurt.
If you live in the Eastern US, you can find sheep’s milk yogurt in the Hudson
Valley made by Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, on the Web at www.blacksheepcheese.com/yogurt_facts.html.
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In your point of view,
what are the best prebiotic foods?
Prebiotics, which are the fuel for probiotics,
keep beneficial bacteria in your gut thriving. Gut
Insight provides a listing of
prebiotic food sources that have been identified in the scientific literature.
Wild onions are pictured on the cover of the book since onions, garlic,
and leeks are among the most common sources of prebiotics. I find it fascinating
that these foods are used all over the world in so many cuisines. Additional
sources common to our diet are whole wheat and bananas. Again it is interesting
that bananas are such a familiar food and one of the first foods we feed
to babies is ripe banana. Then there are the less common foods that we
are beginning to see in our open markets: dandelion greens and burdock.
You can view photos of these “exotic prebiotics” in Gut
Insight.
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What do you think of probiotic supplements?
Gut
Insight's focus is on natural food sources. I believe when you
use natural food sources you are more likely to develop a life-long healthy
habit than if you are only relying on supplements. For example, the studies
on populations of people with longevity found that they had established
the habit of eating fermented foods. We encourage natural foods first,
although supplements may be appropriate for short term specific use.
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What is a probiotic?
Probiotics are live microorganisms which, when consumed in adequate amounts,
confer a health benefit on the host. Gut
Insight Chapter 1
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What is a prebiotic?
Prebiotics are nondigestible food ingredients that selectively
stimulate the growth and/or the activity of beneficial bacteria in the colon
and improve health. Gut
Insight Chapter 3.
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What is probiotic gum?
A trip to the dentist usually includes a verbal reminder that bacteria is
related to oral health. So no wonder, gum has become a carrier of probiotics.
And again it is BioGaia who offers a chewing gum with Lactobacillus
reuteri prodentis, a mixture of two strains. Following your tooth
brushing with chewing gum is not what your mother allowed and yet we now
have a gum, which according to their research, has oral health benefits.
You can read the research studies and findings at www.biogaia.com
Other companies, specifically gum manufactures, are researching and developing
“dental gum” which will combine the pleasures of chewing a flavorful gum
with functional dental health benefits. Expect the checkout stand at the
supermarket to display these functional chewing gums which may replace the
“double your pleasure” types.
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What are probiotic straws, how is that possible?
I like to think of them as “functional straws,” providing a dose of probiotics
as you drink the beverage. Pro-straw, as some have called them, offer a defined
dose of probiotics and extended shelf life so they are ideal for packaged
drinks. One of the manufacturers, Unistraw in partnership with Tetra Pak,
a packager, is expected to have juices and dairy drinks with probiotic straws
which you keep on the shelf rather than refrigerate. This is ideal for mobile
people who want to carry a probiotic drink with them and don't want to use
a cold pack.
Currently BioGaia, a Swedish Company provides Nestle with a probiotic straw
for its kid's Boost product "Kid Essentials" that contains Lactobacillus
reuteri probiotic strain. The probiotic, contained in an oil suspension,
is released when it comes into contact with the liquid contents in the box.
The probiotics are delivered to the child as he drinks through the straw.
Packages of the BioGaia straws are also available if one prefers to use
them with their own drink. With 100 million CFU of Lactobacillus
reuteri protectis per serving they are promoted as a gut health dietary
supplement.
Pretty amazing, and expect to see more products on the shelf as manufactures
roll out products with the magical straws including juices, nutritional drinks
and dairy based drinks.
You now may be thinking "what's next?" Well, there has been a mention
of the probiotic bottle cap.
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What about kombucha?
Kombucha is a traditional fermentation of sweetened tea made with a microbial
mixture of yeast and bacteria. The mixture varies from product to product
and may contain Brettanomyces bruxellensis, Candida stellata, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Torulaspora
delbrueckii, Saccharomycodes ludwigii, Bacterium xylinum, Bacterium gluconicum, Bacterium xylinoides, Bacterium katogenum, Pichia
fermentans, Zygosaccharomyces bailii,
or Torula species. While there are
animal studies that show microbial activity against human pathogens like e.
coli and salmonella, studies
on humans are few and inconclusive.
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Frequently Asked Questions are answered
by Jo Ann Hattner, MPH RD unless otherwise noted.
More Questions? Let us know.
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