Probiotics

Maybe your body is telling you that you should go the natural way and not buy them as supplements, but consume them as they occur naturally in food.

In general, they occur in all properly fermented foods. For example live yoghurt, buttermilk, tempeh, proper (wholefoodshop!) sauerkraut, miso, kefir, kombucha, maybe even sourdough bread. Also in apples, apparently.

I know you can get kombucha and kefir in shops, but I'm not sure quite how good they are.
I make my own: if you want some kefir grains, just let me know and I can send them up with instructions. If you want to know more about food fermentation just ask - I've done it for years, with porridge, potatoes, swede, spinach, kale, and I love them that way.

[url]Probiotics Side Effects: Allergies | LIVESTRONG.COM[/url] talks about allergy to probiotics - it is not uncommon, apparently.
Probiotics is a fashionable growth industry at the moment, I'm sure there are some very iffy supplements around!

Love, A.

Thanks for that - I do find some are worse than others. However I have a similar problem with live yoghurt, seeds, nuts, bread, apple cider vinegar and other things that have gone blank in my mind at the moment - as you can see I don't think there is a common denominator in any of these foods.

To be honest I'm past myself at the moment because of it - my face after taking probiotic with garlic and olive leaf to help with a sinus problem has made my face quite bad today. I had quinoa for breakfast this morning and even though this is supposed to be gluten free (which I think I am having a problem with regarding ordinary porridge - I have both gluten free and normal) I have a feeling that it contributed somewhat to the state of my face today.

I'm fed up with it and it is now getting me down. Is there anything else I can take to get rid of this - probiotics were for stomach bloating. I am wondering do I have a problem with grains and would leptin help?

The link to the article about being allergic to probiotics was very interesting. I bloat when taking them but then people say you do until the system settles down and you should give them a good few weeks. When I take them I feel that my body seems to go up a size and when I stop taking them it goes down again but I do get a feel good factor from taking them.

I tried kefir but it really makes me hungry - too hungry to be comfortable! I can't remember to be honest whether or not that puffed my face up as it has been a few months now since I tried it.

However, I am interested in your offer of learning how to food ferment - do it the natural way.

If you could tell me what it is involved that would be great.

Forget about the probiotics then. Your stomach bloating must have another cause.

It could be a potassium or calcium deficiency (calcium uptake needs fats!)? Or irritable bowel syndrome? Or low stomach acid?
Turmeric or cumin may help.

When you've got to the cause of the bloating, you must try and find out what else ails you.
It may be a long search but in my experience we have to do it ourselves - doctors haven't the time and what's more they don't know you.

I wish you well!

Sorry, we must have posted at the same time.
This is my favourite recipe for fermentation.

* 500g potato or other vegetables
* 2 cm ginger
* 1 tsp salt
* ½ tsp kefir or 1 tsp yoghurt
1. Cook veg.
2. Allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Mash. Try break up large pieces, but a few little lumps don't matter.
4. Peel ginger, mash or mince. Add to bowl, mix.
5. Add salt and yoghurt, mix. Try get smooth consistency, don't worry about odd lump.
6. Pack mash into crock/jar to ferment. Smooth top with spatula.
7. Fill strong not-leaking plastic bag with water, seal, place on top. It will fit to the surface and exclude air.
8. Set aside in warm place (not hot!) for 48 hours.
9. Remove plastic bag and close with a lid.
Keeps about 3 weeks in fridge.

I make a lot at the time and then scoop some out every day and let it get lukewarm, or add it to hot food without heating it up too much itself.
See also

[url]Wild Fermentation | Fermentation makes foods more nutritious, as well as delicious! :: Wild Fermentation[/url]

Fermentation

[url]Wild Fermentation | Google Groups[/url]

You might find a Kinesiologist could help. My sister has been hugely helped by hers and can now eat food she used to have to avoid.

Good luck

I did see one two years ago so I think I may give her a call and see what she comes up with.

I don't feel ill to be honest but I am fed up with having so many issues with different foods.

I am curious about the potassium deficiency and calcium - I don't eat much dairy obviously because of the problems with mucus etc and sinus but I eat a lot of green veg, raw spinach, rocket, parsley etc.

Years ago I had a potassium deficiency - and I don't pass much water during the day neither - could I take a potassium supplement and see what happens? Or is it a Dr's test that I need - but then my bloods always come back fine and when I had the potassium deficiency it showed up in my blood.

I don't know whether you eat a lot of veg raw like the spinach; raw veg has different strangths from cooked veg. Not only do you eat more when it is cooked, but certain nutrients benefit from it.
Just a quick search tells me that "The calcium in spinach is the least bio-available of calcium sources." Oxalic acid seems to be the problem. This prevents the calcium from being absorbed and what's more, cooking spinach reduces the oxalic acid. See [url]Reducing Oxalic Acid in Your Vegetables for More Calcium | Calcium Rich Foods[/url] for this.
Might be very useful!
Love, A.

I only eat a handful of mixed spinach and rocket raw before my dinner as I was told raw spinach is very good for constipation.

So are you saying eating it raw stops me absorbing calcium and isn't good. I was told that raw spinach is good for you but cooked spinach is bad for you!

Cumin and turmeric - taking it in supplement form may help is that another option.

Another interesting link to the spinach/kale article.

To start with, you could try getting your calcium away from the spinach. Other than in dairy and leafy greens, it is for instance in tinned fish, whole cereals, seeds, molasses, sesame seeds.
My mother taught me that with spinach you should always have eggs - presumably to make up for the calcium loss.
However, it is worth taking a relaxed look at the root cause of your constipation.
Some cumin is easy to add to your meal if you like it. Be careful with turmeric. It is fashionable as a remedy for absolutely everything, but also has drawbacks. Everyone is different and has different needs!

I was told that raw spinach is good for you but cooked spinach is bad for you!

That seems strange, and may come from a dogmatic person. I have never heard it other than from principled raw-foodists: as I said, they both have different strengths.

Thanks for that - is cumin the same as cumerin - and what does cumin do . Do you get this in supplement form or in the tubs as a mixed herb and sprinkle on your food?

Cumerin is another word for turmeric so it is not the same.
I have a drawer full of herbs and spices. Most of those are supposed to help with indigestion. But when I smell them, there are only one or two which appeal to me at any one time.
So don't expect too much from ordering cumin. We're all different, spices/herbs are all different, and it may not do anything for you.

Bloating remedies can only ever be a palliative: sometimes if you tackle the root cause, things change surprisingly quickly.
Relying solely on 'bloating remedies' is what got you into the probiotics trouble.
I honestly think you should look at your diet: drop the raw spinach, maybe drop all the raw stuff for the moment to give your intestines a rest. Feel your way, eat slowly, thinking all the time: does my body like this?
Try having more calcium, if necessary in tablets for now.

As to constipation, if you still suffer from that, we can have a look for the cause of that as well. Sorry I sound schoolmarmish - I've got a lot of experience with doing it wrong! 😉

Just out of interest, I found the following in my files:

"Fiber in wheat and oat bran, may interfere with absorption by decreasing transit time. Fiber also stimulates the proliferation of "friendly" bacteria in the gut, which bind Ca and make it less available for absorption.
Phytic acid (whole grains, nuts, legumes), can bind to Ca to form an insoluble complex, decreasing absorption."
Other possible causes of constipation: too little sulphur (alliums), too little potassium, too much vitamin D, too much iron, or many many other things. Only you can tell .....
Love, Annemieke.

Thanks for that it is a minefield. I only ever got into probiotics because everyone said they were good for bloating etc. and for healing a leaky gut which I suspect may be a cause. However I will drop the spinach but rocket I find does help with the bloating tum. I'm not even sure digestive enzymes do a lot for me but then I have taken them at the same time as a probiotic so maybe a clash.

am wondering about maybe going back to my homeopath for the face puffing and bloating. I am seeing a kiniesiologist on Wednesday for food allergy testing and a session of kiniesiology to help rebalance. I did see her a while ago so maybe that will throw some light.

Also I am going to go back to really watching gluten in my diet - gluten free in the morning.