I wanna increase friendly bacteria in my digestive system.

I got two choices:

- yogurt from hypermarkets
- probiotics supplements

Which one is more economical in the long term? thanks!

Probiotic is better choice. Yogurt from supermarket is hi in refined sugar.
It is a junk food. Yogurt is rich in acidophilus while probiotics have more than 5 strains of friendly bacteria.

Thanks, that's from health perspective. Are probiotics also cheaper in the long term?

Probiotics. I also consume acidophilus. The friendly bacteria in acidophilus is around 0.2125 Billion cfu. I agree with 4 rings that yougurt is loaded with sugar = empty calories.

Besides, acidophilus can help you to " pang sai " smoothly everyday.

The pricing is resonable to me. 100 tablets around Rm90 ++. See which brand you buy only. Mine is from Natural health Farm.

This post has been edited by tennis4life: Nov 9 2008, 11:24 PM

It is definitely cheaper, it gives you more strains of friendly bac. You don't need to take it everyday, every alternate days will do as our body could produce friendly bac.

em i think some type of yogurt product like yakult is a good & cheap choice

it come with a lot of scientific evidence.. even dietitian in hospital recommend that for their patient

thanks

will check up on probiotics at pharmacies

In a simplistic analysis, probiotics supplements would be cheaper than yogurt. How much is yogurt? I think it's a few RM each. Whereas for probiotics each capsule is less than RM1.

Secondly, with probiotics you know exactly what bacteria strains you're getting (can even get multiple strains) and what is the quantity - e.g. Now's Gr8-Dophilus with 8 strains totalling 4 billion organisms. I don't think yogurt will give you the details.

Thirdly, as already mentioned, yogurt contains stuff you don't want like the excess sugar.

Not difficult to make your own yogurt. That way, you choose what milk you want to put in (skimmed, or whole), leave out the sugar and add 'real' fruits of your choice. Takes only 8 hours to make.

Cheers
TP

Thanks for your very helpful post!

where can i get probiotics yogurt ??

Btwn, can i get probiotics from pharmacy ? Or must return to my gp for it ?

I think the pills are a bit cheaper.

But I would normally get it from food sources if it's easily available.
I see no point in taking pills/tablets because there are other nutriets in yogurt making it worth consuming. I know there's only a few grams of protein and a lot of sugar, but I'm not drinking a gallon of it daily. So the heck with it. =P

Should you prefer yogurt, go for natural flavour yogurt (no sugar, no fruity stuff) or Yakult.

Yakult publishes the number of CFU of its probiotic strain on the packaging. 30 billion in a bottle. That's a lot of bac for your buck. Guaranteed to reach your colon.
It's one of the highest, even compared to Yakult from other countries which are normally 10 billion in a larger bottle (e.g. S'pore, China).
Oh, I just found out that there's a new low sugar version of Yakult. I should go try it. =)

And if you could get a group of 20 persons, you could contact Yakult for a factory visit. They always welcome people to visit them.
-----
All yogurt have probiotics. And probiotics pills are supplements, not drugs or medicine. GP takde.
Pharmacy will carry the tablets, and kedai-kedai runcit pun ada yogurt.

This post has been edited by iamyuanwu: Mar 29 2009, 02:10 PM

Actually, why do you want to increase the bacteria in your digestive system?

Prevent diarrhoea/cirit-birit,
better bowel movement,
increased nutrient absorption (e.g calcium),
prevent harmful bacteria from colonising your colon,
improve general health
odourless fart
produce vitamin K

certain companies (e.g. Yakult and other prebiotic [this is the food for probiotic bac] producers) claim that:
reduce various allergic reactions
improve general health

and for me,
- It reduces my stomach discomfort when I consume milk/dairy products.
- It prevents cirit-birit. E.g. I went BBQ with a bunch of friends on the beach once. Everyone got a bad case of cirit-birit except me. I had a bit of stomach discomfort, but that's all. I'd been taking yogurt every morning for the past 3 months.

You need to remember to eat vegetables and fruits daily to 'feed' the good bacteria.
No use taking probiotic pills if you don't feed them.

If a person is lactose intolerant, he/she will still have diarrhoa/cirit-birit just from the milk inside the yogurt alone. Not to mention not even being able to gain the benefits of yogurt. Their fart will not be odorless but pungent.

What you mention about what had happened at the BBQ could be due to the exercise program you're in as well as overall watching what you eat. Exercise and proper eating does help with overall digestion, not the yogurt alone. But it does contribute yes.

This post has been edited by myremi: Mar 29 2009, 02:56 PM

=)
Allow me to explain again.

The BBQ-by-the-beach incident happened before I got into exercising and lifting weights and proper eating habits (I was still a university student then). The only difference I made at that time was eating yogurt every morning because it was quick and easy. I swear to you, the yogurt did work.

How it works is that if you eat fruits and vege and yogurt, the probiotics are plentiful in your colon. And they colonise the walls of your intestine, forming a barrier/layer, which also helps digest/ferment certain food and help transport them to your intenstines.
Harmful bacterium need to adhere to your colon walls in order to replicate & grow. So the probiotics and harmful bacterium compete to colonise the colon. The more probiotics you have, the harder it is for harmful bacteria to colonise your colon. It would also speed up your recovery.

Digressing: everyone should take yogurt/probiotics after taking antibiotics. Antibiotics destroy many bacteria strains regardless of probiotics or not. You need to replenish it.
___

Yogurt does not contain lactose. It is exactly the food that lactose intolerant people can eat. The lactose have been fermented by the bacterium into lactic acid.
That's why I mentioned that it reduces my stomach discomfort when I drink milk. I'm not really lactose intolerant, but I do have some discomfort and becomes bloated (with nasty fart) when I drink milk. Yogurt reduces these issues for me.
Note: different people different poison. You need to try it out yourself to find out.

But take note of this:
Cultured drink (Yakult, Vitagen) = yogurt + water. No lactose.
Yogurt drink (Nestle, Dutchlady, creamy and thicker) = yogurt + milk. Contains lactose.

This post has been edited by iamyuanwu: Mar 29 2009, 03:22 PM

erm .. r u sure i can get probiotics readily from any pharmacy outlets ??? I got my first bottle from my gp and she told me it's not easy to find probiotics in the pharmacy because they need to be kept in the fridge. She's selling me at RM75 per bottle which can last for about a month.

Ok dokie. Oh, one thing good about yogurt is that 1-2 tablespoon daily for old folks and it helps them with their bowel movements.

And yeah, I started taking yogurt regularly when I started losing weight to help with the bowel movement since I was reducing food intake. Even with the increase amount of veggie, still needed the yogurt to help.

Although, the homeopathy lady who owns the organic shop that I buy stuff from, did tell me that yogurt doesn't help with bowel movement as much as vinegar does. She did mentioned that apple vinegar is not a good choice because it's mass produced hence too refined for the human body. She recommended some vinegar from brown rice instead.

My mistake again. Yogurt does contain a little lactose, but minimal amount. And since it also contains lactic acid bacterium, they help to continue ferment it after being consumed.

Anyway, different people have different levels of lactose intolerance. But most intolerant people will have no problem taking yogurt except for the most sensitive.

By the way, mass produced doesn't mean it's refined. It only means it's produced in huge quantity. You need to look at the processing steps to determine if it's refined or not.

probiotics is thee way to go. Lol, yogurt is so hard for me to gulp down the throat. lol. No way i'm taking it everyday.

I'm taking udo's choice probiotics once in a while. everytime i took those pills, i feel hungry. donno why. lol.

went to Guardian just now...the pharmist gave me 2 choices of probiotic supplements...eg. Biolife (needs refrigeration)...
30 capsules...and another brand is a local brand called LACTO-5 (no need refrigeration)...so ended up taking
the Lacto-5 cause more bacterias and no need fridge... so easy to carry....but not sure it this local made
probiotic is better than the imported ones.... BTW, any bro can recommend a good brand for
probiotic ? LactoGG , nutri-health , etc ??

Are you consuming any antibiotic? why you would needed to increase friendly bacteria ? @@ i personally think imported one would be more better then local just google some review for the brand you want before you buy

This post has been edited by genuinehuman: Sep 8 2009, 06:55 PM

probiotics suppl is cheaper in long run. as is very concentration up to 8 billion bacteria..

like this one 5 billion below rm90..2 month supply

Jarrow Formulas, Jarro-Dophilus EPS, 120 caps
Probiotic Bacteria 5 Billion Organisms †
L.rhamnosus R0011 880 Million
L.casei R0215 680 Million
L.Plantarum R1012 340 Million
L.acidophilus R0052* 880 Million
B. longum BB536 (morinaga strain) 680 Million
B.breve R0070 (7.7%) 340 Million
Pediococcus acidilactici R1001 870 Million
Lactococcus diacetylactis R0100 330 Million


This post has been edited by macpro2: Sep 9 2009, 04:46 AM


Attached image(s)

Not all bacteria is harmful. The fact is, we live in a co existence system. Without them, we would fall sick. Believe it or not.

Regards, Joey

This post has been edited by Joey Christensen: Sep 9 2009, 11:25 AM

Can get pure yoghurt in supt without flavouring / sugar - sunglo (singaporean brand) & dutch lady. Unlike watery dutch lady, sunglo a bit more expensive but real thick, gel-like.

Be prepared to brave the sour taste. I see arabs buying these a lot, i think its their culture to cousume them.

There are 200g & 1.5kg tubs - 1 spoon a day will last for 1mth or more.

Anyway, i still take additional probiotic pills cos there are more strains in it.

yogurt is always good, but not those types in hypermarket, they all contained sugar and food stabiliser. Home made yogurt is good.

Can try at home:
Ingredients:
** 250ml low-fat or skimmed milk

** 1 tbsp commercial natural (plain) yoghurt

Directions:
Pour the low-fat or skimmed milk into a small saucepan. Heat up over a medium heat until the milk begins to boil. Immediately bring the saucepan away from the heat and pour into a heatproof jar that has a lid.

Leave aside to cool slightly until the milk is just warm when tested on the wrist. Stir the milk to mix the layer of skin (that is visible on the surface) to combine with the lukewarm milk. Add in the plain yoghurt and cover the jar. Leave it aside, undisturbed, in a warm place or at room temperature for the yoghurt to set. This takes about 9–10 hours.

Once the yoghurt has set into a thick consistency (similar to custard), put it into the refrigerator. It will then firm up slightly when thoroughly chilled.

Homemade yoghurt keeps for up to 6 days. Add any chopped fruit if desired.

Probiotics od better than yougurt...

Yogurt is like drink and it is programmned to taste nice...
More to like junk food, but I am not saying it's not good though...

Probiotics like u said is supplement...

Beside now yogurt drink so expensive in the supermarket...

any recommended brand for probiotic supplements ? i bought the local made Lacto -5

I dun wan to 'pong chan' lacto5 anymore. In their bottle got a coupon to xchange for gift so i emailed them for more info but they dun reply. Dang stuck-up company.

Mayb u can consider bion3, its multivit + probiotic in 1 cap supposedly got coating so the probiotic reaches the intestine. I was quite surprised it was featured in kementerian kesihatan website. Quite convenient cos no need to remember take this & that. Hopefully in future someone would come up with a multivit+probiotic+fish oil cap.. now that would even be better.

This post has been edited by mrPOTATO: Sep 12 2009, 09:41 AM

some people eat yoghurt is due to its calcium content. Yoghurt is also a healthy snack. So everyday I eat about 200g yoghurt. Actually, I don't care its probiotics content. I reckon, most of the bacteria have already died during transportation and storage.

I you concern about probiotics then take supplement. We also can eat more fruit and vegetables, this is because they are prebiotics which encourage the growth of probiotics. Off course, I don't ask you eat a lot of fruit and vege, this can cause stomach boating.

probiotic more "user friendly"..

can bring during outstation easily..no nid to find youghurt east n west...

anyway...homemade youghurt is awesome compare to shop 1

What about home made yoghurt? Those white sour ones?

My indian friend told me it's very common back in india (here in malaysia too) to make their own yoghurt, anyone know how to do it properly so we won't get sick?

white 1..my mom noe..but i duno...

my frens mum using da dutch lady strawberry n chocolate milk to make it..so it wont jus plain white =)

yup sour...

in strawbery flavour i feel better..

u nid da yeast i thnkik ...in order to make da own youghurt =)

can diet v dat =)

my relative did it=)

maybe u can try google da recipe =)

This post has been edited by chilie~lover: Sep 14 2009, 01:25 AM

WOW! I had that since I were a small kid. Sure brings back memories on the Indian home made yoghurt. Nice! Well, been buying yoghurt from supermarkets and Vitagens too. I usually stock up twice a month.

Regards, Joey

yogurt is around rm5 / 500ml ( 1 tub ), fresh milk is around rm6 / 1000ml, cheapest solution is... but 1 tub yogurt and 1 liter fresh milk... 250ml yogurt mix into 500ml fresh milk ... in 8 hours it will turn into 750ml yogurt ( which keeps for almost 2 weeks )... yogurt such as n*stl* has 4 types of lactobacillus in it... so... by adding 250ml yogurt to 500ml milk.. you are 'multiplying' these bacteria which in turn will be put into your tummy when u consume them... do the maths... its actually very very economical... i hav been doing this for years... but i ferment raw milk... not fresh milk... uht milk cannot be turned into yogurt... lactobacillus cant survive will in uht milk... ultra heat treatment 'burns off' too much nutrients... if you are really keen on fermenting yogurt... i am willing to share... just pm me..

cheap solution:

eat those plain yogurt used for cooking (100% no sugar, cheaper than sweetened yogurt)

make your own yogurt or kefir drink (freaking cheap)

if i ferment my yogurt for more than 24 hours, will there still be lactose?

hi guys..i know this is an old thread, but just want to ask.. i saw this brand Swiss2 SUPA LIFE.

It says that it has probiotic and also prebiotic. It has 70 capsules, 30 billion CFU and it costs RM 110.

Is there anything cheaper than this. Looking for maybe 90 capsules with 30 billion CFU and if possible RM 100.

ferment your own kefir, 20+ strains of lacto bacilli and several strain of yeasts, http://www.healingcrow.com/ferfun/conspiracy/conspiracy.html , cost? buy raw / pasteurized milk, ferment 8-12 hours, that is all

Kefir...it is better than yoghurt...has much more good bacteria.

Hello, does anyone knows where to get Lactogg in KL or PJ area? Pls help >.<

I make my own yoghurt. Its easy and healthy~

FARMASI SHIN (ARMANEE PHARMACY S/B)
41 JALAN 3/36, BUKIT SRI BINTANG, KEPONG, 52100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-62759545

HTH

i love yogurt that have fruit!!

I take probiotics regularly to enhance my autoimmune system.

I find the Hexbio Probiotic most useful for me and my family.

You may find more info on probiotics from this web content website at :

http://www.probiotics-for-health.com

Why not culture your own probiotics? Kefir is the way to go.

fren wher do u bought ur probioctics ?

How about cheap tempeh, kimchi and miso for probiotics. I'm avoiding dairy.

kimchi can provide a source of probiotics.
best eat more vegetables and fruits.

I still swear by KEFIR!!!

Caring pharmacy

Careful not to be taken in by the 'billions' on the packet. They are generally not that stable sat on the shelf and lose potency. So by the time you buy it and then keep it in a cupboard you have no idea how many bacteria each capsule has. Some products are very honest and tell you how many bacteria each will have after losing some of the original potency.

Better go for a broad spectrum one with many types of bacteria.

Lot of shops hard sell expensive brands. Always pushing expensive sachets. Even doctor's giving you expensive ones for the fridge.

I have tried 25 billion ones from overseas for 3-4 months and felt nothing, no difference. Changed brand to cheaper one and system ran like a dream.

Change your diet. More fibre from natural sources, more fruit and vege and brown bread. Give the probiotics the right environment to work in.

I use best probiotics capsules (garden of life USA or Cellabs Malaysia) as kefir/yogurt starter. Starting cost high, after that I need milk only to make yogurt.

how do you make with it? I tried using my probiotic capsule, but my yogurt doesn't turn sour and it's clumpy.

First you should use good probiotics. Just put one of those expensive capsules in a cup of a full fat fresh milk in the morning. I don't boil, but if you want to kill all bacteria in pasteurized milk, boil it. Leave it in a room temperature (normally 27C) for 10-12 hours. Then store in the fridge overnight. My yogurt turns out perfect like silky and delicate tofu. Right out of fridge, it's not sour.

I see.. I use the blackmores one from Australia one, I put in a yogurt machine. I think I should try room temp

Cool, might try making this weekend

Also this will be a good test if your Blackmores is a good probiotics. They say only good probioitics curddles in real milk.

Definitely not the yogurt - it's high in sugar.

When considering for a probiotics supplement, you need to make sure the bacteria is still alive when they go into your digestive system. The whole point is to let them breed and grow in your guts.

Generally speaking, you should consider taking one with prebiotics. Prebiotics are foods for probiotics. They help the probiotics to survive and thrive in your stomach.

If you prefer just probiotics, I normally recommend cald'ophilus by Natural Factors. The tablet is coated with calcium, which helps to protect the probiotics from the stomach acid. The price is quite affordable.

If you don't mind paying a bit more, Bio-life has an extensive range of probiotics (some have to be kept in the fridge).

Finally there is GI Flora Plus by Celllabs which has 11 strains of good bacteria with prebiotics. It's quite pricey though.

Anyway, PM me if you would like a detailed consultation on whether you need probiotics at all or not.

Successfully made milk base and coconut yogurt.

Coconut yogurt is damn good, just leave it in a dark shelf covering with a clean cloth for 24 hours.

I did a research and found if use probiotics I can't use a yogurt incubator cause it of the heat can't allowed the probiotic to grow properly. Thus, room temperature is the best.

But if I use yogurt as the base, I find the texture, smell and taste is much more delicate comparing to using probiotic.

This post has been edited by Cloud2322: May 8 2020, 01:20 PM

Well, actually I make very delicate yogurt with probiotics capsule. It's too mild and too silky to my taste actually. Initially I put the mixture in room temp for 24 hours, which turned out to be too lumpy and sour. So I cut the time in half and store it at least overnight in the fridge. I guess low temp of fridge also regulates certain bacterias and regulate the texture.

Interesting, I would like to try that.

By the way, when you make next batch of yogurt. Do you use a new capsule or do you take a scoop from previous batch to recultivate?

The latter. One teaspoon is enough.