Probiotics and vegetarian/vegan living

[afishwithabike]

Could I get kefir grains and grow them in something non-dairy. I currently have been working on transitioning to a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle. I feel it is something I NEED to do. My body is desperate without probiotics. I am working toward making sure I get the benefits of the probiotics I NEED while making the changes that seem appropraite for my life. Please help me.

[Chicharronita]

You could definitely kefirize coconut milk/water, but I've never done it myself. How about making fermented veggies and fruit? They taste great, and don't require any dairy at all. However, I don't know how long it would take before you see the health benefits (versus taking probiotics or making your own yogurt).

[afishwithabike]

Is it something that I could take the oral suppliments until my body adapted to the changes in diet? I want to be healthy and I am tired of feeling sluggish ALL the time. I KNOW some of the flesh and flesh byproducts are contributing to these issues.

[Chicharronita]

It's stuff you'd have to make yourself, although there are some cultured veggies like kimchi at the supermarket that aren't pasteurized (so the cultures are active). I'm sorry you're feeling so sluggish! Beet kvass is supposed to be a good tonic to drink daily.

[Kitsune6]

I have a probiotic that I take that's non-dairy. I just went to look at it and realized that the capsule is gelatin! ohh man!!

Does anyone know of a capsule type form of probiotic without gelatin??

Sorry to hijack your thread :

[tinuviel_k]

Rather than getting kefir, you might consider another culture: Water Crystals (aka: water kefir, Japanese water crystals, tibicus, tibi...)
They are raised in a whole sugar and water solution, and you can add lemon and dried fruits for flavor, or brew them in fruit juice. Many mamas here (myself included) have them at home and can mail you some. here's a little info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_kefir
http://www.weim.net/homeovet/Docs/water%20kefir.pdf
It is possible to use dairy kefir grains in non-dairy milks, but they will not reproduce themselves.

You might check out the fermented veggies thread in the Traditional Foods forum: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...mented+veggies
There is lots of good advice for making sauerkraut, kimchi, and just about any vveggie you can imagine. I've found Sandor Katz book, Wild Fermentation, to be a weath of information on the subject.

[chanale]

There are vegan probiotic supplements available:

http://www.jarrow.com/category.php?catid=25

I find them in the refrigerator in the supplement section of Whole Foods. They're in powder form - not capsules - so you dissolve them in a cup of room-temperature water. I use the green jar Jarro-dophilus + FOS powder. DD's is baby-Jarro-dophilus. Those have to be kept refrigerated. I've also used Jarro-Dophilus EPS vegetarian capsules for travel because they're stable at room temperature. I could use them at home theoretically, but I avoid extra packaging when possible. The illustration on the front of the jars (intestines with smiling faces) is kind of creepy, but I can overlook that for a quality product.

P.S. I need to add that not all their probiotic supplements are vegan - just the powders and ones specifically saying vegetarian capsules.

[afishwithabike]

Thank you for the links. Don't feel bad for asking about the gelatin capsule. It eliminated another question I had. I appreciate the help here. Bless you ALL.

[Kitsune6]

Originally Posted by chanale

There are vegan probiotic supplements available:

http://www.jarrow.com/category.php?catid=25

I find them in the refrigerator in the supplement section of Whole Foods. They're in powder form - not capsules - so you dissolve them in a cup of room-temperature water. I use the green jar Jarro-dophilus + FOS powder. DD's is baby-Jarro-dophilus. Those have to be kept refrigerated. I've also used Jarro-Dophilus EPS vegetarian capsules for travel because they're stable at room temperature. I could use them at home theoretically, but I avoid extra packaging when possible. The illustration on the front of the jars (intestines with smiling faces) is kind of creepy, but I can overlook that for a quality product.

P.S. I need to add that not all their probiotic supplements are vegan - just the powders and ones specifically saying vegetarian capsules.

That's the same brand I have. I bought them about 5m ago before i went veggie. I'll get the powder next time. Thanks!!

[Ianthe]

I usually just buy a bottle of Silk brand soy-yogurt-ish drink at the store when I feel like I need pro-biotics.

I had never heard of the Kefir stuff before.

[ColoradoMama]

Kambucha is supposed to be good for probiotics. Plus, there's vegan yogurt. I recommend Whole Soy - it's yummy. They have the traditional eat it with a spoon kind and the drinkable kind. O'Soy is okay tasting, too. I'd stay away from Silk yogurt because I think it's nasty. Also, there is a yogurt like probiotic that I buy from Whole Foods in their refrigerated section where they keep the Flax oil. I can't remember what it's called - sorry. I believe they have dairy and non-dairy kinds. It tastes like really strong yogurt.

[afishwithabike]

Thank you ALL for the GREAT suggestion and links. I think I have a good direction now. I appreciate that you all took time to read this.

[PikkuMyy]

I take probiotic supplements as well as eating cultured soy yogurt. I can't think of the brands right now but there are several brands of supplements that make a variety of probiotic capsules in veggie caplets and that are not from dairy.

[callmemama]

I just found the probiotic I was buying for my son is no longer vegan (FloraMore by Renew Life) nor is the one I was buying for me (Ultimate Flora Adult Formula by Renew Life). The website now shows FloraMore to contain crustacian shells, so I e-mailed about the Ultimate Flora products and were told they "may" be grown on dairy before it is removed, so its not considered vegan. Previously, they both listed "no animal products".

I checked out the link for jarrow above and found this:
Jarro-Dophilus® + FOS Powder
Contains: Dairy (milk) and soy. (In trace amounts).

So are there any commercially available probiotics that are truly vegan?

[Purple Sage]

I drink kombucha on a regular basis, and I plan to start making my own after we move this summer. I love the stuff.

I've been interested in getting some water kefir grains, too, but I've never tried it so I don't know how good it is. One day I'd like to make my own soy (or other vegan) yogurt, too. In the mean time, kombucha works just fine for me.