[mamabeard]

first of all, is bio-k plus good stuff, in your opinions? http://www.biokplus.com/homepage.asp...nav_id=365&f=1

second, would i likely be successful in breeding it, using my yogurt maker? would i go about it the same way one makes regular yogurt, but use bio k as a starter? and would i use the same amount as i would making regular yogurt, or could i dilute it a bit in plain yogurt first?

thanks

 

[mamabeard]

the probiotically-somewhat-knowledgable, then?..

 

[cat_astrophe]

It looks like it only has 2 strains of bacteria in it, Lb. acidophilus & Lb. casei. From what I understand, these are commonly cultured, so you wouldn't have a problem with them, but you may want more strains than that in your yogurt.

 

[mamabeard]

hey cat!

on their website they claim that only having two strains is better:

Quote:

Why does Bio-K+ contain only 2 different strains of bacteria? Research shows that when too many different bacteria are combined, they can compete against each other and limit the concentration of the most effective strains. The natural synergy between Lb. acidophilus & Lb. casei is partcularly effective against pathogenic micro-organisms.

a woman at the health food store who seems to be very knowledgable about candida claimed this was the best stuff. but i really have no clue, and with an 8 week old and three year old, don't have much time to research.. that's why i'm asking here!

maybe i'll have to read that big old crazy thread afterall..

 

[cat_astrophe]

That may be better in the supplements, but I think for yogurt you may want to add a few more. Most yogurts have at least 6 strains as far as I know, and I don't even know how many kefir has. Good luck.

 

[DesireeH]

I read somewhere that Natren Healthy trinity was a good one. Its super expensive (32 bucks at our healthstore for 14 capsules.) There was certain strains that are better I guess. Like NAS strain, and Myalth (sp) strain, and LB-51 which the Natren products contain. I am going to try to look for the link to the other thread with the info and brb.

 

[goodpapa]

mamabeard, I LOVE sassy!! It gets me every time!

Rock and roll with your biokplus yogurt as far as I'm concerned.

When I'm starting from the powder (which I had to do recently cause I wasn't keeping my thermometer clean enough)

I culture only two of the 8 containers in my cooker per mix.

I use about 6 tabs and save the rest in the bottle for later.

I culture taste one, and if it's all good I have the second yogurt to take about 2 oz (you can do it with less but I like to give the little buggers a good head start)

and use that to make the next 48 oz (8 x 6oz)

This yogurt will take care of your small intestine.

Now you need some "bifidus" to take care of the large.

The jury on the number of types in one yogurt because they could compete is still out.

I've read quite a few abstracts and studies and have never seen any evidence supporting that assertion.

It may be true, but for now we have to act on less than perfect knowledge.

This probiotic world is , as far as our health is concerned,

The Final Frontier.

Get Cultured!

Ray

 

[mamabeard]

well.. i'm still new to all of this so bare with me..

you are saying that i will be able to tell by tasting if it is adequately cultured? i had my first taste today- quite a bit stronger than i expected. so if it tastes like that i can assume there are a lot of live bacteria in there, and that otherwise it would just taste like plain yogurt?

also, my yogurt maker is a braun i bought at a thrift store. should i buy a thermometer to make sure it's a certain temp (and what would that be?)?

thanks!

 

[mamabeard]

oh, and where can i get some bifidus, and can i add it to the mix? or take it seperately?

(this is all for treatment of candidiasis, if it makes a difference..)

 

[Gale Force]

mamabeard,

I use a freeze-dried yogurt starter by Yogourmet. It is a good question -- what starters or probiotics are good and what are bad. It's possible that a brand may be good but may have been mishandled in shipping or in the store (i.e., wasn't refrigerated when it was supposed to be). Our bodies may also need something a little different. What I did was took my yogurt to my chiropractor who does muscle testing. She tested it on me and it tested well. So I know that for right now, my own yogurt is good for my body.

Another issue is how many generations of yogurt you can get from one batch of starter and still have a good number of bacteria. After a while it can get spent. So my next plan is to take in about a fourth generation yogurt and get that muscle tested. If it doesn't have sufficient bacteria, it won't eat up all the lactose and it won't test well because of the sugar content.

That's actually yet another issue for candida -- you should ferment your yogurt for 24 hours so that the bacteria will eat up all of the lactose. You don't need the extra sugar.

On "how do you know if it worked?" if you have access to a chiropractor who can muscle test it, that's the best thing I can think of. I am not sure that taste is a good measure. I would think conisistency would be a little better of a measure -- does it have the consistency of yogurt? Mine doesn't taste as sour as commercial yogurt and is a little more running until I separate out the whey.

I know that not everyone has access to a chiropractor, but I thought I would mention what I did for anyone who is interested.

Amanda

 

[Gale Force]

mamabeard --

One more thing -- you ask if you should buy a thermometer. I am not familiar with the yogurt maker you have but the ones I have seen require you to heat and then cool the milk before adding the starter and starting the fermentation process. If you have such a yogurt maker, you definitely need a thermometer. You would heat the milk to about 180F and then let it cool to about 75F. I think a double boiler is ideal for heating the milk so I put my milk in a stainless steel bowl and set it in a pot with a few inches of water in the bottom. Your yogurt maker should then keep your yogurt at the proper temperature -- good question -- what is that? (I haven't tested mine LOL but I imagine it's about 75 degrees.)

Amanda

Amanda

 

[goodpapa]

"you are saying that i will be able to tell by tasting if it is adequately cultured? i had my first taste today- quite a bit stronger than i expected. so if it tastes like that i can assume there are a lot of live bacteria in there, and that otherwise it would just taste like plain yogurt?"

It should taste stronger than conventional yogurt, in my opinion far better than conventional, but it should not taste like its carbonated. That's the best description I can come up with to describe yogurt that is contaminated by yeast. It's a VERY sharp taste.

My Donvier instructions say that the first temp is 185-190 degrees F, and the second is 110 to 115 degrees.

I get culture Ethical Nutrients acidophilus and bifidus mix, for my bifidus.

Good luck,

Ray

 

[Gale Force]

Quote:

My Donvier instructions say that the first temp is 185-190 degrees F, and the second is 110 to 115 degrees.

I've seen the 110-115 too and wonder if anyone has any insight. What I saw, and I don't remember where now (perhaps with my yogurt maker), was to cool to 110-115 unless you are culturing for beneficial bacteria in which case you cool to 73-77 degrees. Why there would be two ranges is odd and I don't get it, but I followed the instructions.

 

[mamabeard]

well.. as this was my first tasting (of bio-k), i have nothing to compare it to, but it definately has a sharp taste. sort of like a runny, unsalty sharp cheese. could it be contaminated? and how would it have become so?

thanks for the tips on yogurt making! when you say to ferment it 24 hours,you mean keep it in the yogurt maker, heating, right?

and, i'm not sure what you mean by muscle testing..

 

[Gale Force]

mambeard,

I am not sure what to say in regards to the taste, but on the other issues -- yes, keep it in the yogurt maker for 24 hours. The bacteria will eat up all of the lactose in that time.

Some chiropractors use kineseology in adjusting you and in checking for deficiencies. Perhaps someone will come along with a good explanation of it. But that process is "muscle testing" -- your muscle resistance is a mesure of how your body is responding to some sort of stimulation. In my case, I responded well to the yogurt.

 

[amnesiac]

Erm... well, personally I prefer one with more bacterial strains. My understanding is that the population competition issue is one that happens with storage & not with immediate culturing. The bacteria intentionally used in yogurt making are all beneficial so two different ranges makes no sense to me. I heat my milk until you can see steam rising, let it cool to around 114 & cook at around 110 for about 5 hours. Any longer & I don't like it. It separates & gets too acidic.

This article has an interesting discussion about time & temp:
http://www.engr.umd.edu/~nsw/ench485/lab8.htm

And a general one for people just starting out:
http://muextension.missouri.edu/expl...nut/gh1183.htm

 

[True Blue]

So I think I'm going to jump on this probiotic bandwagon too. It is very intriguing. My question is, if I make the yogurt, can I add flavor to it too without harming the bacteria? I really don't like yogurt. But sometimes if it'ssweet enough it's ok. Otherwise, I mix it up in a smoothie. Is this ok? Also, what about freezing? If I make them into frozen yogurt pops is that bad for the bacteria? I mean the starters are often frozen correct? I don't have time to do all the research on my on own and I know there are some of you out there who know all this stuff really well!!!! Thank you so much!!!

 

[goodpapa]

...cause I don't like plain storebought yogurt at all...

...however both my cultured Ethical Nutrients Acidophilus and Bifidorum, and my Jarrodophilus (cultured separately) are unbelievably delicious.

Only include in the yogurt, during culturing, what is absolutely necessary for the bacteria.

When I make my organic strawberry, banana, mango and papaya smoothie I often mix in some yogurt--- but I do it to cut the sweetness of the smoothie.

Ray

P.S. having lost a culture to inaccurate temperature monitoring from the chip inside my yogurt maker I now culture only as long as necessary for the yogurt to gel-- about 6 hours. I used to culture for 12 +.

I then unplug the machine and let it sit for another 2 hours. The taste is identical-- no sweeter than what I was doing--- but I'll bet I never lose a culture again!

 

[MamaMonica]

I'm trying this at home- from the many conflicting directions on the internet. Here's what I did- boiled the milk- that's what some pages said, some said don't boil. Cooled to 105 degrees- stirred in some commercial yogurt (6 tbsps/ half gallon milk) and have it in my oven which has been turned off- trying to keep it around 110 degrees, not very successfully since its a gas oven.

I'm going to check in in 3-4 hours- hope this works- I don't have a yogurt maker.

 

[MamaMonica]

When I came back in 4 hours, the thermometer in the oven read 50 degrees- but the yogurt was gelled and tasted very good. can you eat this warm? I did- it was yummy- but all the directions say its not ready til its been in the fridge overnight.

Please tell me if I did anything wrong, o probiotic experts!