"Product Contains Probiotics", Really?

Thanks to everyone who read yesterday's post, and re-tweeted the message! I truly think our government is a lost cause when it comes to doing something about the confusion and lack of consistency that surrounds health and wellness. I hope Ellen will see our Tweets and start helping us spread the REAL message. Obviously this is wishful thinking, but it's always worth a try. So much needs to be done, and it won't happen overnight. This is something that will takes YEARS to tackle, but we have to start NOW!


I read an article in Nutrition Action Healthletter the other day, which focused on probiotics. Here is some information I pulled from the article, which I thought you might find interesting.

- When buying a probiotic product, look for the specific strain. Unfortunately most products do not disclose the strain, only the genus and species of the bacteria. If you are looking for more specific health benefits (such as reduction of diarrhea, help for IBS, etc.), the strain must be known, or else the name of the probiotic really means nothing. For example, Lactobacillus (group) acidophilus (species), what's the strain?? Sometimes it takes an e-mail or a phone call to the company. If you are just looking for the general health benefits of probiotics, such as help for lactose intolerance, or restoring a healthy GI tract, the strain may not be necessary.

- Dose matters! Just because a product has probiotics, doesn't mean it's going to be helpful. If the product does not list the amount of probiotics, what's the point of buying it? For clinical benefits it's important to have at least a billion live probiotics, but most products on the market these days don't even have close to that amount. This doesn't mean the probiotics that you are consuming aren't helpful, as they do add up. If you're just looking to re-establish a healthy digestive system, even a million will help (but I'm doubtful that some of these products even have a million!). Remember there is no one in charge of making sure these companies are being honest with these probiotic claims. Nor is there anyone regulating the doses in each product.

- Survival matters! Yogurt and other dairy products are the best way to get probiotics because the milk acts as a buffer and makes the stomach acids less active and less able to destroy the probiotic (yes, your stomach acid will kill the probiotic, unless the company has created a probiotic that can survive your stomach acid, which very few companies have done). Look for companies who have had a THIRD PARTY investigation of the viability of their probiotics (ie: can they handle your GI system? Are they shelf-stable? Have they survived the manufacturing process?). Don't waste your money on products that can not prove viability. Also, be aware that products that sit on the shelf for a long time may be loosing their probiotics, slowly, but surely.


Some of the products of which I'm skeptical are the teas that claim to contain probiotics.. I'm really wondering if they are worth their outstanding price (in my opinion, paying any more than $2 for tea is ridiculous). Many of the teas I see simply list the probiotic, but not the amount, and of course not the strain (to read more about KOMBUCHA tea, check out this article). There is no requirement for the use of the word "probiotic" on a label, so pretty much anyone can use it! The Nutrition Action Healthletter looked at a few products, and here is what they found:

1) Activia: May speed transit time (time it takes for food to be digested, basically) and may help relieve stomach grumbling and gas. However, unlike the claim on the label, it's still not clear whether it can help with occasional irregularity.

2) Yoplait Plus: There is little published evidence that this product helps with, well, anything! I do still think the probiotics in this product are helpful for the general population, but are they any more helpful than the typical yogurt? Probably not, so I wouldn't waste my money.

3) Bigelow Probiotics Tea: Unlikely to do much to aid digestion (such as the claim indicates).

SPEAKING OF TEA..... Coco is having a TEA giveaway! This tea doesn't make any crazy promises, just that it's delicious and fresh. That's all I need in a tea :)

Here is where I get my probiotics; KEFIR! Kefir is a natural source of probiotics, and it's a dairy product so at least I know my stomach acid will be slightly buffered and thus less likely to kill the beneficial probiotics. If I had a more specific condition, which warranted more probiotics, I would look for a respected supplement with the specific strains listed, and THIRD PARTY research to back up all of their claims. The information about probiotics is exhausting, but to learn more, visit USProbiotics.org.

I also get my probiotics from yogurt. Thanks for delivering these yogurts for our 5k race tomorrow, Chobani!

Coming Up

Starting today I'm pretty much busy, busy, busy, 24/7. I have a ton of work to catch up on, a 5k race to tackle in the morning (I'm not running, just organizing the race....), and then a trip to the casino boats down south, for which we are leaving right after tomorrow's morning race. On Sunday I'll (hopefully) be posting a recap of the 5k race. I hope it's a hit!

Thanks for reading everyone, and have a great weekend.

Did You Know... ?

Thanks to everyone who has entered my giveaway! I read everyone's comments last night and it sounds like Chobani needs to start cranking out more blueberry yogurt. I think about 70% of you like the blueberry flavor best. I do too :)

The following is a list of some of the random information I have learned from blogs, magazines, and newspapers this year. I literally wrote these down on a piece of paper so I would never forget them. Sadly I can't give credit to who/what produced this information, but I only wrote down information from sources that I trusted.

DID YOU KNOW...... ??

1) Children laugh 400 x per day, adults 8-10. Today, be sure to LAUGH!

2) Kids are more likely to eat veggies when hungry, so serve them as appetizers so they are more likely to eat them.

3) If you're looking to have better sex, the following foods may help; avocado, saffron, chili pepper, vitamin C and E, asparagus, oysters, chocolate.

4) High stress=Low testosterone. Don't be offended if your partner isn't interested in making love, it may be a sign he is stressed.

5) The probiotics, which are naturally found in yogurt, ferment the lactose in yogurt and create lactic acid, which is why yogurt is good for people with lactose intolerance!



5) Calcium citrate and carbonate are the best absorbed forms of calcium (this is ironic too because calcium carbonate is what is found in my soy milk. Funny, the USDA doesn't count soy milk as milk!).

6) Want to benefit from prebiotics? One source said to try to get 5-7 g/day. You can find prebiotics in so many foods now, as inulin (which companies are calling "fiber" even though it really isn't) is a prebiotic. Prebiotics are found naturally in kefir, artichokes, raw garlic, wheat bran, and raw onion.

7) MAX heart rate=220 minus age. Workout to this, or 85% of this for maximum intensity, and for maximum calories burned.

8) To find out how much fluid you should consume each day divide your weight by 2, and consume that number, in ounces. Obviously this is an estimate. As I said in a previous post, it also depends on your diet and activity level.

9) Polyphenols (found in dark chocolate, tea, berries, etc.) have little antioxidant activity. Their benefits come mainly from their effects on cell signaling processes, which may help prevent diseases such as cancer.



10) Whole grains are fantastic. They have phenols, flavanoids, vitamin E, and fiber. Unlike refined grains, which have very few of these, if any.

11) You need 80 minutes of sleep for a full sleep cycle. This is why "cat naps" sometimes give you such fantastic energy. If you woke up for work in the morning in the middle of a cycle, and only got through 60 minutes of your sleep cycle, a 20 minute "cat nap" will complete the cycle!


12) It takes 30 minutes for caffeine to kick in.

13) Did you know that Jessie is having a Peanut butter giveaway?!

Coming Up

Today I did a presentation at the Columbus Zoo about reading food labels, and tomorrow we have a booth at their annual employee health fair. You should see the fun game we have planned, and the great prizes!! I will post about it on Thursday.

Have a great day everyone, and thanks for reading!