Posts Tagged ‘probiotics’

Yogurt Review – Zoi Greek Style

Zoi Strawberry Yogurt

The Rise of The Greek Yogurt Empire

Today we’re reviewing Zoi Greek Yogurt.

Greek style yogurt is a yogurt that has been strained to reduce extra moisture. It also has a higher fat content. Those two properties causes it to have consistency similar to a high moisture cheese. I would say it’s half-way between a firm sour cream & a soft cream-cheese. Even that doesn’t quite describe it properly, as the texture is pretty unique.  Basically, it’s thick, it’ll stick to your spoon without sliding off. The texture is much more satisfying than a lot of the goopey mass marketed yogurt you’ll find  on store shelves.

Zoi Yogurt is made by Auburn Dairy Products. It’s a regional brand found in the Pacific Northwest. The packing is simplistic but charming. It advertises itself as having a “Great Taste – Fit For The Gods”. You can get Zoi in the following flavors: Plain, Vanilla, Honey, Strawberry & Blueberry. One of the best things about the fruit flavors is that they have “Fruit on the Bottom”, which I feel lends to use of higher quality ingredients and allows one to mix the fruit in or slowly make their way to the fruity explosion awaiting at the bottom. I initially didn’t even know that there was fruit on the bottom(failed to read the label), there was the essence of fruit flavor throughout the yogurt even before I hit the bottom, so the fruit on the bottom was an extra bonus.

Zoi Yogurt has Vitamin A & D3, as well as live cultures(S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, B. lactis, L. rhamnosus & L. casei). This is a cow’s milk yogurt. As far as I can see it looks as though the ingredients are all natural. One thing that might be concerning is the fat & calorie content. For example the Strawberry flavor contains 5g of fat(3.5 of which are saturated fats) & 200 calories per 6oz cup. I actually don’t think that is a big deal as the cups are very satisfying & can easily take the place of your breakfast or lunch. You are at least getting 7g of protein out of that as well. Also because the texture and flavor is so good, I could easily see someone using it to substitute for something much worse like cheesecake or ice cream without feeling disappointed.

Overall, I really like the product. You can find it at QFC, Haggens, Winco or Top Foods. There is a $1.00 off coupon on their website.

Align Probiotic For Irritable Bowel Syndrome Update

Align Probiotic For Irritable Bowel Syndrome Update

[Buy Align Probiotics from Amazon.com]

This is a follow-up to my post “Align Probiotics Review: First Glance“. I did have some time to try out Align Probiotics and see how they worked out for me. Check out below for a week by week run-down.

Week #1

Week  #1 started out pretty well. I did notice that I was dealing with some aches and fatigue, possibly due to Align clearing out toxins or possibly due to something else entirely(I am known to get sinus infections randomly). Within a few days these aches and pains stopped. I think I did start to see some benefit from Align almost immediately. Improvements such as not having to go to the bathroom as often, bowel movements feeling more complete & perhaps even less gas/cramping. Having the pills labeled by the day of the week was pretty handy to keep on top of taking it. I tried to take it the same time each day.

Week #2

Continued improvement, but maybe not as large a leap as the first week. Things seem pretty stable. Maybe a small amount of constipation this week ,but not too bad. I think Align is probably a bit more gentle due to only having 1 billion colony forming units versus other products promoting having 6 billion or sometimes 20 – 50 billion colony forming units.

Week #3

This is where our story goes a bit south for Align. I started having chronic constipation again and even started getting some mild lower abdominal pain. Mild nausea also, probably from being constipated. This is pretty typical for me when my body has decided to go south on the probiotics. Also during this time I was under some stress, so perhaps this played a part in it as well. So ultimately I do not blame Align probiotics for fouling up, but rather I just have a touchy system.

Week 4

Unfortunately, at this junction I decided to discontinue taking Align probiotics, in hopes of reliving some of the constipation. Also the stress eased up in my life during this time as well.

Conclusion

I do not think that Align is a faulty product and actually it’s been the most successful probiotic I’ve used. I have a very touchy system and have had much less luck with other probiotics.  I definitely think Align probiotics are worth trying, especially if you’re suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

[Buy Align Probiotics from Amazon.com]

Special thanks to Proctor & Gamble for supplying the samples of Align Probiotics.

Align Probiotics Review: First Glance

Align Probiotics Review: First Glance – Buy Align from Amazon.com

Please check out my updated article “Align Probiotic For Irritable Bowel Syndrome Update” for further information on how I did with Align Probiotic.

Recently Proctor & Gamble’s marketing department got in touch with me to take a look at their flagship probiotic, Align. While I haven’t actually started taking Align yet, I’d like to share some of my first thoughts on the product.

I’ve seen Align advertised before & it has received good reviews on places like Amazon.com. I am a little skeptical on mass marketed products that have slick packaging. In some cases the word probiotic is used to attract people to a product that has little digestive benefit. In one case I got some terrible breakfast bars that supposedly had “probiotics” in them, but they were barely a step above sweetened laminated cardboard. I don’t think this is a goal of Align since they are strictly focusing on a probiotic supplement where the cardboard is only in the packaging, not the actual product.

Packaging

As I said above the packaging looks very nice. I received some sample sized versions which have a little fold out flap with information about Align & it even has a nifty 7-day calendar to track your progress. The capsules themselves come in a flat blister pack for 7-days. You can tear each capsule away from the sheet before opening it. Each capsule has a day of the week listed on it. I am not quite sure if this is how the retail 28-day supply is packaged, but I’d imagine it is similar. Additionally Align promotes the use of the AlignGI.com website, which has an online digestive tracker. All these ways to track your progress, I feel are helpful. One of the hard parts about taking probiotics is taking them consistently and at a regular time. Anything that makes it easier to remember to take your probiotic or to really be able to track your progress, I see as a good thing.

Contents

As for what’s in Align, it goes 100% with the B. Infantis 35624 strain of bacteria for it’s probiotics. There are a lot of products that mix it up and go for a bunch of different strains. I am not too worried about only one strain of bacteria being in there, it may even be beneficial to focus on producing a single high quality strain than to put in a mix of different, but lower quality strains. B. Infantis 35624 has been shown in studies to improve Irritable Bowel symptoms.

Align contains 1 Billion Colony Forming Units(CFUs) of B. Infantis 35624, this is considerably lower than other probiotics on the market. Again I don’t mind this so much as I think CFUs are overrated. Really it’s about quality. If you have 20 billion CFUs but they all die before hitting your gut or are contaminated with other things, it’s not going to do you any good. Also a lot of people have problems tolerating high doses of probiotics. Going low & slow may be the best approach.

Another positive is that it would appear Align uses a vegetable based capsule(not geletin), so vegetarians probably shouldn’t have any problems taking this. There is no lactose, gluten or soy in Align either. There is “Milk Protein” listed as an ingredient, but trace amounts are found in other probiotics as well.

Criticisms

One thing that does bug me is the use of Titanium Dioxide & FD&C Blue #1. Perhaps this was something that came out of focus groups or something. I would have preferred no artificial coloring in the product at all. I am sure there’s only a tiny bit in there, but if I am only going to see the capsule for a few seconds before popping it in my mouth, I shouldn’t care if it’s “white” or “off-white”.

Cost & Money-Back Guarantee

Align is some what pricey, especially when you are dealing with only getting 1 billion CFUs per capsule. However, if it does turn out to be higher quality & works for you, then I am sure it’ll be worth the money.

Align is offering a Money-Back Guarantee, which is actually pretty sweet. Try it for one month, if it doesn’t work, take them up on the refund.

Where To Buy

• Buy Align from Amazon.com

• Find a local store.

Follow-Up

Once I’ve got some real world experience with Align, I’ll post back with more information and a link here to the follow-up review.

Disclosure:  I was supplied by Proctor & Gamble with samples of Align. The positive or negative outcome of this review is not based on receiving these samples.

IBS Guide, My Continuing IBS Saga & Interesting News on CFS

New Guide Coming Soon!

Haven’t posted in a bit on this blog. I am currently working on a comprehensive IBS guide that will be easy to navigate and have a whole host of information & links to products that could be helpful. There’s a lot of information out there about IBS and it’s hard to get it all in one place. I am hoping to unveil it soon :).

My Continuing IBS Story!

As far as my IBS story goes, I was tapering on to Nature’s Way Primadophilus probiotics. I was a little leery due to it containing FOS(gassy sugars) . I slowly tapered from 1/8th teaspoon up to a full teaspoon. Things were going okay, until I forgot to close my fridge all the way one night and everything spoiled. Thinking that the probiotics were probably spoiled as well, I got a new container. It would appear that this container may have been a bit fresher than the other container. I got really bad gas & bloating from it. Perhaps I wasn’t getting as many probiotic bacteria into my gut with the old container. I then tried to switch out to FloraSmart, which has 6 million CFUs(2x the amount I was getting on the Primadophilus), thinking perhaps I had worked through the burn-in period with the Primadolphilus. I was hoping wouldn’t have the problems(constipation) I had with FloraSmart in the past. I was wrong. Took a single pill and it clogged me up for a day or two! So right now I am off the probiotic wagon, so to speak.

Hope is not all lost though. There are many different brands of probiotics out there to still try. I am still thinking of trying out Nature’s Way Primadophilus Junior. Yes I keep going for the kiddie brands because they contain less CFUs per serving, so it’s easier to manage dosages. Using the powdered form it was easy to taper using a set of measuring spoons and just moving up to the next spoon each week. The Nature’s Way Primadophilus Junior comes with 1 million CFUs per capsule & no FOS! I’ll update later once I’ve put it through a test run.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome linked to viral infection.

A recent study show as connection between a viral infection &  Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(CFS). CFS is known to cause extreme fatigue, headaches & overall feelings of unwellness. I’ve ready over the symptoms and I can’t quite say I have it. I do feel fatigued quite often nor do I feel very refreshed after sleep. I am not sure if other people have problems with stretching, but usually if I get up and stretch in the morning my muscle ache and I feel extremely fatigued after doing so. Sometimes I feel like I am almost going to faint. So maybe I have mild CFS? I can’t say for sure as I haven’t been diagnosed. Getting a diagnoses for CFS is probably just as hard as getting one for IBS, as many doctors think it’s all in your head. Mainly it’s just nice to see research progressing on an illness like CFS because it has similarities to IBS, what with how it is usually onset after a viral infection and many doctors don’t know how to treat or cure it. Perhaps in time they will find a link / cure for IBS. One can hope!

Probiotic Tips: Help Choosing Probiotics

***If you are dealing with Gastroparesis, please read my post: What is the best probiotic for Gastroparesis?***

Probiotics are healthy bacteria that live in the lower gut and help you digest food as well as stave off infection. If something happens to them your digestive health will more than likely suffer. People with IBS may have an imbalance in their digestive system, the idea goes that correcting this imbalance will result in better health and recovery from IBS symptoms.

The main ways you can lose your healthy bacteria friends is through illness alone or treatment of illness with anti-biotics. There seem to be a lot of people(like me) who suffer from IBS after a digestive ailment/infection, such as food poisoning or stomach flu.

Science has suggested that the appendix is where these bacteria hide when your system is flushing itself out. The bacteria should move back out into the regular gut and repopulate. Perhaps this does not happen with IBS sufferers or other problems prohibit the healthy re-population. Anti-biotics are rather homicidal and will massacre anything(good or bad) in your gut. Thus taking a probiotic may help your system get back to normal faster or hopefully heal your system from years of imbalance.

There are many over the counter probiotics you can purchase. It can be hard to tell which ones are good ones. There was a probiotics report by Consumer Labs which tested the contents of some of the major brands out there. The tests did not cover their efficiency with regards to IBS. Unfortunately you have to sign-up and pay them to review the report, something I have not done, but perhaps I will entertain in the future if my search for the perfect probiotic turns up fruitless.

Helpful jargon:

• CFU: Colony Forming Units. These are the soldiers that go into your lower gut and shack things up. More is not necessarily better, alos the delivery method can be important. You may have 10 billion CFUs, but if they all die from your stomach acid before they hit where it counts then they’re not going to be of much use. This is why many probiotics are in pill form, with an ‘enteric’(isn’t destroyed by acid) or gel coating, or some powders are mixed with FOS(FructoOligoSaccharides)
• FOS: FructoOligoSaccharides. Are sugars that resist digestion in the stomach. Probiotics eat these sugars later on in the gut, it’s suppose to help them flourish. FOS is not digestible though, thus they are similar to artificial sweeteners, like manitol or sorbitol. Since your body doesn’t absorb them, the process is left up to bacteria to chow down. Bacteria release gas as they breakdown the sugars. For some people this may not cause much problem, for others it does.
• Bacteria Strains: Suggested strains are, L. bulgaricus, L. reuteri, L. plantarum, L. casei, B. bifidus, S. salivarius, and S. thermophilus and the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii. For your information, “L.” = Lactobacillus, “B.” =  Bifidobacterium & “S.” = Streptococcus. There have been positive studies with regards also to B. infantis &  L. plantarum. So perhaps look especially for these strains when reviewing product information.

Part of my problems with taking probiotics may stem from lack of discipline. Taking too much too quickly, or trying to top on fiber at the same time. Pushing all that on my system at once may not be the best way to introduce your body to probiotics. I’d suggest for those starting out to look for a brand that has a low CFU count and is perhaps in a powder form so you can measure it out and take a small dose. You can later ramp up on a weekly basis. You could try a probiotic with FOS in it and see how it treats you, if it’s not so great then try switching to an enteric or gel tablet.

As for brands or products to suggest, that is something I’ll be working on. One of the hardest parts is tracking down a suitable product. You also get a lot of smoke and mirrors with fake websites out there to promote certain products, a lot of the health supplement industry is just as shady as big pharma, sometimes even more so. It can be hard to tell if all you’re getting is a snake oil product or if you’re paying too much for something.

Here are some brands I have tried: FloraSmart, Nature’s Way Primadophilus for Children(which has a low CFU & is in powdered form),Primadophilus Junior(low CFU in pill form), Align Digestive Care & Good Belly probiotic fruit drink. Most of them, with the exception of Align Digestive Care of given me constipation, while not helping a whole lot with my Irritable Bowel symptoms.

If you’ve had success(or failure) with a certain product, please leave a comment.