What brand do you buy? I found the Bubbie's brand at The Fresh Market. I will be able to go EarthFare and/or Whole Foods the end of July when I go to the doctor.

Jean,

Do you think kefir grains can be bought at a Fresh Market, Whole Foods or EarthFare? Or do they have to be ordered online?

I don't know Judy. I used to buy them online but that was before kefir was so popular. I can't eat dairy any more so I don't know where people usually get them. My guess is keeping them going is not something a large retail establishment would be interested in doing but I don't really know.

Jean

Great responses! Fox News did a piece on Gut Flora today (Sunday), nothing I didn't know already but I've read Brenda Watson's Skinny Gut Diet (and others already mentioned) so I'm vaguely familiar with the topic, but it was good to see some mainstream docs talking about it.

It's all pretty new.

"They" implanted the feces from obese humans into normal-weight lab rats and the lab rats got obese, so from that I think there is something to it.

I've tried Kombucha a couple of times, not a fan, but skinny stepdaughter gave me some that was ginger flavored and I liked that flavor, but it made my stomach feel kind of "off." We eat Bubbie's pickles and Claussen's sauerkraut when we can. Trying to limit dairy so not too much yogurt comes in the house.

I think that as long as we don't eat sugar and all its permutations, processed foods, donuts and etcetera, we will cultivate good gut bacteria. Like skinny stepdaughter says, when you cave in to sugar cravings you are just "feeding the beast within." Kind of makes sense.

There was a brand of kefir that I used to see in supermarkets, maybe 15 years ago? I think it was called Lifeway, they had a plain variety and it was fine.

Have you tried putting your zip code into the local harvest site to see if there's a local dairy near you selling products made from grass-fed cows? I did that a while back and found a small dairy that actually delivered to my home from time to time.

Does anyone know more about what "live cultures" means and how to find out the quality of the probiotics? I know making it yourself is best but I'm lazy about things like that. I do know that some store-bought brands of plain yogurt I've tried, even those labeled "organic," have really upset my stomach and thus I avoid them. Even the plain Greek yogurt I was buying for a while sometimes had this effect. It's hard to know what you're actually getting sometimes, which is why the small dairies are a good option and can probably answer questions about how they make their products.

I have to say though that the prices for the good-quality local stuff is quite high. There's a goat milk yogurt made locally that I really like but it's $4 for a tiny jar. But since I eat it plain usually and don't mix it with other things, I just savor the small portions.

I do love yogurt salad dressing made with an herb blend or tahini and garlic.

Here is a similar story, but it's about selling healthy feces to help sick people. I just read this story a few days ago and couldn't believe this was actually being done.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...ling-your-poop/

I started a jar of sauerkraut this morning. I do have my Mason jar sitting in a bowl. I have read about jars leaking/spilling over, so I appreciate all those who mentioned that.

I'm slightly nervous. I have read so much and yet some say it's perfectly safe as long as your brine covers the cabbage. Then I read where mold is present before you can visibly see it with your eye.

Now I am reading about making my own Kefir. So much of the store bought is filling with sugar. I have a hard time finding kefir without added sugar.

I just wish I knew someone who made their own kefir and I could buy some grains from them and/or at least be able to see kefir in person and make sure I am doing it correctly.

I was reading about homemade kefir at this website, http://www.homemademommy.net/2012/0...fir-grains.html. I kept thinking about Friendship Bread starter and how you have to feed it and basically throw it away or find someone who wants some starter.

I was just in the grocery store looking for it but it wasn't there. I'll keep my eyes open.

Meanwhile, all the other kefirs ranged from 12g to 25g per cup. Eventually I found, and am drinking as I type, Aleppo Original Yogurt Drink. 6g of carbs per cup, 11g fat, 140 calories. It has whole milk and live active probiotic bacteria. Tastes exactly like kefir. I don't know what country it comes from but there is writing on the bottle that looks like Turkish script.

Thanks Whofan. I will look for the Aleppo around here.

The brand of sauerkraut I like is wildbrine. They have several different varieties, my favorite is the garlic & dill. Bubbies is another good brand. I am planning on getting some of their pickles to try.

On the stomach upset some have mentioned, from what I have read and heard on some of the podcasts on this subject, a little upset can be a good sign. It means that your body is kicking out some of the bad bugs and you are feeding your good bugs to enable them to take over your gut. That is one reason I have tried to add things in slowly in small amounts. I started with just small amount of yogurt each morning, then added 1/2 teaspoon of inulin each day. As I got used to that I added 2 tablespoons of sauerkraut to lunch. Now I have started to include an ounce of raw milk cheese to one of my meals. All of those probiotics I am trying to feed by picking good sources of fiber and resistant starches.

My Dh is doing similar, though teasing me that I should go back to school and get a degree in something nutrition or health related as much time and research as I put into this!

I'm loving all the good ideas and input everyone has.

Marieshops, what brand of inulin are you using? I have been using Jarrow's brand for sometime now.

I am not much on the vegetables that are recommended for prebiotics. I like onion and garlic put prefer them cooked. I will eat onion on a hamburger raw, but that is it. I haven't tried a green banana yet but I don't want to eat a whole banana at once. I am afraid by the time I divide it up into thirds, it will have ripened some and I will have lost the prebiotic benefits.

I have bought jicama 2 or 3 times but it has been cooked also. I made friend "apples" with my jicama.

I buy Now Foods organic inulin.

For the green banana, I get the truly flaming green, still in the box under the counter ones I only eat 1/2 of one maybe twice a week. To keep them from getting ripe, put them in the refrigerator. The peel may turn dark but it will temporarily stop it from having the resistant starches turn into sugar.

Different sources give different feedback on how much the fiber breaks down in some of the foods like onion and garlic. Everyone seems to agree that raw is best, but light cooking or sautéing should still supply some good viable fiber. Sweet potatoes, asparagus, beets, and berries are also listed by some doctors as being good sources of prebiotic fiber/rs. I use a mandolin and slice sweet potatoes and beets then bake them with olive oil into chips (my own version of Terra Chips) That seems to work pretty well - skin on and then cooled before eating. Jicama can be done same way.

From the Washington Post (followed your link):
"You can donate blood, plasma, eggs, and sperm. Why not poop? Yes, your feces are perhaps your greatest untapped monetary resource..."

Isn't that a hoot???
Maybe not...

I posted this on Marie's thread but I thought I would put it here too.

I found this great product while at Whole Foods one day.
I was standing and looking at the refrigerator with lots and lots of different pro-biotic products, not having a clue what any of it was.
The clerk came over and offered help so I asked her, if she were buying one, which one is the best. Her reply was this product called Bio-K that is made in Canada. She said that it is supposed to be the best of the best...
So I tried the Strawberry which was really good.
It's like a liquid yoghurt but it says that it isn't fermented.
It completely restored my digestive system that was badly effected by antibiotics.
You can read about it here:
http://www.biokplus.com/en_us/products

Marie, thanks for the baking veg tip. I have been eating everything raw, forgot that I could make chips in oven or dehydrator. And to be trendy, add the Kale Chips Being the easiest, I eat most veggies raw. While Making a huge salad for dinner, also nibble raw jicama sticks, carrots, celery, colorful peppers, with hummus, which also has fiber.

WildBrine is widely available in health stores, and if you have a Trader Joe's, they manufacture TJ's one raw sauerkraut (same square jar, different name on almost the same label). There is a new Earthfare less than a mile from my house that I have ignored; will check out fermented items there, inc. kefir.

EDIT: Dr. P just posted the Five Strains of Bacteria for health. What they are good for, where you find them: http://www.drperlmutter.com/learn/r...e-core-species/

I would appreciate any advise anyone has on making kefir. I have found a source that I can get some kefir grains. I read on a website that I should contact my local Weston Price Foundation for sources. The Weston Price Foundation as a link so you can choose your state, then find the closest local chapter.

I will be picking up my kefir grains Friday and she said I will have kefir ready to consume Saturday.

For those of you who make your own kefir, do you prefer raw milk or is regular pasteurized milk ok? I have read that the kefir grains prefer raw milk, but I don't have a close source for raw milk.