So, I have a cold, and my mom whipped out this book "The Doctor's Book of Food Remedies". The first food it suggests is yogurt! Specifically the Stonyfield brand because Lactobacillus Reuteri has been added to it. Then it goes on to list various fruits and veggies.

What do you guys think? I looked at the Stonyfield yogurts in the health food section of Fred Myers today just on a whim, The product is Organic Whole Milk French Vanilla.

(I usually shop at a better place but I was just picking up something for my step dad and he's not into organic, I just have to respect his dietary wishes). It lists: Streptococcus Thermophilus; Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifudus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus both on the product and on Stonyfield's webpage. Looking around at their other products on their website all of them refer to these same 6 live cultures.

No mention of the Lactobacillus Reuteri.. Just thought it was interesting. The book appears to have bene published in 2007 so it's not ancient or something, but maybe Stonyfield has changed it's product since then.

In general I've gotten the impression from health conscious vegetarians/vegans that dairy is bad for you. I certainly notice a sense of clear sinuses and my nose runs less. I'm suspicious of this claim, but it makes me wonder how Kefir would compare. I love Kefir, if I wasn't trying to be healthy I'd drink a bottle of kefir a day.

Anyways that's enough outta me.

I don't know if this is all true. But at least one possible area of Stonyfield is I think on "reclaimed" EPA land. (New Hampshire) It makes me concerned. I really don't know why or how they supposedly fixed the environmental issue, or what was wrong in the first place. I have tried Stonyfield since then. Still, no likey.

Kefir would derive similar benefits, don't forget prebiotic fibers also for feeding and stimulating the activity of the gut flora.

Gut flora is thought to be about 80% of the immune system, so it is wise to support the flora especially in times of stress and illness. Or after antibiotic use.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

Agree with powerlifer; any well cultured food would do this. When you're ill especially, it's a good idea to limit foods that are difficult to digest and, apart from their not being vegan, pasteurized dairy products are tough on the body. All dairy, whether you culture it yourself or buy it commercially, is mucus causing, and this is not something disputed even by conventional medicine; casein(and lactose) are known allergens.

I up my kombucha consumption when I'm feeling unwell, and take herbs. I also take a raw veg probiotic every day, at a high dose, to prevent feeling unwell

What raw veg probiotic do you use Tamukha ?

I was a big fan of VLS3 when i used to use probiotics but not sure if it is vegan. Many of these probiotics have lactose.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

Whoops! I'm reading the label of the Vitamin Code for over 50-year-olds that I bought recently and am shocked to see it HAS got some kind of dairy-based probiotic!!! Good thing I'm not vegan!

I could swear that the literature on it from a few years ago stated that it was all from non animal sources. Maybe I'm confusing it with another product . . . Well, I am phasing it out, as I got my Perfect Pickler in the mail this week. Will be buying water kefir grains, I guess[sigh] Back to checking labels regularily

Yeah I thought as much. I got enough mucus as is, I'll go for the veggies and fruit. I love Kombucha though.

Thanks for mentioning prebiotics, interesting info. I'll definitely have to check out Chicory Roots and Jerusalem Artichokes, and Dandelion greens if I can ever find em.

And the Perfect Pickler is interesting too. I used to hate pickles, but am starting to like them now, albeit in small doses. I have a friend who LOVES Kimchi.

Thanks for the responses everybody =).

All dairy is mucus forming. The least harmful is goat milk which is more neutral. A cold is bascially a way for the body to release mucus. I wouldn't suggest eating/drinking dairy if you're trying to overcome a cold.

When I started going raw, I kept getting one cold after another and found that I had to give up ice cream in the heat of the Arizona summer as it was causing me to detox in the form of a cold every time I ate it. So sad to have given up ice cream! Now, though, I do frozen bananas in my high speed blender to make a pseudo-soft serve. It has a similar texture but not the mucus inducing qualities.

To release mucus, I drink hot water poured over fenugreek seeds or freshly squeezed lemon in hot water with a bit of raw honey (not really vegan enough for most) but it cuts through the mucus and relieves the coughing.

Good luck. Therese

adamlogan, this forum is a vegan website, and posts that promote animal products are not allowed on this website. We don't require that people here be vegan, but the posts need to be vegan in nature. I will be deleting this thread soon, but I want you to have a chance to read this first.

powerlifter

tell me more about prebiotics

la_veronique Wrote:
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> powerlifter
>
> tell me more about prebiotics

Hey la_veronique,

Prebiotic fibers are probably the most important element when it comes to the gut flora. Prebiotic fibers are typically non-digestible carbohydrates which stimulate the activity and feed the gut bacteria.

Many focus solely on probiotics when it comes to restoring the gut flora but prebiotics are equally if not more important. You can only repopulate so many strains of gut bacteria with probiotics so feeding and stimulating the activity is a much better idea.

A combination of both is a good idea if you are looking to restore the gut flora and overcome conditions such as candida overgrowth or any other opportunistic pathogen associated with imbalances and lack of gut flora.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

I've had goat's cheese before. It's delicious. (Though I was living in Turkey at the time.) I think it was the only kind of cheese available. Everything over there was delicious. (The west coast.) Can you even get goat's cheese over here?

rawalice, Vegan. Vegan, rawalice!