# Probiotics foods from the grocery store cured me!



## krin2 (Apr 25, 2016)

Hi, all:

I had the awful-cramping-pain-before-bowel-movements, just like the rest of you. It was lasting a whole week. I know that's short to some of you. But it kept persisting and it was just too d---- consistent. And I couldn't get a full night's sleep due to the awful pain in the night.

Then in one day, after eating a bunch of different probiotic foods, my problems disappeared! I ate them yesterday, and today (and last night) my problems are gone! Yes, avoiding foods you can't digest might be one way to avoid symptoms. But fixing your gut bacteria so that you can digest them is the cure.

Try combos of unsweetened yogurt/kefir with live cultures, kombucha, miso (do no boil, just add paste to hot water so that you don't kill the microbes), unpasteurized pickles/sauerkraut/kimchee. The good gut bacteria will form a community in your gut to help you digest. Fiber (veggies, lentils) in your diet promotes this community to flourish. Keep your sugar and fat intake low (but not zero; you need some fat, and an occasional dessert is fine). Here's what I ate, and this was just yesterday: kefir, miso soup, Chinese century egg, tofu-ru (a Chinese fermented tofu condiment; the Japanese have natto). Try your own combo from what you can find in your grocery store. I think it's silly and wrong to buy pills.

FYI, I actually took a course on microbial ecology. You do not need only one type of bacterium in your gut to aid digestion: you need a community of different species. And what you eat affects what bacteria are favored. Fiber promotes the good bacteria. Too much fat and sugar harm this community. Sometimes you might eat something contaminated or an antibiotic medication that will wipe out your good gut bacteria, so you have to replenish them by eating probiotics to inoculate your guts again. Interesting factoid: the termite gut bacteria community is special because it can digest wood (in particular cellulose). We looked at them under the microscope, and they are amazingly diverse and beautiful.

Well your guts require their own community to eat the foods you want to eat, and you have to FEED YOUR GUT BACTERIA LIKE TAKING CARE OF PETS. And if you are missing any, then you need to add them back by eating probiotics. Got that?

Sad but true: most doctors never had a course in microbial ecology. They know how antibiotics work, but they don't know how bacterial communities operate.

Good luck! Post if you give it a try and let us know the result.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

I've tried a few fermented foods over the years. Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and beet kvass. Also pickled olives. And I am still looking for solutions.


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## acureisoutthere (Jun 28, 2014)

Hi Krin2,

I think you are on to something......... I read so much, and I read so many articles that talk about the importance of good probiotic foods such as you mentioned. It's really great that you found help this way, KEEP POSTING please.

It's all about the bacteria !


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## celiamhilton (May 10, 2016)

Hi you guys,

So, I am really struggling and need some help/advice. It seems that even when I eat healthy, take probiotics, digestive enzymes, drink lots of water and stay away from "bad foods and drinks", my stomach still reeks havoc.

I am at a point where I literally have lost appetite because every time I eat it hurts ....I am associating eating with pain so I'd rather stay away from it...but that doesn't work either because my body needs fuel.

Does anyone have advice? I have been through colonoscopy, endoscopy, differential panel for crohn's (which was equivalent of IBD) - but I still do not have a diagnosis. I am getting so frustrated 

I am also suffering from a lot of weird inflammation (episcleritis, duodenitis, esophagitis, etc)....

What to do?

Please keep posting about all the great ways you have obtained results because I am looking for anything that might help.


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## acureisoutthere (Jun 28, 2014)

Just some thoughts for you to look into;

1 the FODMAP diet works for some people, or a food elimination diet where you slowly find your trigger foods. For some, they have to eliminate a long list of foods to reduce their problems.

2 I just finished reading Dr Robynne Chutkan's book, "The Microbiome Solution" and recognize she is really quite knowledgeable about dietary interventions. {I disagree with some of her advice on FMTs though, and recognize mistakes}. You should try this book, and learn of her recommendations.

3. Consider eliminating anything you are ingesting that cause harm to your good microbes (basically what is in your GI tract). You could start with discontinuing the use of mouthwash, and eliminating chlorine in your water supply. You could also avoid all sugars, which are feeding your bad bacteria, and also causing tooth decay. When you eliminate those sugars, you may want to think twice about your toothpaste, and just brush with baking soda, or water. Of course you should always floss and brush daily.

4. Are you taking any medications or over the counter products ? Do your research, as these may be harming your ecosystem of bacteria also.

5 Eliminate the processed foods in your diet completely. Many have emulsifiers which are causing inflammation, and are often loaded with sugars, which are also bad.

6. Try to eliminate your exposure to Roundup, or products that may have Roundup in them. A recent research report has found that this product is killing your good, beneficial bacteria, and is thus another obstacle to good gut health.

7. Eat fresh fruits and fresh vegetables, (only the ones that don't cause problems though)

8. Eat good probiotic foods.


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