This article is mirrored here because many PCM articles
cite it. Inner Circle members may prefer to rely on the
site recipes in 🥄Microbiome/Probiotics.
Re-post:
Make L. reuteri yogurt
People seem to be having a tough time locating the
Wheat Belly Blog post in which I summarized how we
make the L. reuteri yogurt, so I’m
re-posting it. Remember: It’s NOT about
yogurt; it’s about a means of amplifying the
counts of a specific bacteria that possesses unique
properties. To maximize bacterial counts, the
recipe to make the yogurt therefore includes a
prebiotic fiber and prolonged fermentation, very
different from conventional yogurt. And, no, NONE
of these benefits come from consuming conventional yogurt.
We make the yogurt with two strains of Lactobacillus
reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 and DSM 17938,
based on the detailed studies
conducted at MIT and elsewhere, both experimental
animal and human, that have suggested dramatic effects.
Those effects include:
- Complete shut-down of appetite, an
“anorexigenic” effect, that can be used to
facilitate intermittent fasting or break a weight loss
plateau. This, along with an increase in metabolic rate,
explain why weight loss results.
- Dramatic increase in skin thickness and skin
collagen, along with acceleration of skin
healing, a surrogate for overall youthfulness and
health. I’m a big fan of dietary collagen, such as
those provided by collagen hydrolysates, bone
broths/soups, slow-cooking meats, eating the skin on
chicken and fish, etc. This L. reuteri
strategy amplifies this effect considerably.
- Increased oxytocin–A doubling of
oxytocin blood levels was observed in mice, the effect
responsible for the extravagant skin benefits, reduced
insulin resistance, dramatic increases in testosterone
in males, increased estrogen in females (magnitude
unclear), thicker and more plentiful hair (though
the consistency of this effect is not yet clear).
Other studies have demonstrated substantial weight
loss, especially from visceral fat, increased muscle
mass, and increased bone density (protection from
osteoporosis/osteopenia).
Put all these effects together—caloric
reduction, increased skin health, increased bone
density, fat loss, muscle gain, reduced insulin
resistance, etc.—and you have one of the most
powerful anti-aging, youth-preserving
strategies I have ever come across.
Because the most robust data were generated using
the ATCC PTA 6475 strain of
L. reuteri and, to a lesser extent,
the DSM 17938 strain, I have been confining
my efforts to these strains. Other
L. reuteri strains may mimic these
effects, but we simply don’t know that for certain,
as the studies have not been performed. Strain
specificity can be a crucial factor. After all,
all of us have several strains of
E. coli in our intestines that live
quietly and don’t bother anyone. But, get exposed
to strains of E. coli from
contaminated produce and you develop life-threatening
diarrhea and kidney failure that can be fatal,
especially in children. Same species
(E. coli), different strains—strain
specificity can be a critical factor.
So we start with L. reuteri
ATCC PTA 6475 and DSM 17938
provided by the Swedish company, BioGaia, who has
locked these species up with patents. Their product
is called Gastrus. (Just Google “BioGaia
Gastrus” to find a retailer.) Problem:
There are only 100 million CFUs (live
organisms) of each strain per tablet. I have
not observed any substantial health benefits by
ingesting the tablets.
So I have been amplifying bacterial counts by
making yogurt. The counts are further increased
by performing fermentation in the presence of prebiotic
fibers. Just as ingesting prebiotic fibers increases
bacterial counts in your intestines, so it goes in
making yogurt, as well. It also yields a thicker,
richer end-product. (I don’t know why
EVERY commercial yogurt maker doesn’t adopt
this practice, as the results are so much
superior both in bacterial counts and in
taste/texture.)
The yogurt is thick, delicious, and contains a marked
increase in bacterial counts. (We are in the process
of performing formal counts). Given the extraordinary
thickness of the end-product, it is likely that trillions
of CFUs are present, sufficient to convert the
soupy liquid of your starting milk, half-and-half,
cream, coconut milk or other starter to rich, thick
yogurt, sometimes thick enough to stand up on a
plate. People who consume ½ cup
per day of this preparation (mixed with blueberries,
strawberries, etc.) are reporting the effects listed
above. And this yogurt is so much richer
and better tasting than products you buy in
grocery stores.
There are probably many ways to make this yogurt
and yield the bacterial counts you desire. But
this is how I do it:
1 quart of organic half-and-half (or cream, whole
milk, canned coconut milk, goat’s milk/cream, sheep’s milk/cream)
2 tablespoons inulin or unmodified potato
starch or other prebiotic
10 tablets of BioGaia Gastrus, crushed
The probiotic tablets can be crushed using a mortar
and pestle or other hard object (clean stone, bottom
of a thick drinking glass, rolling pin, etc.). Don’t
worry: The end-product should have little remaining
sugar or starch, as it is fermented to lactic acid.
(If in doubt, just let it ferment a few more hours.)
Just as the cucumbers you grow in your garden were
fertilized with cow manure but ripe cucumbers contain
no cow manure, so the final fermented yogurt product
should contain little to no sugar or starch.
(Coconut milk is tougher to work with. If you use
coconut milk, you will need to add sugar,
e.g., one tablespoon, to the prebiotic or use more
sugar in place of the prebiotic, as there is no
lactose to ferment in coconut milk. You will also
need to preheat the coconut milk in a saucepan to
180 degrees F; add 3 tablespoons
powdered gelatin and stir until dissolved; cool to
100 degrees F, then use a stick blender
for 30-40 seconds to emulsify the oil; add
crushed tablets or two tablespoons of a prior batch.)
IC members, see current
non-dairy
yogurt base recipe.
In large glass/ceramic bowl, combine 2 tablespoons
of liquid with the inulin or other prebiotic and the
crushed probiotic tablets (or two tablespoons of
yogurt from a prior batch). We start by making a
slurry, as inulin or potato starch will form hard
clumps if added to the entire volume. Mix thoroughly
by hand and make sure the prebiotic is dissolved.
Then add the remaining liquid and stir.
Maintain the mixture at 100 degrees F
for 36 hours. This can be accomplished with a
yogurt maker, Instant Pot, sous
vide device, rice cooker, or any other device
that allows maintaining a continual temperature in
this range. I use my oven: Turn onto any temperature,
e.g., 300 degrees, for about 60-90 seconds,
just until a desert-hot temperature is reached. Turn
off the oven; repeat every 4-6 hours—not precise,
but it works fine when using dairy for fermentation.
I also used a yogurt maker and sous vide with good
results. Of all your choices, the sous vide is the
easiest and most foolproof. (Some other devices have
too high a temperature setting that kills
L. reuteri that is not as heat tolerant
as some other microbes used to ferment yogurt.) The
prolonged fermentation is not how conventional
commercial yogurt is made, typically fermented for
only a few hours, yielding low bacterial counts and
plenty of residual lactose and intact casein. The
fermentation methods I use involve
1) addition of the prebiotic
fiber to enhance bacterial counts, and
2) prolonged fermentation that likewise
yields greater bacterial counts while exhausting most
of the lactose that is converted to lactic acid that,
in turn, denatures (breads down) much of the casein
beta A1 protein.
The first batch tends to be a bit thinner with curdles,
but subsequent batches tend to be thicker and smoother.
To make subsequent batches, reserve a few tablespoons
from the prior batch and use in place of crushed
tablets, since your yogurt should contain plentiful
microbes. Optionally, strain your yogurt through
cheesecloth to remove the whey and create Greek-style
yogurt, or simply pour off the whey.
We then consume ½ cup per day. I have
mine with fresh or frozen blueberries and a squirt of
stevia. The end-result should be thick and delicious,
better than anything store-bought.
If you give it a try, be sure to come back and report
your experience. If you are encountering difficulty,
see this troubleshooting
guide.