Are you managing your microbiome?

I like a kefir 'smoothie - with a banana and frozen raspberries in - very tasty and you can add porridge oats to fill you up if you like - its a good breakfast on hot days.

It's also really good as a hair tonic.

I like the idea of a kefir smoothie. I could add some spinach and banana. Thanks.

Liz46 I think, if you're taking strong antibiotics, they will cancel out any potential benefits from drinking kefir or eating other 'live' fermented foods. The friendly gut bacteria in those foods are as susceptible to antibiotics as are the pathogenic ones. Every time we take a course of antibiotics, it does our gut flora a lot of harm. It's probably impossible to build up the good bacteria until you finish the course of antibiotics. Then you need to eat plenty of fibre in the form of leafy greens (some raw) and pulses e.g. chick peas, beans and lentils. The raw veg have naturally occurring lactobacilli (the good guys) so go easy on the washing! I don't wash the cabbage I use to make sauerkraut. I just remove any damaged outer leaves.

Anyone fancying giving kefir a try, make sure it's not been pasteurised. There's no benefit to your gut if the friendly bacteria are dead! It's easy to make your own and it'll be live. Lakeland are doing a milk kefir kit lately but you can buy the milk or water kefir grains on Amazon. Lakeland also sell this book:
Fermented Foods for Vitality and Health by Dunja Gulin

My horrid tip [i hate it!] for sugar is not to have any. It's the only way I can get it to work - if I don't have any for some reason my body doesn't crave it [after the hellish first few days which are definitely the worst]

Sometimes I do have a treat but know that if I succumb to temptation then I know I just have to go through this withdrawal stage yet again so its easier just to avoid it all. I try and find other sugar and carb free treats like mascarpone cheese - which is the same as cream to me - and cheese - and fruit.

If I can't resist then I try and have the smallest portion - despite all this and running 2 miles a day I'm still a size 14 - oh the days when I could eat a whole bag of doughnuts and never put on an ounce!

I just read an article about Paul McKenna's method for cutting out sugar. It involves imagining yourself eating your favourite sweet things mixed with some food you hate. You have to conjure up the taste and smell of the hated food with the taste of the sweet food. The example given was chocolate cake mixed with cabbage but I really like cabbage so I'd probably try to imagine crab, cockles, mussels, oysters or other foods that look and smell disgusting to me. You do this every time you're tempted. I suppose you could just imagine your favourite sweet things were heaving with maggots or such.

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Here's the Lakeland book. Other books on fermented foods are available!

With apologies for not having read the entire thread, acidophilus capsules from Holland and Barrett have made a huge difference to the gut of DH and myself. Taking them is combined with cutting wheat to very little and giving up cakes and biscuits.

I've taken cider vinegar and used fermented products like sauerkraut and preserved lemons for some time and I do think my lack of digestive problems is attributable to these things. However, that doesn't mean one has no problems with ageing.....

Thanks lizzypopbottle. I think you are right. I am on my eighth month of strong antibiotics and have at least another ten months to go. I look forward to finishing them and getting rid of the side effects.

Caprylic acid is recommended to kill off the bad bacteria in the gut.

Thanks Pam for your advice about caprylic acid - I have just googled it and found out that, amongst other things, it is in full fat cows milk, which I use, so I am pleased about that!