by Linda Ray

Leah McGrath, corporate dietitian for Ingles Markets, says probiotics occur naturally in foods like yogurt.Unsavory as it may be to ponder, our bodies are filled with bacteria. Between three and four pounds of it to be exact, says certified clinical nutritionist Liz Lipski, author of Digestive Wellness and owner of Innovative Healing in Asheville. “It’s a symbiotic relationship,” she says. The human body needs healthy bacteria, or probiotics, to function, and probiotics come naturally from many food sources, like miso, sauerkraut, soy and yogurt. But in the modern era, when people are treated regularly with antibiotics and eat too many overly processed foods, the delicate bacteria balance that leads to a healthy digestive and immune system is off—sometimes way off—prompting a new slew of products that intentionally replace missing bacteria. 

If it’s missing, adding bacteria back into the body can be a tricky business. According to Farra Lomasney, Greenlife Grocery’s assistant manager of supplements and body care, most human bodies have more than 200 strains of probiotic bacteria. Some products with probiotics may add back only one strain of bacteria, but “it’s better than nothing,” Lomasney says. Health-conscious shoppers are (literally) eating it up, embracing whole-heartedly new products like Kashi’s Vive, a “probiotic digestive wellness cereal,” and Kraft’s LiveActive cheese. Leah McGrath, corporate dietitian for Ingles Markets, says watch for more of these products to come on the market, especially in the dairy aisle. Below, we asked three local experts for their takes on three popular products with added probiotics.

Dannon Activia yogurt

Liz Lipski, author of Digestive Wellness: Other yogurts with live cultures are better since they have more strains of bacteria.

Leah McGrath, corporate dietitian for Ingles Markets: This added bacteria mainly helps with regularity and, as it says on the label, you have to use it for 14 days to see any improvement. It could cause gas or bloating if you don’t really need it.

Farra Lomasney, assistant manager of supplements and body care, Greenlife Grocery: It doesn’t give you optimal health. It’s only got one bacteria in it that promotes regularity in the large intestine. It’s a great marketing tool, though.

Kashi Vive cereal

Liz: It’s highly processed with quite a bit of sugar. It’s not bad, though, because it has a very high fiber content with some whole grains. It’s pretty good as cereals go, but I wouldn’t recommend it because of all the processing.  

Leah: This product is intriguing because it doesn’t say how long you have to use it to notice any difference. It just says it helps achieve digestive balance. The 12 grams of fiber will help even if there weren’t any added bacteria.

Farra: All in all, it’s a good cereal because it uses a shelf-stable probiotic. It could be good for preventing intestinal infections.

Kraft Live Active cheese

Liz: All naturally made cheese has plenty of probiotics, but heavy processing removes them, which is why they add them back in. Like the Kashi cereal, Kraft does not list the amount of probiotics in each serving. This is a high-fat product, but in moderation, it’s okay. 

Leah: There isn’t much difference in fat or calories from regular cheese, and it doesn’t taste any different. It says it helps promote regularity in 14 days, but you normally would avoid cheese if you were constipated.

Farra: It can help to promote regularity like the yogurt, but again, you can’t rely on that for your overall health.

General digestive wellness tips

Liz: Take a probiotic supplement whenever you take antibiotics, which kill good bacteria along with the bad. Get a prescription or buy a good over-the-counter product. Avoid stress, chew your food slowly, get enough exercise and sleep, and don’t abuse alcohol.  

Leah: If your overall diet is not healthy, these products won’t help you. Even the companies that make them are saying you won’t see the benefit unless they are used in conjunction with a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

Farra: In a perfect world, everyone would take probiotic supplements because we can’t get them all through our processed food. The one I recommend is Dr. Ohhira’s Essential Formulas.