Are there any probiotics in Switzerland? I mean the stuff that comes as a refrigerated powder or tablets, and that gives you a big mixed dose of beneficial bacteria e.g.
I tried Muller Reformhaus and the only product that they had was a non-refrigerated tablet. I'm not sure what that was, I always think of these products as needing refrigeration to keep the bacteria ticking over. Maybe that's not correct, and they can come in unrefrigerated form?
p.s. Not quite 'Food & Drink' but I thought closely related to food.
Thanks, Easy. I hadn't been thinking about the drinks and yogurts. My German is still poor and I didn't get to the ingredient list - what's actually in this one apart from the bacteria?
Migros has products containing these friendly bacteria - bifidus yougurts, cheese and even butter!! Yes, and also those little drinks with lactobacillus - as long as you don't have a lactose intolerance, that is!
Just look for the ones with the least % of sugar.
I'm not exactly sure what's in the capsules apart from the bacteria (haven't had any for a while)
but you could Google it. The capsule itself will probably be gelatine-based.
More or less - although products like the one that I listed as an example would give you 8-12 different types of bacteria, not just acidodophilus. These products are always refrigerated in the US - maybe some of the extra types of bacteria are more sensitive. I might email New Chapter to ask about it.
I do eat live yogurt, but a probiotic supplement gives you a concentrated more varied dose of healthy bacteria at a lower price.
Yes you hit the nail on the head - whenever you buy these products, you have to read the ingredient list to see what's in there. The basic supplement is the easiest approach...
Thanks for posting this, I have been wondering about this myself for a while since they are so big in the US and I have not found it here yet.
I need them for me and for our toddler, the powder form is so practical and I do not like the little expensive drinks do not have enough different kinds of the good bugs. I wonder if it is not better just having it sent from the US or looking for it in Germany or France?
In Czech I can buy dried probiotics, in loose powder or in tablets, the best ones are the brewery ones (byproduct of the beer fermentation, really healthy, 30tbs for 1.5Chf, called Pangamin BIFI Plus), I think I will just stock up on those for now..I think my hubby will go for the "real" beer deal, haha
I think shipping from the US won't work - the product would be unrefrigerated for maybe a week. These bacteria aren't going to die as soon as they sit outside a fridge, but multiple days of heat or cold might leave you with nothing. It does seem odd that probiotics are not available as a basic supplement in Switzerland. There's hard-core science out there to back up the idea that healthy internal flora = healthy person
I contacted New Chapter (they are a respectable name in the US for nutritional supplements, including probiotics). They told me that shipping their probiotics to Europe works fine. The die-off rate of the bacteria is about 3% per month at normal temperatures, versus 1% per month when refrigerated. So a week or so in transit isn't going to significantly degrade the probiotic.
@MusicChick - I also received a private message with a recommendation for iHerb.com for online probiotics, in case you need the pointer. (Thanks again to the EF-er who sent that). They'll ship on ice-packs, if you want to gain an extra couple of days of low temperature at the start of the delivery, but it seems unnecessary.
Thanks for the valuable info! I will definitely order them, I will rotate them with our beer fermentation thingies, I think it will be a good combo. Cheers to all the good, life saving bugs!
I just made a sauerkraut soup for lunch, I feel bad for cooking the hell out of it, but I fear our 2yr old would have none of the fresh, living cultures..At least she eats youghurts.
Those ready made drinks have very little in them. Cant you get them in capsules from a health food store or pharmacy? I wonder what might happen importing live bacteria by post... I'm sure that is a no no in an agricultural country.
For those interested, I ordered from iHerb.com at the weekend and received my order today. Good service, and providing access to a few things that I did not find locally in addition to the probiotic. Another thank you from me to the person who PM-ed me about iHerb.
That is an avatar with a difference. About the local pharmacy tablets, this goes back to the original question. US probiotic products (maybe Canadian too?) are generally refrigerated, but Swiss ones aren't. I don't know what the difference is. I'm planning to investigate, but it was easiest right now to stick with the devil I know.
Hey there... I am a big fan of Dr. Mercola. He always has great health information in his newsletters. There was an article & video I received recently about probiotics and your post reminded it of me... here's the link Enjoy...