I have a question about making my own yogurt. Has anyone tried using VSL#3 as a starter? Would it work?
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Making yogurt with VSL#3
- Thread starter Searchingforhealth
- Start date
Cat-a-Tonic
Super Moderator
Hi Searchingforhealth, I've moved your post to its own thread. This way you should get some more answers and it won't get lost in the other thread. 
I don't know the answer to that one but i would doubt it.
I would recommend culturing your own kefir as you get a much greater number of a much wider variety of bacteria and it is super easy (much easier than yougurt) [1]
One thing to be aware of is that once bacteria have been cultured multiple times in a lab they loose their "adhesiveness", so they may do well to sooth the intestine as they pass through but do NOT recolonise the intestine with beneficial bacteria.[2]
[1]Kefir: the not-quite-Paleo superfood
https://chriskresser.com/kefir-the-not-quite-paleo-superfood
"Kefir has more strains of beneficial bacteria and good yeasts; over 50 in homemade kefir, while yogurt only has 7 to 10."
http://www.culturedfoodlife.com/yogurt-versus-kefir-which-is-better/
"Kefir, however, typically contains three times the amount of probiotic cultures than yogurt. To make kefir, milk is fermented with a mixture of 10 to 20 different types of probiotic bacteria and yeasts; most yogurts are made using only a few. Liberté organic kefir, for instance, delivers 40 billion probiotic organisms per half cup, while most probiotic yogurts contain roughly one billion per serving."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life...ence-between-yogurt-and-kefir/article7904569/
[2]"The beneficial bacteria found in yogurt help keep the digestive tract clean and provide food for the friendly bacteria found in a healthy gut. They pass through the digestive tract and are called "transient bacteria."
The bacteria in kefir, on the other hand, can actually colonize the intestinal tract. Kefir also contains a lot larger range of bacteria, as well as yeasts. So while yogurt may contain a handful of different strains of bacteria, kefir may contain many more than that."
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/difference-between-yogurt-kefir
I would recommend culturing your own kefir as you get a much greater number of a much wider variety of bacteria and it is super easy (much easier than yougurt) [1]
One thing to be aware of is that once bacteria have been cultured multiple times in a lab they loose their "adhesiveness", so they may do well to sooth the intestine as they pass through but do NOT recolonise the intestine with beneficial bacteria.[2]
[1]Kefir: the not-quite-Paleo superfood
https://chriskresser.com/kefir-the-not-quite-paleo-superfood
"Kefir has more strains of beneficial bacteria and good yeasts; over 50 in homemade kefir, while yogurt only has 7 to 10."
http://www.culturedfoodlife.com/yogurt-versus-kefir-which-is-better/
"Kefir, however, typically contains three times the amount of probiotic cultures than yogurt. To make kefir, milk is fermented with a mixture of 10 to 20 different types of probiotic bacteria and yeasts; most yogurts are made using only a few. Liberté organic kefir, for instance, delivers 40 billion probiotic organisms per half cup, while most probiotic yogurts contain roughly one billion per serving."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life...ence-between-yogurt-and-kefir/article7904569/
[2]"The beneficial bacteria found in yogurt help keep the digestive tract clean and provide food for the friendly bacteria found in a healthy gut. They pass through the digestive tract and are called "transient bacteria."
The bacteria in kefir, on the other hand, can actually colonize the intestinal tract. Kefir also contains a lot larger range of bacteria, as well as yeasts. So while yogurt may contain a handful of different strains of bacteria, kefir may contain many more than that."
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/difference-between-yogurt-kefir