Why I WILL Have Fermented Foods on My Blog – Probiotic Experiment Update
This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. Learn more in our disclosure.
So, it’s been 10 days since I last wrote about probiotics and fermented foods.
I’ve started my experiment by taking more heavy-duty probiotics, and I’m here to give you an update on how my gut and fermented foods are getting along.
Keep reading to get all the juicy details :).
Enter your email and I'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get healthy living updates too.
My Experiment with Fast Tract–Liquid Fermented Food Probiotic
At the end of Why I Don’t Have Fermented Foods on My Blog, I told you that I was ordering more of the heavy duty liquid probiotics, Fast Tract. I was still feeling a little timid about taking 1 whole bottle per week, so I ended up ordering just two bottles.
I decided to try a gradual step up in taking the Fast Tract to make sure I wasn’t overwhelming my system, and to hopefully avert intense die off, if that was, in fact, what I was experiencing.
Keep in mind, that the recommended daily dose for Fast Tract is 2 Tablespoons, and Czerral (the maker of Fast Tract and InLiven) recommended that I take 1 bottle each week for a total of 4 weeks. That equates to 8.5 Tablespoons per day. Wow–that’s more than 1/2 a cup. Yikes!
Here’s the play-by-play on how it’s going.
Step One – Waiting
When I wrote my post, I only had one bottle of Fast Tract. I was taking a tad than the recommended daily dosage (2 tablespoons) every other day, alternating with a daily dose (1 heaping teaspoon) of Miessence’s Powdered Superfood Probiotic, InLiven.
I held pretty steady at those dosages and felt pretty much the same as I did at the end of my post.
Except that my ears weren’t itching when I took the Fast Tract or the InLiven anymore. And overall, the itching was pretty minor.
When the ear itching was bad, it was sometimes on and off, but happened almost every day. Some days it was almost constant and for some long stretches it would itch all day, and the insides of my ears were continually peeling.
On the Fast Tract / InLiven daily dose regimen, I now had minimal symptoms.
Step Two – Gradual Increase
The Fast Tract arrived on 5/20. Here is what has been happening since:
5/21 – 3 Tablespoons of Fast Tract
- Lots of gas and a very “gurgly” stomach.
- Itching ears immediately after taking Fast Tract.
- Not hungry pretty much all day after breakfast. My appetite has been an issue on and off for the past few months, but this day I felt notably “full” all day.
- Loose stools
5/22 – 4 Tablespoons of Fast Tract
- Lots and lots of gas and much more intense “gurgling.” To the point that I feared it might keep me up at night, but it didn’t. I do take supplements to sleep, some of which I’ve listed in Natural Sleep Helps. There are more I’ve found, but that’s an item for another post :).
- Nauseous and greatly fatigued in the afternoon. I suspected detox so I took some Liver Support (listed in my Store soon) and zeolite. The nausea and fatigue went away quickly so it appears to be detox for sure. Zeolite is in my Store and there’s more on this post about Metal Toxicity.
- Not hungry all day.
- Loose stools again.
- Almost no itching in ears.
5/23 – 5 Tablespoons of Fast Tract
- Itching ears in AM and some at night as well. Some peeling in both ears.
- Some feminine itching.
- Fatigue and nausea in the afternoon that again was resolved by Liver Support and zeolite.
5/24 – 6 Tablespoons of Fast Tract (really getting up there)
- Small amount of ear itching after taking but almost none since then.
- Heavy fatigue in the afternoon, alleviated by detox supplements.
- Constipation. (Not bad constipation, but I think I prefer loose stools. Sigh.)
So that’s where I am as of today. Feeling full but amazed that I am able to handle this much fermented food.
My ears feel better and I am pretty convinced that what I am experiencing is die off.
This is all pretty fascinating to me.
I am going to keep stepping the dosage up ’til I reach the 8.5 Tablespoons and then I will take that every day for a total of 4 bottles (which means I guess I will end up buying one extra bottle to get the full daily dosage into myself over a 4 week period.)
Conclusion
Thus far, it still seems to me that I am having to die off and that I am not allergic to fermented foods, as I had thought for so long.
So–Czerral was right. Now, what this means for me and candida and the future, I don’t know yet, but I am more hopeful than ever that this is the next big step in my healing.
I’ll give you another update this coming week in addition to letting you know how my family is going on InLiven since I decided to put them all on it to see what their results would be.
Here are the other 2 parts to this series:
Why I Don’t Have Fermented Foods on My Blog – Part One
Why I Don’t Have Fermented Foods on My Blog – Part Two
Probiotic Teleseminar
Remember I mentioned in my last post on fermented foods and probiotics that I’ve arranged for a teleseminar interview and Q&A with Czerral, the maker of InLiven (fermented superfood probiotic) and Fast Tract (liquid super-strength probiotic).
It will take place on Thursday, May 30 (that’s next Thursday), at 9pm EST.
Update – you can still listen to the recording here.
I will interview him for a bit and then we will open up the phone lines for you to ask Czerral your questions about probiotics and gut health.
What an opportunity!
Even if you can’t make the live teleseminar, make sure you still sign up because you will get a recording of the entire call.
It’s going to be chock-full of great information, like:
- What probiotics are
- What types of probiotics work best
- Why we need probiotics–or does everyone need them really?
- Do you really get what you pay for with probiotics?
- Do bacteria counts matter?
- and more
After the call, there will be a great giveaway with two winners.
One will win a tub of InLiven, and another will win a bottle of Fast Tract.
Miessence was generous enough to offer these gifts to my great readers.
If you’d like to check these products out ahead of time, here is a link to InLiven and here is one to Fast Tract. Now before you click over there, I know they are expensive. But first of all, health is crucial. My practitioner says that she considers spending on health products to be like “paying the rent” for living.
I’m really starting to loosen up about spending for health as I am learning more about what is working and what isn’t.
And Miessence gives you plenty of ways to save money on products–from 20-40%. I signed up as a rep to get my products at a discount because I never pay retail if there’s an ethical way around it :). (The links in this post are to my Miessence store.) And with Miessence, I love their products, their focus on organics, and their practice of sustainability.
Plus–they aren’t pushy like most direct sales businesses.
I really hope you all will join me on the call. I’m learning so much and it is a blessing to share it with all of you.
Oh–when you sign up, you will be doing so on Lacey Swartz’s website, KV Organics. Lacey has become a dear friend and she has been with Miessence for a long time. She will be joining us on the call and will be handling the bulk of registrations and the teleseminar back office work because she knows I am just swamped right now. Thanks, Lacey!
See you all in the next post when I’ll give you an update and tell you more about how my family is doing.
Come and read The Straight Poop About Probiotics and Find Out What Happened Next!
Will You Be Joining Me On the Call?
So I was wondering about the itchiness you experienced. When I was a teenager I went to tanning beds. After tanning a few times, I would experience a terrible itchiness over my entire body. Do you think that is like a die off also? Or is that do to the damage done to your skin from the lights and tanning? Just wondering.
Sorry for the delay – trying to catch up here. I am not sure. I had some itching after tanning but I didn’t know why. I did just read this on a different site:
I would like to recommend to you the Lady Soma Candida Cleanse because I wish I had been taking this years ago! It would have saved me from my annoying little health issues. In addition to helping regulate the “approaching menopause hormones going crazy” yeast infections, the Lady Soma Candida Cleanse makes you super regular, and also, for me, have eliminated all pain from ovarian cysts. I’ve been taking these for 6 months and have no idea how it works, but it does!! Symptom free for 6 months ~ that’s unheard of for me!
Interesting. Thanks!
Were you eating a clean diet over the 6 months? Thanks!
Hello there-
I just found your blog and was hoping that you could answer a few questions for me. I had my 5th baby 8 months ago, and since having her, I have had a few different things happen. My thyroid has gone a little crazy (has been up and down with last 3 pregnancies), and I just realized went to a homeopathic doctor that helped me figure out I have candida. I was really interested in why ferment foods were causing so much gas, bloating and gurgling. She said for me to do the candida protocol for a while until it starts to die off, then add the fermented things back.
So, I was just researching and came across your blog about the fermented foods, and thought your story seemed pretty similar.
Are you of the opinion that everyone needs the probiotic foods in their diet, and I should just load up on them to get through the die off?
Would love your opinion, thanks
Amanda
This is a very murky topic. I was thinking that was the way to go, and it really seemed to help, but now I am off fermented foods for the time being. So I think it could be different for different people and different situations. Perhaps it’s both and. Of course, I can’t medically advise.
Hi there!!!! I saw that you experienced severe afternoon fatigue when trying to replenish your gut flora. The same thing happens to me, to a debilitating extent. Did the Liver support take it away enough for you to function?
I think I used the Liver Support and the zeolite together. And occasionally a supplement called Yin Chiao, but primarily the first two. I did feel they helped and I still use them today regularly.
Which Liver Support supplement was this you are talking about and Adrienne i’m assuming you are referencing the zeolite in your store? I am headed to my local healthfood store after work and was curious.
Thanks,
Josh
It’s in my store as well. I don’t think they typically have it in the stores. I just put a link in the post.
The Extreme Health USA? If I placed an order right now, how long do you think it would take you to get it to GA? 🙂 Just curious
Yes, that is it. I can try to ship tomorrow – it will depend if you get 1st class or priority of course. I am in MI.
Hi Adrienne,
Regarding the Zeolite, have you ever tried bentonite clay to remove toxins and reduce symptoms? If so, how would you compare it to Zeolite?
I really appreciate all of your hard work!
Debby
I started using that when I was working on candida. I didn’t have the same results. I am open to using it again but the effects of the zeolite were pretty unmistakeable. Thanks!
Great article! Glad you stuck with it.
After the first page, I was like – obviously her body WANTS this – that it kept pushing you again and again till it won out! It’s the herxing that’s so rough, especially with candida!!!! So, so, so many give up right away, and never look into any further. I’m hoping all those people find this blog! There are a lot of ways to help ease the die-off symptoms – I’m sure you’ve posted about that somewhere. I’m new here, so just diving in. DRINK LOTS OF WATER for sure! Should always be done in combination with a bowel flush!
Yeast (when it takes over) is a lot more like a parasite (animal/predator). I think most folks think of it like a species of plant. The stuff is highly intelligent, and puts up the most insane battle! It migrates as soon as it senses any sort of treatment, and will hide out in the weirdest places…burying itself deeply into your body. Moving into the head is one of its safest places. It bombards you with illness, as you know…so you cease and desist immediately.
For most people I’d suggest low and slow (w/ homemade ferments)- till you win out – building up an inhospitable environment. It takes a lot of gumption to go full-tilt, but some just get so damn tired of it – they have to go in (big) guns blazing!!! It’s the route I usually take. I’d rather suffer through a couple weeks of hell, than months (if not years) of pussy-footing. 😛 I’m so VERY proud of you!!! And stellar work on the blog!!!!
Thanks!
Hi. I was wondering how it was going with the fast tract and other probiotic for you. I just received both in the mail yesterday. Also, had it helped upping the dosages each day? Thank you for the great posts.
HI Melanie. I ended up feeling my gut was much healthier and my family continues to do better with it. Upping the doses was a personal thing that Czerral (the maker) recommended for me due to my supposed “massive problem” in my gut. He does recommended upping it when you are dealing w/ worse dysbiosis. For me, I am dealing with a confusing issue right now so I am taking a short break from fermented foods while I try to sort it out, but my family continues to use it every day. I’m hoping to be back on it soon. Thanks!
Hi Adrienne,
I came across your site while researching yeast allergies. I wanted to know how your progress was coming with fermented foods. I keep trying to reintroduce ACV, kefir water, kombucha etc., but the apparent allergic reactions are bad. I totally “zone out” immediately upon consuming them and feel like they mess with my brain. They always set off a cold and sinus headaches as well. I have never had a known yeast infection anywhere on my body. I am also lactose intolerant, but have no issues with gluten. I find it hard to believe that I could be any “yeastier” than the female friends of mind who actually DO get yeast infections, but DON’T have allergies! Interestingly, I can have this reaction from bread and foods where the yeast is DEAD, but the proteins are present. I would love to hear your input on this! As a side note, my 6 year old son drank some kefir water after not having some for a few months and got a stuffy nose! I don’t know how yeasty he can be?!
I’ve heard of tons of people having this reaction to yeasted breads so I suspect it’s a problem.
Hi again,
Have you ever used anti-fungals along with the probiotics, or have you felt the results were sufficient with just Fast Tract and InLivin?
I have used it on occasion but I didn’t while I was doing the heavy duty use of Fast Tract.
Hi Adrienne,
Did you stick to the candida diet while you were using the InLiven and Fast Tract? I did the yeast diet for several month. It was tough. I’m thinking of doing it again, but am wondering if it’s a necessity with the use of the Miessence products.
Thank you!
Yes, I did. I am pretty careful all the time. Not every single day but most days.
It’s not a must b/c of the Miessence products, but it is simply a way to get candida under control :).
Agreed. Once you’ve experienced the nightmare of candida, die off, etc, one doesn’t or shouldn’t fall too far off the path. It changes the way we life in general. I’ve never felt so good as when I follow candida diet guidelines. Boy is it hard around the holidays though….or those times you want cocktails. Thank you for your response.
Hi Adrienne,
I’ve read your three articles on fermented food and Candida. My face was breaking out but it had a burnt feeling and look and was really dry. I got a blood test done at my chiropractors and it came back that I was highly sensitive to yeast and gluten (along with tuna fish). My question is…In your opinion is it possible for me to have Candida since I have a yeast sensitivity? How did you first get diagnosed (self, or otherwise)? I’m just wondering if Fast Tract would benefit me, but I’m scared it would cause my face to break out again and I don’t want that b/c it hurt so bad, on the other hand, my face has cleared up but is still REALLY dry.
Just wanted to know your thoughts.
Thanks for your time,
Jessica
Hi Jessica. I am, first of all, not a dr. So I can’t give medical advice. I am assuming you got the IgG test done- correct? I have mixed feelings about that test and what it actually shows, but I could be completely wrong. I took a candida evaluation on Whole Approach’s website and that’s how I really finally knew that I had candida. You didn’t mention why your face has cleared up so I am confused about that. As for the Fast Tract, I thought I was super sensitive to fermented foods (people who have candida are told sometimes that their body reacts to fermentation b/c of their sensitivity to yeast from the abundance of candida in their systems), but it turns out that it wasn’t the case. The maker of InLiven and Fast Tract thinks that really our body needs these foods and that we are basically giving out bodies predigested foods. So it’s of course a chance you could react, I suppose, but sometimes, as well, you get a little worse before you get better. At least that is my experience. Again, I can’t recommend what you do, but I am glad I finally tried this. I still have a lot of work to do but I have more interesting things to tell you all about Fast Tract that I hope to write about this next week. Take care.
Can you give us an update? I am getting serious side effects from adding fermented foods to my diet just 4 days ago, so would like to know if taking lots over longer period has improved your health? I keep thinking i am allergic to fermented food/ lactobasilli or the yeast that are byproducts… Thanks, T
I just put the link in at the bottom of the post – sorry about that !
I recently had my intestinal bacteria tested using a stool sample and it shows a crazy amount of candida (it rates dysbiosis on a scale of 1 to 14, I’m at 13). However he also tested my gut and it is intact, no allergies or intolerances. For that I credit Diatomaceous Earth because I did have huge issues before taking that. The doctor says the candida needs to be sorted out in stages. In the first stage, he has also told me no fermented foods. I’m taking an anti-fungal (nystatin) and a herbal liver support to help the detox. He doesn’t do probiotics until the next stage. I’m in Europe so have different products available to me, but will also be using a probiotic in the next phase that’s a liquid and is built to survive the stomach acids.
I found your post from Pennywise Platter Thursdays!
I think it’s great the way you are introducing cultured foods. You must have done a lot of research. I am still reading the comments here to learn more about others experiences because it’s important to know when trying to help others (or self one day, I hope not).
I wrote a book that includes introducing probiotic foods, I may have to revise a little just to give a little more precautions in case candida is out of control. It seems so far that some benefit while others like yourself are having a hard time with it. I personally have problems when I don’t include probiotics, so I add my homemade whey to my morning smoothies. I have found that works best for me.
Thanks for posting your experience! I love reading real stories from real people like you 🙂
I’m bummed, the InLiven has several forms of gluten in it. I’m highly allergic to gluten. 🙁
The foods in InLiven are predigested so some people with gluten issues can handle it. We can talk about that on the call if you would like. Let me know. Fast Tract has none. My son is off gluten (no celiac though) and I let him have it.
That would be great if you could ask him about that. I won’t be able to make the live call but I signed up for the recording.
I also wonder if using probiotics could heal the gut to the point where a person with several food allergies would be able to eventually tolerate certain foods again… like gluten or dairy.
I think it is totally possible and I have read about it. I don’t know what has caused it in my son, but he appears to have lost his sesame allergy over the past year or so and now can tolerate some butter. We have been cleaning up his gut all along but it hasn’t been easy.
Fascinating! When my doctor had me tested, he said my gut is practically sterile – no overgrowth of yeast or other ickies, but almost NOTHING, period. I don’t even understand how that’s possible. (And I eat yogurt and drink raw milk regularly, too.)
That’s very odd. Maybe you can ask Czerral if he knows anything about that? I would think in the absence of good bacteria the bad would take over????
Cool! I really look forward to hearing how you do on this. It is a super expensive supplement…so I may wait to get it myself. I suspect candida for my family too. I have a bottle of the chinese supplement from Theresa Vernon but haven’t started it yet…. You tried that, right? Unfortuanately, I can’t do the seminar– I have a class at that time.
It is pricey but in this case I feel it is worth it. I have spent sooo much money and am thankful now I know I can tolerate fermented foods and I think the candida effects are going away. I do have the Chinese supplement but am not sure how that is working — and I have a lot of it. Sigh. Please sign up for the seminar anyway. You will get an email of the recording plus you can enter the giveaway :).
I’m so happy to hear this for you! And also very encouraged for myself, as I have some last bits of hanger-onner 🙂 symptoms after years of tremendous healing from similar issues as yours. Can’t wait to hear more when you’re done with the process! Thanks for sharing with us all.
I would like to know more about your itchy ears. The inside of my right ear started itching several months ago. It was maddening and I could not stop scratching inside or pushing and rubbing the outside. My left ear itched occasionally but not to the same extent. I went to a walk-in clinic; the doctor said that my ears were plugged with wax and he syringed them. I walked home with a cold wind blowing in my right ear. It continued to itch.
I went to my family doctor who said that the skin in my ear was dry; she gave me a cream. It continued to itch. I was thinking of using coconut oil when I had to go out of town. I stayed at my brother’s. It was only after I got home and started scratching again that I realized it hadn’t itched for the 3 days I was away. Now I am not sure what to think.
Weird. What changed at your brother’s? Anything?
My youngest daughter could not tolerate fermented foods either and I realized the reason was an overgrowth of candida. Adding coconut oil, which is anti-fungal, to her diet helped a lot with this. It caused less symptoms. I increased the coconut oil a little at a time and then added small amounts of powdered probiotic. I also discovered copper overload is linked with candida, so I started working on that with her too. A good book on copper toxicity is Ann Louise Gittleman’s book, “Why Am I So Tired”. Glad to see your post.
More on copper coming soon :). Thanks!
I have’nt even read the blog….but…i want to say..i have been brewing my own Kombucha and sauerkraut and experimenting with femented foods…I HAD, had, a yeast infection, i started drinking my kombucha daily and my yeast infection was gone within days of drinking the kombucha. AS I WAS drinking it your blog came into my email…”Why i DON’T have fermented foods on my blog”…….well, i am loving my kombucha and my sauerkraut….omg….it is so good, i was craving it….apparently i needed it….(BTW i add sliced organic Ginger and tumeric and whole garlic cloves)….now you are adding it to your blog….i believe living food is a healer…so keep on….i encourage everyone to try it….
That “Fast Tract” just looks like VERY expensive water kefir (with a bit of S. boulardii) !!
And that “InLiven” claims to have “sporogenes”. Might want to read about that: https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/the-lactobacillus-sporogenes-hoax/
Pat
Hi Pat. Sorry it took me awhile to respond to your comment. I had to do a little digging to get more info. First, I will share what I think personally and then I will add the response of Czerral, the maker of InLiven and Fast Tract.
Regarding your first statement, I looked up the supposed bacterial content of water kefir and it was quite different from the Fast Tract, so I am not sure why you said that. Of course, I have a lot to learn about this so please do share what your thoughts were. I do know that experientially many folks drink quite a bit of water kefir and wouldn’t dare down that much Fast Tract. For me, taking just 2 Tbsp of the FT sent my intestines into a frenzy and I can only imagine what would happen if I drank a full glass of the Fast Tract.
Here is Czerral’s response about the kefir and Fast Tract issue:
He appears to be talking about milk kefir and so I asked him about water kefir. He did say that his product is tested to show optimal levels of the desired bacteria. Sorry, but I don’t have more info on that right now but I will see what else I can find out.
I would love to hear your thoughts on why you think the Fast Tract is just like kefir so please let me know your thoughts.
Thanks!