Hi, I hear what you’re saying re the big picture,. After I’ve done the Stage One R&R, then the re-introductions, I plan to eat a more varied wholefoods diet. (I’ve interviewed Michael Mosley for a story on the science, and will be interviewing him next month re my experiences on this Clever Guts diet.) But I feel like I need to really get my head round what I can and can’t have while doing the Stage One ‘R&R’. I can’t slavishly follow the Meal Plans as I’m vegetarian (I have been managing to eat salmon, though), and I don’t always have time to cook a separate meal (my husband and son aren’t keen on my recipes) so often make something from the allowed ingredients. Also the Clever Guts recipe book has some ambiguities. For the stage one R&R, can you please clarify whether I can have black tea (or black tea with almond milk)? If I tolerate soy milk, is coffee allowed? Also in your post you say I can have beans/ lentils, but the recipe book says to exclude these during Stage One. The Stage One recipe for “Poor Man’s anchovies” (roasted potatoes) makes me think perhaps I can have some hot chips (fries)? Also, if you “slip up” during R&R by eating foods not allowed during this stage, do you need to start from scratch?
Thanks,
Sarah

If this was the case then all who follow a gluten free diet should be fine. I have 3 Coeliacs in my family and all have been on a gluten free diet for over 20 years and all still have gut issues.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27117007
Scientific paper on the beneficial effects of HIIT for the micro biome

Without viewing the full report its not possible to express a view! Things are almost always more complex than they seem especially when you consider the sheer complexity of the microbiome!

Hi Vibka – that’s not what the science says. Perlmutter may have a general point and he’s probably right ON AVERAGE but very few people are average. That’s why we’ve ended up with a type2 diabetes epidemic- giving everyone standardised advice (based on flawed science). Don’t believe me? Read this!
https://www.daytwo.com/blog/what-bread-is-healthier-white-whole-wheat/

Hi Graham,
If you read the book “Grain Brain” by Dr. David Perlmutter, you would know that all grain that contains gluten will cause your pancreas to produce more insulin. That book is much cheaper than microbiome testing. It’s fine for people who have enough spare cash to do such a test, but I don’t think it is really necessary to test the microbiome. But that’s only my experience. 🙂

I understand to boost my akkermansia muciniphila intermittent fasting
But it also says to use acacia fibre twice a day for my prebiotic and colostrum powder and collagen powder as a gut healing supplement

I can’t vouch for SMART DNA, but I can vouch for the testing (if properly done) – but it needs someone skilled in interpreting. Bear in mind that there is no set qualification or quality control for “naturopaths” – albeit I’m certain some are superb while others? Not so much.. But this betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the Microbiome. Its almost always counter-intuitive and varies by individual. For example, having gone to Israel and having subscribed to the DAYTWO app, I now know that artisanal rye bread, which I adore and which I believed to be a healthy option, is an absolute “no no” for me – it spikes insulin. How would anyone know that without the microbiome analysis?

Based on what? Can you explain what tests you had done and why they gave you this advice? (I have my doubts to be honest)

I recently got my gut testing and was told I should be taking these supplements can some one give any feedback if it’s a good idea or not
Pure 100% Hydrolysed Grass Fed Beef Gelatin Collagen
Organic Prebiotic Acacia Fibre
Pure 100% Colostrum Powder
Any information would be greatful

I’ve recently been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and chosen the naturopathic route as a starting point for recovery. For years I’ve been putting whole linseeds in smoothies. My naturopath tells me that because the seeds are extremely hard & pointed they can cause problems in the gut lining. They may be OK if ground and cooked in recipes. She recommends chia because the seeds are round and soften up well when mixed with fluids. It’s a full-time job looking after yourself 🙂

Hi Debbie,
I went with SMART DNA, but they referred me to a naturopath for an initial consultation and then she prescribed the microbiome test. Once the result came back we had another consultation and she then told me, that the microbiome test confirmed what I had told her. So the microbiome test wasn’t really necessary and I could have saved a lot of money. Since then I have consulted with Diedre at Naturally Dynamic Health in Albury (https://www.naturallydynamichealth.com/), who stated that the microbiome tests are not very reliable yet and that a good naturopath can help you balancing your microbiome without a test. So perhaps you might find someone in your area and save yourself a lot of money.
Cheers,
Vibka

Firefox7275 thank you so much for that. I will take you up on that and report back.

DebbieThompson68: You might select a service based on the recommendation of a medical professional (registered dietician/ gastroenterologist/ GP or pharmacist up on the research) OR on the company’s partners (Major university? Teaching hospital?) OR the founders’ credentials (experts Prof Tim Spector + Dr Jeff Leach + Prof Rob Knight = American + British Gut Projects).

Higher cost may indicate a better quality or more personalised interpretation, considering *your* medical history. BUT do remember that this field is new and research is ongoing. Analysis is not a shortcut or alternative to your detailed food and symptom diary (p.187 + p.266-267) and advice of the aforementioned medical professionals.

HTH!

Hi you can now preorder the kits from microba- they should be sent in June this year. It seems that although they are expensive at $419 Microba Insight™ is the only test in Australia that gives you the whole picture. While other services use 16S rRNA testing, which only sequences a small part of a single bacterial gene, Microba uses metagenomics, which sequences all the genes from the microorganisms in your sample. Its hard to compare like with likewith all the other testts available and $419 is a lot of money- a lot more than other tests. Any thoughts?
thanks

Hi I went to the nutripath website and typed in CDSA5 test and no results. I looked at all the test available for gut health and there were over 20 – how do I know which one to choose. Thanks for your help. Debbie

Kefir can quite radically effect your microbiome. If there is a clear cause-and-effect then you have your answer. Options are: reduce the quantity of Kefir you drink and build up slowly; stop completely and see how well you do with other fermented foods; and/or order some INULIN powder and see if that solves the problem. Good luck! Graham

1) Get a really thorough and comprehensive microbiome analysis; 2) Ask your gastroenterologist about Faecal Matter Transfer. Good luck! Graham

Hi There
It depends! The basic testing (cheap but limited info) is British Gut (try googling). You get a limited report and not much interpretation. There are several players in the market – and you get what you pay for to some extent. In my experience, whichever service you opt for you will still need someone to interpret the results and make suggestions. Are you happy to invest £200-£400 in which case there’s lots out there. There’s no need to physically attend a clinic. The sampling kit is posted to you and you post it back. Thereafter support can be by email, phone and Skype/FaceTime! Lots of options. Hope that helps. Graham

Also follow Dr Jason Fung and Prof Tim Spector on Social media!

Try googling GLADSKIN. I recommend it a lot and get some very good results – and yes there’s evidence!

Hi Pen
I agree with everything Firefox has written. In addition there is only one (to be best of my knowledge) pro-biotic licensed for pouchitis- namely #VSL3. Its not cheap to purchase but is IS GP -prescribable for this specific indication (but its very much at the discretion of your GP. I’ve reviewed the evidence for #VSL3 in pouchitis and if it were me, I’d give it a go. In your circumstances I’d definitely consider a full microbiome analysis and I’d also follow Prof Ailsa Hart on social media.

Have you completed the detailed food and symptom diary (p.187 + 266-267)? Ideally for two to four weeks since you have identified multiple possible culprits. Everything you eat or drink, with measured quantities and full product name/ brand such that the ingredients list can easily be checked. Analyse this yourself, or use to request a GP referral to a registered dietician or blood/ urine/ stool tests.

Whilst it certainly is possible you have developed a sensitivity to one or more components of your diet – for example certain fungi/ yeasts or gluten – do keep an open mind. There are other ways alcohol intake above recommended daily or weekly limits affects our health even after we stop. Liver function (get tested), overweight/ obesity (inflammatory), poor diet choices (sugary or fatty or processed), undernutrition/ nutrient insufficiencies and so on. The alcohol itself and/ or the regular upset stomachs and/ or any medication taken for gastritis can affect the gut lining and gut microbiome.

Things to consider in the analysis …

Is your current diet properly balanced and very varied/ do you consistently meet or exceed *all* your country’s diet and lifestyle recommendations?

Do you react to components of suspect foods (eg. raisins, bread flour, commercial yeast)? All alcoholic drinks or only ones made from grains or grapes?

Do you react only to DIY or live/ unfiltered fermented foods OR to heat treated/ filtered mass/ pasteurised mass-produced fermented foods?

If you are past the diary stage do note Dr Mosley and co “don’t recommend removing too many foods at one time, so it might be helpful to do R&R in several stages (p.190).

HTH!

Hi all. Just wondering if anybody has any experience with a sensitivity to certain fermented foods?

I used to drink quite a bit, over the past 7 or 8 years or so I noticed my hangovers getting worse and taking longer to recover from, at first I just figured it was an inevitability of getting older and I should either suck it up or cut back (or both!). I paired down my consumption over time with no improvement, even a single drink could make me feel lousy the following day.

Once I stopped drinking altogether I realised other foods also make me feel lousy, notably white wine vinegar (even in very small amounts in cooking and on salads). I seem to be able to eat pickles/sauerkraut, kefir, cheese etc without issue, but recently fell foul of kvas (ever so slightly fermented bread crusts/raisins but barely alcoholic) and bread made with sourdough starter that had developed an alcoholic/acetone funk.

Symptoms are headache/sinus pressure, fatigue, tickly cough, upset stomach – usually takes several hours for symptoms to come on, at their worst 24-36 hours later and can linger for days). GPs have no idea (stop drinking was about the most helpful advice I got!), Dr Google comes up with very little (although ‘leaky gut’ sounds like a potential culprit), most people chuckle and make a joke about hangovers when I mention it!

It would be interesting to know if anyone has heard of this kind of sensitivity, but I’ve just read the Clever Guts book so will I will see if the change in diet to helps (omitting the stuff I know I can’t have). We’ll see!

Many nuts and some seeds are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which are potentially inflammatory. So, if possible, slowly work towards a balance and variety of mineral and fibre rich foods (beans/ lentils/ wholegrains/ cocoa).

Omega-6s need to be counterbalanced with sufficient anti inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, especially the usable long chain format (oily fish/ eggs from seed fed hens). Oily fish and organic, free range eggs are our only dietary sources of vitamin D, which is key in normal immune function.

Chronic inflammation has been implicated in numerous health conditions, including autoimmune diseases. So a nutrient dense, anti inflammatory wholefood diet should work synergistically with your medical treatment. But again do consult a healthcare professional about any changes.

HTH!

In the past there likely would not have been as much distinction between traditional pickling processes and traditional fermenting processes. Both would have discouraged potentially harmful microbes, and permitted potentially beneficial ones. Similarly in the past all cheeses would have been made from organic and unpasteurised milk, and would have been ‘live’ when eaten.

In general fresh (or fresh frozen) bright and dark coloured vegetables have health benefits because of their fibre, vitamin, mineral and antioxidant content. The bright and dark colour is an indicator of antioxidant content.

Vegetables which have been processed or preserved may be equally or less (or occasionally more) beneficial, depending upon the individual veg and the method of processing or preserving.

Some pickled or preserved vegetables will have been processed (inc. long cooking) such that the nutrients have been reduced or lost, and some will have enough salt and sugar added to mean that a sensible serving size is tiny.

For safety’s sake I would encourage you to use recipes that are traditional and natural, AND are backed by someone with a solid background in microbiology, food technology or suchlike. Unfortunately randomly excluding some steps or some ingredients may render the end product unsafe.

Clever Guts and other balanced wholefood diets suggest that many Westerners need to substantially increase the variety of individual foods and food combinations (=meals). Breakfast especially: most of us eat wheat and/ or cows dairy and/ or refined sugar *every morning*. The more frequently we eat one food item the less frequently we eat the numerous alternatives.

Yet some nationalities have spicy rice and/ or insects and/ or seafood and/ or vegetables. Savoury not sweet!

It may take time to acclimatise to a truly varied diet, but we have the *rest of our lives* to work on being healthier. My sibling and I were raised on homegrown/ homecooked food but somehow left home skinny and picky! I was forced into lifestyle change by health problems, my sibling by their longed-for and long-awaited first child.

Just keep experimenting, keep an open mind, keep working towards a nutrient dense, very varied, balanced wholefood diet. Keep on keeping on.

HTH!

Getting down to the specifics of your questions …

Being hungry may suggest your current eating plan is not properly balanced and very varied. Ideally have a different breakfast, lunchtime and evening meal each day. If you have whole oats (steel cut or jumbo not processed ‘porridge’) have some raw soaked and some slow cooked. Have other breakfasts based upon seeds and nuts, or on other gluten-free grains and beans/ lentils, or experiment more with eggs, oily fish, other seafood, fermented goats or sheeps dairy products. These all supply protein plus fats and/ or fibres all of which slow digestion and keep us fuller for longer.

Coconut: some forms are sweetened or refined, others whole so count towards your daily/ weekly (20-30 varieties p.191) intake of vegetables and fruits. In the UK dessicated, block creamed or toasted chips are usually whole, unsweetened coconut.

Dark chocolate: in the UK this covers everything from 50-100% cocoa and 0-40% sugar or equivalent sweetener. Cocoa powder is loaded with minerals (esp. magnesium), fibre, antioxidants (make it bitter) and healthy fats. But added sugar and sweeteners should be minimised (p.188). So how much dark chocolate you have depends on the product.

Apples and pears with skin: have a wide variety of produce, mainly vegetables (p.191) and the full rainbow (p.119-122). So ideally have low sugar fruits (berry mixes) limiting tree and tropical fruits. Half an apple or pear coated in lemon juice should not brown in the refrigerator.

*to be continued, my smartphone hates long posts!*

I think you may be overly focussed on individual foodstuffs and not ‘seeing the bigger picture’. Clever Guts is a nutrient dense, *very varied*, balanced *wholefood* diet. Alongside these core principles the analysis of your unique detailed food and symptom diary should guide your unique journey to healthier, happier guts.

Clever Guts is not prescriptive/ one-size-fits-all/ restrictive/ very rigid like many short term ‘detox’ or weight loss diets. Done right CG should fit, broadly, with the healthy eating and healthy lifestyle guidelines of your country. These cover serving sizes and frequency, maximums and minimums, encourage *balance and variety* with and between food groups and food types.

It is great you are not slavishly following the example meal planners. But do take from them the huge variety of individual food items and of food combinations (=meals). Also that the reduction in starchy carbohydrates is balanced by an increase in healthy fats and complete proteins and prebiotic fibres. This maintains energy (=calories}, helps us stay fuller for longer and helps keep us regular (supports gut microbiome).

*to be continued, my smartphone hates long posts!*

Hello,
I am new, I started the fast programme this week. I thoroughly enjoyed Dr Mosley’s Clever Guts Diet book and love the recipes in the 8-week blood sugar book.

I would like to start pickling vegetables. Please can anyone tell me whether they are as good for me as the fermented recipes, and or whether they are generally meant to be a healthy option?

Thanks
Wendy

Thanks a lot. In the Repair stage, can I have coconut and dark chocolate and if so how much? (I’m in the normal weight range but would like to lose a few kilos.) Also is black tea allowed (with, say, almond milk) or am I best to stick to herbal? And is an apple or pear a day ok or is, say, half of one the limit? And how much hummus is allowed? I don’t think porridge causes me gut problems so I’m having that for most breakfasts as I’m not that partial to egg/fish first thing. Is it normal when you’re used to snacking to be extremely hungry between stage 1 meals?
Thanks
Sarah

Thank you Firefox! I just realised I’d said prebiotics in my post rather than probiotics..

I do eat loads of nuts and seeds although legume wise I mainly go down the chickpea route.

I will look at the references in your post. I think for me maybe the probiotic has been a bit too much too soon!

Which food types or food groups you avoid or limit in phase one depends, in part, on the analysis of your detailed food and symptom diary (maintained for *at least* a week, some of us need longer). Note that Dr Mosley and co. “don’t recommend removing too many foods at one time, so it might be helpful to do R&R in several stages.” (p.190)

Fruit: avoid sugary varieties (tropical), include low sugar varieties (berry mixes), limit prebiotic rich, moderate sugar varieties (apples/ pears with skin).

Oats do not contain gluten, but rather a structurally similar protein. Many with coeliac disease (true allergy to gluten) tolerate oats well. Whether you include oats depends on your food diary.

Fermented soya products: whether you include these depends on your food diary. If you have been overemphasising soya products, or suspect they cause gut problems for you, remove and reintroduce them.

Fibrous/ cruciferous vegetables: how they are cooked, how thoroughly they are chewed and serving size can all affect how well they are tolerated.

Here in the UK the recommended serving size for fresh fruit and vegetables – inc. beans and lentils – is 80g. This is a HUGE pile of salad leaves, half an apple or banana, a few florets of cauli or broccoli. When reintroducing suspect foods do start with a quarter or half serving and work up slowly.

Non dairy yoghurt abd cheeses: these tend to be highly processed and/ or contain sugar or sweeteners so limit these. If your food diary suggests you have no issue with probiotic rich dairy products (live yoghurt/ kefir/ traditional cheeses) you may decide to keep them
in, or switch from cows milk cheeses to sheep and goats milk cheeses.

HTH.

Hi I’ve done my week’s food diary and am now on Day 2 of the Removal and Repair stage (aka Phase 1). There are a few foods that I’m not sure whether I can have or not in Phase 1, as the book says to avoid them, but they’re in recipes as “suitable for stage 1”. I suspect they might be foods you can have occasionally? These are fermented soy products like tofu and tempeh, rolled oats (given they contain gluten), and cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, and non-dairy yogurts (e.g. coconut yoghurt). Also I can’t see anywhere whether I can have black tea? (though it wouldn’t be the same without milk). Also can you please recommend some non-dairy cheeses suitable for Stage 1? Plus are you limiting fruit at all?
Thanks!
Sarah

You may find the threads entitled ‘Has the Link Between the Gut & the Skin Been Investigated?’ (Newbies forum) and ‘Long Term Lymecycline Use for Acne’ (Welcome forum) useful.

There are different forms of rosacea with different underlying causes; triggers and severity vary from person to person. What all sucessful treatments have in common is reducing underlying irritation/ inflammation. Diet and lifestyle are highly relevant here.

The first step for your wife is the detailed food and symptom diary (p.187 + p.266-267). Consider potential trigger foods, drinks or situations (see lists on the National Rosacea Society website), intake of pro inflammatory foods (sugars, refined or processed carbs, omega-6 rich fats) and anti inflammatory foods (oily fish, brightly coloured low sugar fruits & non starchy veggies, some seeds).

Any supplement regime should be tailored to the individual, considering their medical history, diet and lifestyle choices. This means consulting the family doctor, a registered dietician, dermatologist or pharmacist.

HTH!

Have you read Dr Mosley’s book ‘The Fast Diet’? I have only dipped in, but the section entitled ‘The future of fasting’ (p.162-164) may interest you. You might also search PubMed, Google Scholar and other reputable medical websites for the impact of weight loss surgery on health, including that of the gut microbiome.

The longer and/ or more frequent the fast the greater the risk that the body receives insufficient overall calories, proteins, essential fats, fibres, vitamins or minerals to maintain healthy organs and other tissues. There is fine line between strict fasting and starving: the less we eat the more important it is that meals are nutrient dense and balanced, and that the diet is medically supervised.

HTH!

There is a thread in the Newbies forum entitled ‘Mosley’s View on Lectins’ that you may find helpful. Search the PubMed and Google Scholar websites for abstracts (and some full texts) of relevant published studies.

If neither Dr Gundry’s book nor his website are properly referenced I would not bother reading them. The eating plan backed by the largest body of research and the majority of healthcare professionals is arguably the Mediterranean diet: this emphasises a wide variety of plant foods.

Welcome.

The starting point is your detailed food and symptom diary with serving sizes (p.187 + p.266-267). Use this to assess the *balance and variety* of your diet and lifestyle, comparing to official recommendations and those of Clever Guts.

For prebiotics and essential minerals ensure you are eating a wide variety of seeds/ nuts/ beans/ lentils/ wholegrains/ cocoa as well as a rainbow of vegetables. For complete protein and essential fats ensure you are eating a wide variety of oily fish/ other seafood/ organic eggs/ traditional cheeses/ seeds again. Limit white poultry such as chicken breast which is shockingly low in micronutrients (see Self Nutrition Data website).

Make changes to your diet and supplement regime slowly one at a time, with the agreement of your family doctor, specialist, dietician or pharmacist (p.187-188).

HTH!

Hello All, this is my first post, so a little about myself.

I am 52, female and seem to be a bit inclined towards auto immune diseases. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2001 and had a total colectomy and ileo anal pouch formation in 2004. I am currently under investigation/ steroid treatment for Polymyalgia Rheumatica.

My diet is and has always been very good, I am a great lover of home cooking and loads of veg, with mainly poultry as my protein source. I have, however, become overweight since my colectomy. This was started by 4 years of very high doses of prednisolone and then in fairness probably by the perimenopause, but in truth I really do not think my diet and lifestyle are reflected by my bmi! I have had my thyroid hormones investigated and they are normal.

I wondered whether my biome could have been affected by my illness and need re-balancing and have taken lots of advice from this website. This has included starting on a prebiotic with 50 billion cfu daily. Unfortunately, this has not been well received by my pouch and has caused a very mild pouchitis, which stops when I stop taking the prebiotics. Has anyone had a similar experience or have any advice to offer? Should I start on a lower CFU? I do know that VSL#3 is prescribed for pouchitis, which has even more CFUs, but less species of bacteria than the prebiotic I am using. Maybe I should just persevere?

I would be really grateful for some advice!

This topic seems to come up very often – perhaps it could join the FAQ mods?

Having read the book I did this search myself. For Aussies, the options seem to be:
– the ubiquitous US-based http://www.iherb.com sells seaweed/kelp supplements with varying reviews
– Dr Windberg (mentioned in the book) has products here https://www.phycohealth.com/phycofood
– Tasmanian bull kelp is available here http://taskelp.com/
– Golden (or sometimes called brown) kelp from Southern NSW available here http://www.seahealthproducts.com.au/

Knowing the ‘right’ kind of seaweed to buy seems more challenging to find out, though there’s this Flinders uni study (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464616300718 – you can find the full paper at Flinders web site) pointing to Ecklonia radiata gut biome benefits, and that’s the seaweed in Seahealth Products (which I purchased and am consuming).

I have read all Dr.Mosley’s books, and Clare Bailey’s recipe book, and gradually changed my diet completely. It’s been a happy process full of the discoveries of lovely foods and recipes. Then I came across Dr.Gundry’s book ‘The Plant Paradox’ and it has left me very confused. Is there research to back Dr.Gundry’s ideas up? For those not familiar with him, Dr Gundry believes that lectins are poisonous to humans- and according to him lectins are in nearly all the foods we think are healthy… Dr. Mosley, if you read this, what is your take on Dr. Gundy’s theories?
Thank you.

Hello all, I’m curious to know what effect fasting has on the microbiome? Whilst I generally IF during the week-1 meal a day, I’m increasingly aware of the need to help my gut bacteria. I’m curious what effect longer casts have on the microbiome-say 7 days or more. Any thoughts??

Are there any foods, vitamins etc; that will help my wife’s Rosacea.

Hi Hedgehog
Welcome to the forum. Yes just shake or stir it back together it will be fine. I’ve done this many times as I often don’t quite get to it in time. I make a small batch every day but now the weather is a little warmer 24 hours is often a little too long and it starts to separate. I You can also leave it to separate and scoop Kefir from the whey and eat it like cream cheese or even strain and press it an make a harder cheese which I’ve done a few times too.
Hope you are enjoying it we’ve gone from not liking it initially but now we crave it!

I am 70 years old and am very fortunate to be able to take many holidays abroad about 8 last year. I always seem to get diarrhoea every holiday and on one occasion campilobacter and the other just holiday tummy which is sorted out by a few doses of over the counter medication. After watching an informative programme on tv it made me think could all this be having an effect on my intestinal bugs. I eat a very healthy diet fruit salads and plenty of veg but my weight seems to be difficult to control in fact out of control
Can anybody advise the best place that would offer testing with results that I can understand. I would be unable to attend a London clinic which I have seen advertised but hope somebody could recommend an online service which gives results that I will be able to understand
Any advise would be much appreciated

Hi.
I am a fit(normally) 67 year old woman and 4 weeks back from Indonesia, having succumbed to bad diahorrea and been hospitalised, two lots of Metronidaziol , (I have a permanent Ileostomy for 34 years) I returned home and still feeling unwell was told I had microscopic blood in my urine. Trimethoprim, still blood so Microbid, then C. Difficile diagnosed and 10days of Vancomycin. Still microscopic blood detected. Booked kidney scan to see if anything turns up. Eat really healthily, bit nauseous lost about 3 lbs (weight normally 56 kgs) I’m aware that all the good gut flora will have been knocked out by this antibiotic onslaught but any advice…..?.?

Hi
It’s my 1st time here and I’m sure someone will be able to help me. I have my 2nd batch of kefir milk in my fridge and although it hadn’t separated before it went in there, it has now, can I just shake it/whisk it and drink it like I would a yoghurt drink? Or like I did with my 1st batch that hadn’t separated.
Thanks

I have been making and eating kefir for about 10 days from some grains a friend gave me and have noticed that my constipation has returned. Normally I keep this well under control by eating linseeds and lots of salad and veg (except onion family which I can’t tolerate) and limiting bread and anything sweet. Apart from starting on kefir nothing else has changed.
Has anyone else experienced this? Should I give up on kefir?

I am interested in purchasing the right kind of seaweed capsules. Where can I get them?

Would like to take part in the survey. Healthy, active 69-year-old female.