One of the main reasons we make yogurt by culturing Lactobacillus reuteri strains ATCC PTA 6475 and DSM 17938 is to boost bacterial counts into the trillions—it’s not the yogurt we’re after (even though it is the richest, thickest yogurt you’ll ever have); it’s all about cultivating this strain of bacteria. We do this by supplementing the mixture with prebiotic fibers to provide more substrate for bacterial metabolism and by fermenting for an extended period, far longer than required just to yield yogurt.
Obtaining very high bacterial counts in the trillions per quart/liter of organic half-and-half or other medium increases the likelihood that we provoke hypothalamic release of oxytocin, the mediator of many (though not all) of the benefits we obtain such as huge increases in dermal collagen, accelerated healing, increased bone density, increased muscle mass and strength, the anorexigenic effect that can facilitate intermittent fasting, and increased libido. Some people experience increased daytime energy, reduced anxiety, and a feeling of empathy for others, while others have regrown hair.
But there is one effect that we have not explored, as the science is skimpy, but I and selected others have experienced: deep, profound sleep.
This sleep effect took me by surprise, as I did not expect it. I have perennially struggled with sleep after decades of sleeping erratically due to medical training then medical practice, often having to work in the middle of the night and sacrifice sleep. Decades of bad sleeping habits left me with frequent difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings, and early morning arousals. Particularly difficult times necessitated high-dose melatonin and/or tryptophan that helped, though did not completely correct, my bad sleep patterns.
I added the L. reuteri yogurt, 1/2 cup per day, and, within days, noticed that my sleep was profound: I’d fall asleep readily, rarely awaken during the night, and woke up after 8-10 hours of deep sleep. Sleep was filled with vivid, childlike dreams, often right up until I awoke. I have also noticed alpha wave dreams, i.e., dreams that begin in the hazy phase between wakefulness and early sleep, often vivid. Even on nights when I’ve slept a full 9 or 10 hours, I feel like I could sleep more, though I resist this temptation and jump up and start the day.
I’ve had a handful of other people describe something similar, but I don’t know how consistent or why there would be variation.
There is a nocturnal surge in oxytocin that appears to coincide with the REM phase of sleep, though the full implications of this are not understood yet. Does oxytocin influence dream content via its ability to cultivate social bonding? Is this part of the memory- and experience-consolidating effect that deep sleep provides? There is a lot known about oxytocin, but still so much more to know. The interaction of oxytocin and sleep, raised as an issue with our oxytocin-boosting L. reuteri yogurt, is something that needs to be explored.
Have you experienced a change in sleep on the L. reuteri yogurt?
I seem to be sleeping more sound the past few nights than I did but don’t know if it’s from this woe ( 16 weeks )or the l reuteri yogurt which I’ve only had for about a week. I don’t even know how to test if my yogurt has live bacteria in the finished product.
Faye E wrote: «I seem to be sleeping more sound the past few nights than I did but don’t know if it’s from this woe ( 16 weeks )or the l reuteri yogurt…»
People have reported that effect just from the yogurt, as you see in the article here, but for anyone doing the whole Undoctored (or 2014+ Wheat Belly) program, distinct sleep improvements have also been reported for any of these core elements independently:
• grain elimination
• very low net carb
• magnesium restoration
• prebiotic fiber
• probiotics
Here are some additional sleep tips.
re: «I don’t even know how to test if my yogurt has live bacteria in the finished product.»
Does it have a tangy odor and taste? If it made yogurt, and you haven’t heated it to over 122°F, it almost certainly still has live cultures in it. In any event, these bacteria reportedly provide much of their benefits even when dead, and of course their metabolites aren’t alive in the first place.
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I’ve been mixing whey and yogurt together after the 36 hours and then refrigerating. I was told the whey from the l reuteri yogurt is insulinogenic And to discard it and not mix it in the yogurt. Is this a true fact?
Faye E wrote: «I’ve been mixing whey and yogurt together after the 36 hours and then refrigerating.»
That’s what I do.
re: «I was told the whey from the l reuteri yogurt is insulinogenic…»
The whey fraction of dairy can be insulinotrophic. It’s one of the potential issues with dairy, that vary by individual.
re: «And to discard it and not mix it in the yogurt.»
If a reaction is suspected, consider doing what I used to do, which is to pour the whey fraction into ice cube trays, freeze it, bag it, and use it as further starter (one cube per quart).
re: «Is this a true fact?»
We strive to make those the only kind of facts we deal with here, unlike mass media.☺
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Thank you for your quick reply.
When the yogurt doesn’t thicken can you get the same effect if you drink the solution that is left?
Linda wrote: «When the yogurt doesn’t thicken can you get the same effect if you drink the solution that is left?»
It depends on why the end product didn’t thicken.
It’s not uncommon for initial batches, made from tablets, to be relatively thin in consistency, but to still be very effective yogurt. This is due to starting with just 1 billion CFUs (10 tablets). If it has a tangy aroma and taste, no odd colors or growths, it’s probably effective. Subsequent batches, using saved yogurt as starter, often have dramatically high final CFU counts, because the starter contains vastly more than 1B CFUs.
On the flip side, the final product can be thin because something went wrong, and there are numerous candidate antagonists. Based on my experience and user reports, problems include, but are not limited to:
• using too few tablets for initial batch
• temperature too high (much above 110°F)
• temperature too low (much below 95°F)
• preservatives (anti-microbials) in the substrates
• emulsifiers (too common in retail half&half)
• insufficient fermentation time
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Bob,
You mention the tangy flavor of yogurt…mine doesn’t have a tangy flavor..It’s fairly bland, like a ricotta cheese. I’ve successfully made three batches with the same flavor. I monitor the temperature throughout and stay between 90 and 1– degrees. My first batch used the tablets and the other two used kefir from draining. Your thoughts?
Sylvia wrote: «You mention the tangy flavor of yogurt…mine doesn’t have a tangy flavor..It’s fairly bland, like a ricotta cheese.»
How’s the consistency, and do you notice any effects?
re: «I monitor the temperature throughout and stay between 90 and 1– degrees.»
Do you mean 90 and 100°F? 90 might be a bit low (and encourage other opportunistic microorganisms). What you posted for the upper end came through as “1–”, so I’m not sure about it.
re: «My first batch used the tablets and the other two used kefir from draining.»
Kefir? Is this something made from other microbes, or are you using the term to described the whey fraction of an L.reuteri-only batch?
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The consistency is somewhat thick but I drain the whey and that is what I used to start my subsequent batches. Yes, the temp was 100 degrees.
I’ve not noticed any effects yet from the yogurt.
Thanks
David Asher’s book “The Art of Natural Cheesemaking” has chapters on making yoghurt and kefir. He says to start with raw milk and that prior to inoculation it’s necessary to heat the milk for 30 minutes while stirring continuously in order to coagulate the proteins that provide the thick texture. Lacking the patience for that (not to mention a convenient dairy herd), I just used fresh homogenised milk from the supermarket and had the same issue you did Sylvia. Then I read in another cheesemaking book that you can skip the heating and stirring by using UHT milk. Voila! Thick yogurt.
David Asher’s book gives instructions on making all sorts of cheeses from ricotta to camembert, blue cheeses, cheddar etc. If you’ve got your own source of milk our might want to check it out. He recommends using raw unpasteurized, unhomogenized milk, however that other author I read said that she used homogenised milk without any problems.
I use the luvele yogurt maker with excellent results, 3 cups organic milk, one cup organic half and half, 2 tbsp organic potato starch and the initial 10 tabs l. Reuteri, Each batch thicker, delicious, 100 degrees, 36 hrs, have added 1 tab to each subsequent batch
Kathy, I am looking for a yogurt maker and note the Luvele is on for 24 hours…is that enough time for the fermentation as described by Dr. Davis? I am looking for a yogurt maker.
Rachel Formolo wrote: «I am looking for a yogurt maker.»
You may not need a commercial product (the one we bought was a disaster). Here’s what I use now: Ad-Hoc Yogurt Reactor
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