The Red Chiller At The Grocery Store – Is It Safe To Drink Yakult Every Day?
By The Red Chiller At The Grocery Store
Every time I go to a groceries store I get the glimpses of a small box covered with a red and white colored sticker. I had no idea when I saw this mini cooling machine with the name Yakult on it. But now, I have some information about this mini dairy drink which helps me gauge its value better.
What is Yakult?
The simple answer is it is fermented milk with good bacteria’s in it.
Skimmed Milk + Lactobacillus casei Shirota Strain leads to Yakult.
How Does This Probiotic Drink Help?
It helps us by aiding the growth of beneficial bacteria living our gut. In turn, leads to a healthy gut.
What Does It Have?
A 65 ml bottle of this probiotic drink which are sold at the groceries store has 6.5 billion bacteria named Lactobacillus casei Shirota Strain. The presence of this bacteria is common in the human intestine and mouth.
Is It safe to drink Yakult every day?
Consumption of this probiotic drink is good for health but “daily” might not be a wise thing to do. I am saying this considering the other ingredients based on which this probiotic drink is prepared. For example, this drink has also got sugar and natural identical flavors besides the live bacteria, milk powder, and water.
It is also to be noted that Yakult or similar drinks might not go well with everyone’s body. So, trying it before making it a habit is better.
When To Consume?
The preferred time to drink a probiotic drink is during the lunchtime. Though consuming more than one bottle of Yakult does not cause any major harm to human it is better not to consume right before the bedtime. I did consume Yakult right before the bedtime for a consecutive three days. It did not create any noticeable issues other than a cough. I am not very sure on whether a cough was due to the content inside the Yakult bottle or because I had it chill. But, I do believe its the latter which had left me coughing.
Yakult or Similar vs. Home Made Curd/Yoghurt/Probiotic Food – Which Is Better?
First thing is that Yakult and curd are not the same. They both are derived from different cultures. Probiotics have got scientifically proven health benefits when compared to a yogurt.
But, on top of all these, I still believe that a homemade Curd or probiotic drink is very effective than the bottled, flavored probiotic processed drink with a presence of sugar.
How Cost-Effective Is This Probiotic Drink?
According to me, this question is directly linked to the phrase is it safe to drink Yakult every day. A 65 ml Yakult bottle in India costs 12 rupees. So, if we consider drinking Yakult for 20 days a month, then it would cost us 240 rupees.
On the other hand, to make your own probiotic drink at home, the initial cost might be a bit more but worthy. The initial cost includes the expenses incurred on buying glass jars, filters and Kefir grain for example. For those who do not have time to spend on making a homemade probiotic, this 65 ml of processed and packed Yakult might look great at first.
But, remember that this small bottle of Yakult also contains 10 grams of sugar. This measure of sugar is almost equal to the amount of sugar present in most of the carbonated drinks. Hope you are able to correlate where I am heading to in this context.
In the long run, the homemade probiotics win with respect to the expenses as well as the health and safety.
Could Not Find Anything Named Yakult At The Grocery Store?
This probiotic drink is available with the same name in countries like Japan, India, Europe, Australia, Singapore etc.
Activia is the Yakult like probiotic in France and few more countries. In Malaysia, one can find Vitagen.
How To Make A Probiotic Drink At Home?
Source: Pixabay
We can bring in the required beneficial bacteria into our body at home by fermenting Vegetables, Curd etc.
Source: Pixabay
Below are some of the best and easy probiotic rich food items with which one can prepare a probiotic at home.
- Curd/Yoghurt
- Kefir – prepared out of Kefir Grains (available online and via Amazon)
- Sauerkraut – prepared out of finely sliced Cabbage.
- Kombucha Tea
- Kvass – Called Kanji in India. Usually a mix of water, mustard seeds, beetroot, and carrots. A Punjabi drink.
- Tempeh – prepared out of Soybeans, origin – Indonesia
- Miso – prepared out of fermented beans, rice, oats, and grains plus a bacteria called koji, origin – Japan.
Please note that some of the above-mentioned dishes are not of Indian origin. But, they can be prepared in the Indian version. Do just search for their names on Youtube and you will be able to find related videos.
So, to conclude on this question Is it safe to drink Yakult or similar drink every day? Drinking probiotic boosts intestinal health and immunity in our body.
But, as I had mentioned above it does not look very convincing when one consider drinking it every day as the products are man-made/artificial. Moreover, it is not the best as the same bacteria can be derived out of a homemade probiotic too according to me.
In that line, a cooked rice soaked overnight in a mixture of water and home prepared curd can do wonders in our body without any side effects. In the same line, I would also vote for an Apple Cider Vinegar – With Mother for its great benefits in human.
Thanks, Some great information here….
Thank You Tony
Thanks for the great guide
Lindsey recently posted…Lindsey