8 ultra-healthy uses of probiotic liquids: Serving sizes, storage & more
Probiotic liquids like CocoBiotic are delicious drinks that can be used in more ways than you’d think. Find out how to boost the power of your morning smoothie and many other surprising ways to add healthy probiotics to your diet.
For many years, I’ve been experimenting with fermented foods and drinks. In my own life, they’ve made a tremendous difference. They helped me conquer candida, create beautiful skin, heal my digestion, and keep my weight exactly where I want it.
They help me handle a stressful lifestyle — one with challenges that I have chosen to embrace. Thankfully I now have plenty of energy. Fermented foods are also helping me look and feel younger than my age.
The experience from countless Body Ecology followers and also hundreds of autistic children has been similar… Fermented foods and drinks continue to prove their healing benefits. And it’s no surprise, after all, as they’ve been around for centuries in just about every culture.
From sauerkraut in Russia to cheese in Baghdad and vegetables buried in earthen pots by Native Americans, these foods have been prized since ancient times.
However, we’ve lost our connection with these foods in modern days, so they often seem so foreign. After growing up with refrigeration and the fear of “germs,” it seems “wrong” to leave things on the counter to sour. The smells and tastes are different from what we’re used to as well.
All of this accounts for a lot of confusion about fermented foods and drinks. The confusion coupled with lack of time prompted thousands of our customers to request ready-made products, so they could get probiotics without all the trouble. It was the overwhelming requests that prompted us to create our line of probiotic liquids: InnergyBiotic and CocoBiotic.
As InnergyBiotic and CocoBiotic have been flying off the shelves, we are now getting some new questions about how much to drink and how they should be used. This article will explain the many uses of these drinks — and there are more than you might think!
Q. What’s so special about the probiotics?
A. All fermented foods and drinks have tremendous healing benefits. The key is that they are full of beneficial microflora that we all need, but are most often missing in our intestines.
I call the inner workings of your digestive tract your inner ecosystem. Just like the Earth has ecosystems full of organisms responsible for harmony and balance, our bodies follow suit. Inside your intestines are colonies of bacteria and yeast, both good and bad. The key is to have enough of the good guys to keep the bad guys from overpowering your intestines and setting you up for illness and disease.
Unfortunately, most people have imbalanced inner ecosystems from poor diet and lifestyle choices typical of the modern world. Just like modern times have upset the balance of the Earth’s inner ecosystem, our modern habits have upset our inner ecosystems.
Fermented foods and drinks bring the good guys back into balance so that they can aid our digestion, provide the nutrients we need, increase our energy, boost our immunity and in short, keep us looking our best inside and out. For more, read: Want to Look Younger and Better? 8 Reasons Why Probiotics are an Essential Tool.
Q. What is so special about Body Ecology’s probiotic liquids?
A. First and foremost, our probiotic liquids are unique formulations of healing nutrients (pulses, seeds, grains, and young coconut water), and most importantly, microflora (beneficial bacteria and yeast, also called probiotics).
The key is in the blend of probiotics we use are “trained” to work well together so that they survive harsh stomach acids and get into your intestines, where they can very effectively re-colonize your inner ecosystem.
Many other probiotic liquids and supplements on the market contain billions of microflora, but these products are not necessarily effective. Their formulators do not have a complete understanding of how the inner ecosystem is formed.
Microflora often cannot survive harsh stomach acid. If and when they do reach your intestines they often will not survive and colonize in this toxic realm. Fermented foods and liquids contain many more microflora and also help change the environment of your intestines so that over time a civilization can survive there.
Fermented foods and drinks have been one of the key cornerstones of the Body Ecology program for years. We have honored them, researched their value and have discovered one of the most potent and effective ways to offer you delicious, healing probiotic liquids that will enhance your inner ecosystem.
Q. Which probiotic liquid is best for me?
A. For an overview on which probiotic liquid is best for you (including those you can make at home), read: Which Probiotic Liquid Should You Choose? Is there a “Best” One for You?
Q. How much should I drink each day?
A. If you are familiar with Young Coconut Kefir, you know that we recommend drinking 4 ounces (1/2 cup) with each meal.
Meanwhile, InnergyBiotic and CocoBiotic are unique, economical, and concentrated forms of probiotic liquids. Because of their concentration, the serving size is only 2 ounces. This amount fits nicely into a shot glass. If you still have shot glasses around, this could be the healthiest liquid you’ve ever consumed from them! For me, using a shot glass takes the guesswork out of having to measure precisely.
How much you drink per day is based on the Principle of Uniqueness. As mentioned above, when you first start to introduce probiotics, these microflora will help to alter and improve the environment of your inner ecosystem (often a very poisonous place at first). Then they begin to implant there (in the cleaner mucosal lining) and start to grow.
Eventually, they will colonize and grow on their own, so you may need less. Ultimately you can experiment and see what feels right to you.
Q. Do YOU use probiotic liquids yourself? What’s your routine?
A. I use probiotic liquids daily, and I have to admit that I’m grateful for the Cocobiotic and InnergyBiotic we’ve created — it saves me from shopping for and cracking coconuts too!
Mealtimes: Personally, I like to have 2 oz. upon waking up, before breakfast and 2 oz. with my lunch and dinner meals. I’ve also found that having something fermented (1 – 3 oz. of probiotic liquid) right at bedtime helps me sleep better and wake with more energy. One key is to allow your 2 oz. serving to come to room temperature before drinking it with a meal, since cold beverages can weaken your “digestive fire.”
Travel: When I travel on long trips, especially to different time zones, I always take my probiotic liquids in a second checked suitcase wrapped in a plastic bag.
At first, I found myself pouring little shot glasses 4 – 6 times per day during the trip, but after a while, I cut back. These days, I can drink about 2 shot glasses per day while traveling and still feel strong energy.
At 60 years old, I’ve been finding that InnergyBiotic is a fabulous balancer of energy, so I often take that when I travel. I just won’t be without a bottle of CocoBiotic. When you travel, you really need extra energy, so I also take along the smaller bottle of fermented Spirulina. It’s amazing when you need an instant pick-me-up.
Hydration: Sometimes, I’m thirsty and don’t feel like drinking water. When this happens, I put ¼ cup of InnergyBiotic into a glass and fill the rest up with sparkling mineral water. I add Stevia for a touch of sweetness.
For me and many others, this makes a delicious replacement for soda pop. I have to discipline myself to drink water, so something like this gets me drinking more liquids.
Q. Do I need to refrigerate my probiotic liquids?
A. Probiotic liquids should be refrigerated before opening them and then opened very slowly because they are under pressure. After you open them, however, you can pour some into a plastic, leak-proof Nalgene bottle and take them on trips with you.
The microflora can survive for some time un-refrigerated and as I mentioned above, these liquids make an excellent energizer when you travel. I first noticed the value of InnergyBiotic when I traveled to Australia for several weeks. After drinking it a few times per day, my energy was amazingly strong throughout the trip, even after 15 take off and landings and extreme time changes.
Q. Can I drink my probiotic liquid if it has gone “flat” after being opened and stored in my refrigerator for some time?
A. Yes, your probiotic liquid is still full of healthy microflora, even if it has gone flat. Just like any bubbly liquid, they can go flat after being opened and closed for a period of time.
Q. Are probiotic liquids just for drinking? How else can I use them?
A. Since fermentation has been used throughout history, we can go back to ancient times to find healing ways to use probiotic liquids. After years of research and experimentation, here are seven other of my favorite ways to use probiotic liquids:
- Soaking grain-like seeds: Sourdough bread has been made for centuries with a fermented “starter” of flour and water. You can use the same wisdom to soak Body Ecology’s grain-like seeds so that the harmful anti-nutrients and enzyme inhibitors are removed.
Instructions:
- Rinse your grain-like seeds and put them in a bowl of water (just barely covered with water).
- Add in 1 – 2 oz. of the probiotic liquid of your choice (vary them to get a range of beneficial microflora).
- Let it stay at room temp for 2 days or so.
- You can discard the water or cook your grain-like seeds with it.
While cooking kills the microflora, research shows that even dead healthy microflora can still benefit your immune system.
Your grains do not spoil because the fermentation process preserves them naturally. The result: your grain-like seeds are much more digestible!
- Baking: Our customers with kids love to have baked goods and pancakes on special occasions. While flour lacks the fiber and benefits of whole grains and can clog your digestive tract, you can make it healthier and more digestible by soaking flour with water and probiotic liquids. InnergyBiotic is a great choice for this. Just follow the instructions for soaking grains, above.
- Sourdough bread starter – Add 2 – 4 TBL of your favorite probiotic liquid to your sourdough starter for a more potent blend of microflora.
- An antidote to sugar or alcohol: Probiotic liquids are excellent to stave off sugar cravings, but if you do give in to sugar or sweet fruits, you can also use these probiotic liquids to help reduce sugar’s damage. I cannot stress enough the importance of fermented foods and liquids to anyone wanting to lose weight or who have children with sugar addictions.
Microflora eat sugar for food, so if you have some InnergyBiotic or CocoBiotic after eating sugar, the microflora will help “eat up” the sugar so that you experience less of sugar’s harmful effects. This is great to know if you have kids who periodically eat sugar. The microflora do not, however, make up for poor dietary habits, so continue to practice wise choices! CocoBiotic, just like Young Coconut Kefir, is a great hangover cure.
Some of our customers report that they have CocoBiotic when they have a glass of wine, to reduce the harmful affects of alcohol. While we advise against drinking alcohol on the Body Ecology program, we know that many people still like an occasional glass of wine.
We’ve heard many reports that Young Coconut Kefir reduces cravings for alcohol. I like to have CocoBiotic or Young Coconut Kefir in a champagne glass for festive occasions. Sometimes, great presentation is all you need to get people excited to try something new and healthy.
- Salad dressings: For a great salad dressing that provides zip and healthy microflora, replace your favorite probiotic liquid with the lemon or vinegar in salad dressing.
- Dips – To every 4 TBL of fat, add 2 TBL of your favorite probiotic liquid for a tasty dip that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating! The Body Ecology Diet book has excellent healthy mayonnaise and sour cream recipes to make delicious party dips.
- Smoothies– Want to boost the benefits of your morning smoothie? Add 2 oz. of your favorite probiotic liquid to your smoothie for a truly energizing drink.
As you can see, probiotic liquids are more versatile than you’d expect! Once you start seeing the benefits, you’ll want to start using them throughout your day as well.