How to make L. reuteri yogurt using raw milk and without unhealthy prebiotic fiber that is inflammatory to the intestinal lining and disallowed on gut healing diets.
I’ve had a lot of inquiries over the past few years about L. reuteri yogurt.
This specialty fermented food was popularized by Dr. William Davis MD, the cardiologist turned author of Wheat Belly fame. (1)
While it is certainly fine to ferment L. reuteri yogurt, it is important to understand the shortcomings of Dr. Davis’ recommended approach.
Half and Half Not the Best Choice
First, Dr. Davis’ recipe uses a quart of pasteurized, commercial half-and-half.
Why would you ever use pasteurized half-and-half from Holstein cows whose milk contains so little cream, that there is often no discernable creamline?
Even worse, the cartons used to package half-and-half are toxic!
The containers are lined with a thin layer of plastic, so when the hot milk is poured in and sealed, you get microplastics leaching galore!
While I can appreciate the need for high-fat milk when making yogurt, raw milk from Jersey (A2) cows is naturally high-fat and a far healthier and digestible choice.
As a bonus, buying raw milk supports local farms and keeps your food dollars out of the pockets of the abusive Big Dairy oligopoly.
L. Reuteri Research
Secondly, the research on the health benefits of L. reuteri is interesting but not particularly compelling to me.
While I don’t doubt that strains of L. reuteri are helpful for gut health, the claims by Dr. Davis of “smoothing of wrinkles”, “accelerated healing” (to the tune of cutting healing time in half 🤔), and “increased empathy and desire for connectedness with other people” seem more than a little suspect…at least to me!
Prebiotic Fiber is Inflammatory
Third, the addition of prebiotic fiber or potato starch in Dr. Davis’ L. reuteri yogurt method disallows it from gut healing protocols like GAPS.
Even if you’re not on the GAPS diet, prebiotic fiber is often inflammation-producing for those with even mild digestive disorders. I recommend the book Fiber Menace as an excellent read on the subject.
Several of my reader friends were surprised to learn this.
They experienced a big detox reaction after eating L. reuteri yogurt (which they thought was good), only to see their gut imbalance symptoms worsen over time, likely from the inflammatory effects of the prebiotic fiber on their colon.
What if you really like L. reuteri yogurt? If you enjoy it and are finding benefits personally, there is certainly no reason not to continue.
I don’t mean to dissuade you from the practice!
There is solid research that L. reuteri strains are helpful for certain conditions, such as babies with reflux or issues with spitting up. (2)
However, I would suggest that there is a far better method for making it than Dr. Davis’ approach!
All you need to do to dial up your L. reuteri yogurt to the next level is to switch from commercial half-and-half (which is toxic!) to raw milk from old-fashioned cows that produce a large creamline naturally.
In addition, be sure to leave out that gut-inflaming prebiotic fiber or difficult-to-digest potato starch! I substitute gut-healing gelatin which promotes digestion instead.
In essence, my method for raw L. reuteri yogurt is a simple variation on my slow cooker raw yogurt recipe, which I’ve used for years.
In addition to the gelatin, I add one tablespoon of homemade kefir made with live grains (not commercial kefir!).
Kefir made with live grains naturally contains L. reuteri strains. Using a small amount making yogurt helps to prevent competition between the probiotics in the raw milk and the L. reuteri starter.
You can leave out the kefir if you like, but my results were thicker and more spoonable using it.
Preparation Tip
L. reuteri yogurt differs a bit texturally from regular whole milk yogurt in that the liquid whey is highly separated from the curds, almost like cottage cheese.
Thus, it is very easy to pour off a cup to a cup and a half of whey without straining to enjoy Greek-style L. reuteri yogurt!
The leftover whey is handy to use as starter for your next batch of L. reuteri yogurt or any other cultured dishes that call for it.
How to Make L. Reuteri Yogurt With Raw Milk
How to make L. reuteri yogurt using raw milk and without unhealthy prebiotic fiber that is inflammatory to the gut.
Ingredients
- 1 quart raw milk
- 10 tablets BioGaia Gastrus or 2 Tbsp previous batch
- 2 Tbsp plain gelatin
- 1 Tbsp homemade kefir made with live grains
Instructions
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Crush ten tablets of BioGaia Gastrus (L. reuteri starter) with a mortar and pestle (or in a plastic ziplock bag and a rolling pin).
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Place this powder starter in the bottom of your slow cooker of choice (I use a small Vitaclay for making yogurt).
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Sprinkle the gelatin into 1 cup of cold, raw milk. Mix well to combine.
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Blend the gelatin/milk mixture with 3 more cups of raw milk.
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Pour the liquid slowly into the Vitaclay. Stir to blend the L. reuteri starter with the raw milk/gelatin mixture.
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Put on th lid and turn on the Vitaclay, selecting the "yogurt" setting.
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Let the yogurt ferment for 24 hours.
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When the yogurt is finished, turn off the Vita-Clay and leave on the counter to fully set until room temperature.
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Place the Vitaclay pot in the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours or longer.
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Transfer the yogurt into a glass mason jar and store in the refrigerator.
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Enjoy your thick, RAW L. reuteri yogurt in smoothies or in a bowl topped with fruit, nuts, or your choice of natural sweetener.
(1) How to make L. reuteri yogurt: A step-by-step guide
(2) Lactobacillus reuteri accelerates gastric emptying and improves regurgitation in infants
Hi Sarah. I can buy raw milk yogurt and kefir made from A2 Jersey cows. Is it too late to add 1Tbs kefir to the yogurt if it’s been refrigerated?
Thank you
Adding the tbsp of kefir is for when the yogurt is fermenting, adding it after when the yogurt is refrigerated does not do anything.
Hi Sarah, Thank you for posting this article, it’s great! I have been making Dr Davis’s yogurt for over a year now, but wonder for all the trouble is there a better yogurt I could make? If I am only going to make one yogurt, which recipe is the best bang for your bucks? Can I mix different cultures to make a super yogurt?
Homemade kefir made with live grains is an infinitely better choice than L. reuteri yogurt, in my opinion. Kefir made with live grains has L. reuteri in it plus 50+ other strains including beneficial yeasts that most people never get in the diet (hence, candida issues!!).
I only made the L. reuteri yogurt to figure out how to do it with raw milk and pass that on to folks so they wouldn’t use Dr. Davis method which is so toxic. Making L. reuteri yogurt yourself is certainly better than commercial yogurt, but in my view, homemade kefir made with live grains and raw milk is so much easier, far better and highly therapeutic to the gut.
Kefir (must be made with live grains, not powder starter) is far better than any homemade “super” yogurt. By a country mile.
Thank you Sarah for your reply, it is appreciated. Which Kefir do you think is the best, Raw Milk Kefir or Water Kefir made from juice? Does one have more nutritional benifits? Do you have a recommendation where to buy the kefir grains?
Thank you again..
Milk kefir is infinitely better than water kefir, probiotically speaking. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/water-kefir-versus-milk-kefir/
The BioGaia Gastrus from iherb has mandarin flavor and mint flavor in it plus isomalt and ascorbic acid. Are these ingredients okay in the yogurt?
Definitely not ideal as starter, which is why the recipe suggests using the whey or yogurt from a previous batch moving forward for subsequent batches.
Someone in the comments mentioned another source for L. reuteri starter that is better https://amzn.to/3N05Y1S I used BioGastrus as this is what Dr. William Davis MD uses for his original recipe.
I have been making Dr. Davis’s yogurt for A few months now as a prebiotic preparation for birth. My little baby sleeps better than any of the previous seven babies So I’m wondering if this has something to do with the yogurt. Also, I know that many cannot handle inulin, but it is certainly helpful for certain gut issues. It is a key component of the Nemechek protocol which has benefited numerous families suffering from autism and other gut related ailments. My own son’s persistent tics went away with the introduction of inulin. Also, there is very good evidence that it is extremely helpful in preventing recurrent strep infections. Thank you for for your article. Different strokes for different folks!
Please do not make it with commercial half and half! It is SO toxic! Prebiotic fiber is disallowed on gut healing diets, so best to avoid.
Thank you so much for answering a question I had on his approach because I love and prefer raw milk. What I understood was that the natural cultures in raw milk competed with the specific L-Reuteri culture, so it was recommended to heat it first. In my mind, that killed off the reason I purchased raw milk in the 1st place, but you are right…it’s much better than conventional milk or half and half. I buy my cultures from this great website and they now have a raw milk recipe: https://www.culturedfoodlife.com/recipe/raw-milk-yogurt-plus-with-gelatin/
I have had great luck with their cultures and highly recommend them.
Question for you thought…I thought you had to add the prebiotic fiber to feed the culture and help it proliferate throughout your yogurt, or at least that is how Dr. Davis had described it. What is your recipe doing for feeding the culture?
Here is an example of a recipe from Cultured Food for Life that has the prebiotic fiber for ensuring the cultures grow in high numbers for your batch: https://www.culturedfoodlife.com/recipe/l-reuteri-superfood-yogurt/
Thanks!
The culture is fed by the lactose in the raw milk.
Yes, the probiotics in raw milk compete with the L. reuteri starter, which is why I add a tbsp of homemade kefir as well.
So are inulin prebiotic powders from Jerusalem artichokes what you are referring to as bad for the gut, or just potato starch?
The prebiotic fiber is inflammatory for the gut and disallowed on the gut healing protocol called the GAPS Diet (SCD also). Potato starch is also disallowed on these diets as starch is extremely complex molecule and very hard to digest for those with any sort of compromised digestion.
The “fiber is good” narrative is one of many health psyops that have plagued the alternative health community for decades. It is NOT healthy and traditional peoples did not eat a ton of fiber. The book Fiber Menace is a very good, in-depth explanation of this.
Thank you for this recipe! Glad to have this version of L. Reuteri yogurt. I notice that you only ferment yours for 24 hours, as opposed to Dr. Davis’ recommended 36 hours. Have you tried going the extra 12 hours with it? Also, a number of people have been able to avoid the separation of curds and way by preheating the milk to around 100 degrees before adding the starter to it.
It is not necessary to go longer. I have not tried the 36 hours, but you can go longer if you wish.
This is such a great article! I’ve been making it for several months but thought the fully pasteurized milk was necessary and such an unhealthy start. Do you think I can sub the cultured food for life starter that I have, or is it necessary to use the capsules listed on recipe above to get the raw milk to work with it? Thank you and thinking of you this week in Florida.
Not sure about the cultured food for life starter … I have not tried it myself. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out!
Hi Sarah!
I started making and consuming this L. reuteri yogurt a few months ago and I find it does have significant benefits for my skin with quicker healing time and much smoother skin. I read Super Gut early in the summer and he says that the benefits he talks about are anecdotal reports from a very large online community of people who eating the yogurt.
It’s good to know that potato starch is not necessary. I’ve noticed that most of it settle to the bottom of my jar.
Is the gelatin for thickening or for feeding the probiotics?
Also, what is the temperature on your Vitaclay yogurt setting?
Thanks!
Katie
Hi Katie, you just choose the yogurt setting on the Vitaclay (which keeps the milk warm at about 100 F, far below the level that destroys probiotics or enzymes which is 117 F). Making yogurt with raw milk works best in the small model.
Glad you are seeing benefits! The gelatin helps with thickening (raw milk yogurt is naturally more drinkable style, so the gelatin makes it like heated yogurt which is Dr. Davis method using pasteurized milk). The gelatin also provides additional digestibility much like gelatin is added to homemade baby formula.
Hi, Sarah.
I wanted to comment on your statement about the toxicity of the half and half. You specifically wrote “commercial” half and half, not organic. However, even the organic brands are packaged either in the plastic-lined cartons or in plastic bottles. But you stated that the hot milk was poured into the plastic cartons creating super-toxicity. I specifically wrote to 2 brands, Kalona (grass-fed, and in plastic bottles) and Clover Sonoma (renewable paperboard cartons). Kalona responded immediately: “Our milk comes from the cow at 105*F. We gently heat the milk to a minimum of 145°F in large stainless steel vats and hold it at that temperature for 30 minutes before rapidly cooling and bottling the milk. The milk is completely cooled before bottling. ”
Clover has not yet replied as to what exactly this “renewable carton” is since it cannot be composted. However, their FAQ states that their organic products are heated to at least 161 fahrenheit for at 15 seconds. I have asked them for information about the cartons, and also whether the pasteurized milk products are cooled in the vat, or bottled and then cooled. I would assume they are also vat-cooled, but I will update here if I receive a reply from them. There is also Alexandre Farms organic half and half which is A2, and Straus organic half and half in glass bottles. I have used all of them successfully, but i do use the inulin and have not experienced any discomfort from the fiber. I will try next time to add gelatin instead and see if we like the result.
I appreciate you so much.
Organic pasteurized half and half is still commercial.
Glass is fine! Thank you for mentioning this.