Avoid These 5 Mistakes When Choosing A Probiotic Drink

You may have heard this before, but not all probiotic drinks are created equal. Variables within this product format are abundant, from the storage instructions to the CFU count and strain of probiotic inside. Therefore, when it comes to choosing a daily probiotic drink, there are a handful of things you’ll need to consider to ensure you’re picking the right product for you.

Recognising potential pitfalls or misinformation in relation to a probiotic drink (or any probiotic product for that matter) will help you get the most from your daily supplement. In the following article we’ve summarised our top 5 mistakes to avoid when choosing a probiotics drink. Take a look!

1. Product Is Not Chilled 

For living probiotics to thrive, they must be kept in a chilled, refrigerated environment for extended periods of time. Higher temperatures can lead to over activity and degradation in probiotic CFU count. If a probiotic drink is on an ambient, non-chilled shelf in the supermarket, it’s possible that the product may not contain many (if any) living probiotics. Leaving few to reach your gut alive.

When searching for a probiotic drink in your local deli, convenience store or major supermarket, head to the chilled aisles for your best chance of consuming a product with active probiotics inside.

2. Packaging Does Not Display Probiotic Strain

A general rule to follow when choosing a probiotic drink is to look for products that display the probiotic strain on packaging, and, if it’s the probiotic strain you’re after, be wary of products that don’t.

Without this information, it’s impossible to tell which strain you are consuming and what this probiotic may do for you. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why this is omitted, but may be down simply to the strain being undetectable. Instead,we’d suggest sticking with brands that display this information for you clearly on pack.

3. Low or Questionable Probiotic CFU Counts

There are so many different probiotic products to choose from, some boasting a few hundred million CFUs and others claiming 10s of billions. This often leaves us with the question - which is better?

The simple answer is it is entirely probiotic strain dependent. A general rule of thumb is it’s best to choose a product with at least one billion CFUs. In various clinical trials using the strains bifidobacterium and lactobacillus, subjects were supplied doses of 1 billion CFUs per day over a 3-6 week period. Therefore, one billion or more probiotic CFUs a day is a great starting point.

4. Probiotics That Don’t Survive In The Stomach

Living probiotics do their best work in the comfort of the gut, where the pH is neutral - though to get there, these probiotics travel through low pH stomach acids. For normal, living probiotics, this isn’t an easy process to survive.

The acidic conditions within the stomach will often kill them off before they even reach the intestines. There are certain times in the day that you can take a probiotic to increase its chances of survival through the gut. Though, these times aren’t always convenient and questionable in effectiveness.

If you’d like an effective probiotic that is equipped to survive through stomach acid throughout the day, make sure you grab a product with probiotics, micro-shielded to resist low pH. With a micro-shield around the bacteria, your probiotics are equipped to survive stomach acid for a targeted release in the gut.

5. Products With Taste Restrictions

Another common feature to consider when choosing a probiotic drink is flavour, because all too often it isn’t just the probiotics we’re after! Products like kombucha, are restricted in taste due to the fermentation process required - leaving it with a distinct sourness (however, this may be to your preference!). 

Experiencing this distinct taste day after day may make it harder for you to stick with this probiotic drink. Look for probiotic drinks with added probiotics as they are less likely to be restricted to a sour, fermented taste, masked by added flavours.

PERKii Probiotic Drinks

At PERKii, we use micro-shield technology to provide vital nutrients to support the survival of the probiotics inside our products, prolonging shelf-life. Once consumed, this micro-shield protects the probiotic against stomach acid, for a targeted release in your gut and a difference you can feel.

Each probiotic drink is bottled with one billion or more probiotics identifiable by the strain on pack, non-fermented, great-tasting and chilled to ensure probiotic stability. So when it comes to choosing a probiotic drink that’s right for you, PERKii ticks a lot of boxes and ensures you get the best bang for your buck. 

Head to the online store now to browse the PERKii range.

*The information in this article is opinion only, and is not intended to be a reflection of the specific benefits of consuming PERKii products. Before adjusting your diet, speak with your healthcare professional.