How to make L. reuteri yogurt: A step-by-step guide

Making yogurt out of Lactobacillus reuteri is really a simple, straightforward process. But some people get tripped up on the details, lamenting the thin, sour, or discolored end-result they obtain.

One of the biggest changes is that I no longer recommend the BioGaia Gastrus product. While it served us well in the beginning, the process is easier with a product that I introduced: MyReuteri that provides 10 or 20 billion CFUs (you have a choice of a 10 or a 20 billion count product)—no more need to crush tablets. We have subjected this strain to both animal and human testing; DNA sequencing is in the works. The contents of one capsule is more than sufficient to get started.

So here is the simple recipe, step-by-step to minimize your potential for making mistakes. Truly: I have made >100 batches with not a single failure. You can do this, too.

Why do this? Well, if you are new to this conversation, you will be excited to know that the yogurt is really not about yogurt, as conventional yogurts achieve none of these effects. This “yogurt” fermented with two unconventional strains of Lactobacillus reuteri achieve effects that include:

• Smoothing of skin wrinkles due to an explosion of dermal collagen
   
• Accelerated healing, cutting healing time in almost half
   
• Reduced appetite, the so-called “anorexigenic” effect—food still tastes good, but you are almost completely indifferent to temptation
   
• Restoration of youthful musculature—This is a major health advantage in that it increases metabolic rate, giving you improved control over weight; protection from falls, fractures, frailty. (This is in contrast to the awful GLP-1 agonist drugs that cause significant muscle loss.)
   
• Accelerated healing
   
• Reduced appetite, the so-called “anorexigenic” effect—food still tastes good, but you are almost completely indifferent to temptation
   
• Increased testosterone in men
   
• Increased libido
   
• Preservation of bone density—Obtaining L. reuteri is one of the most important steps you can take to prevent osteoporosis
   
• Deeper sleep—About half the people restoring L. reuteri experience this effect.
   
• Increased empathy and desire for connectedness with other people
   
• Probiotic effects that may include prevention of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, SIBO

The majority of benefits are a result of L. reuteri‘s ability to provoke hypothalamic release of oxytocin, a hormone that is proving to be the key to substantial age-reversing and health effects. Other benefits derive from this microbe’s ability to colonize the entire length of the small intestine (very unusual) and produce bacteriocins, natural antibiotics effective in killing fecal microbial species such as those that have ascended from the colon in SIBO. (L. reuteri is therefore one of the principal ingredients in my recipe for SIBO Yogurt.)

You will need:

–Glass or ceramic bowl or other vessel large enough to hold at least one quart of liquid
–1-2 tablespoons of inulin
–Starter: 1 capsule of MyReuteri. For subsequent batches, use 2^nbsp;tablespoons previous batch of L. reuteri yogurt (whey or curds or mixture of both)
–1 quart of half-and-half or other liquid (to make with coconut milk, several additional steps and ingredients are required)
–Some method of maintaining at 100°F

Yields: Around 8 one-half-cup servings

Make sure your bowl and utensils are clean after washing with hot soap and water:

Add 1-2 level tablespoons of prebiotic fiber:

Open the capsule of MyReuteri and pour into the bowl. Once you have made your first batch, make subsequent batches with two tablespoons of the prior batch, rather than capsule contents; it can be any mixture of whey or solid curds, as both contain L. reuteri.

Mix either crushed tablets or 2 tablespoons prior yogurt with prebiotic fiber:

Add a little, e.g., 2 tablespoons, of your choice of dairy; I used organic half-and-half, as this yields the best texture (and, of course, we NEVER limit fat in the Wheat Belly lifestyle). Make a slurry by stirring; this prevents clumping of the prebiotic fiber. (Whole milk—NEVER low- or non-fat—yields a thinner end result, while cream yields something close to butter, too thick for my taste.)

Stir in remainder of half-and-half or other liquid:

Cover lightly with plastic wrap or other means. Ferment by maintaining at 100°F for 36 hours. Prolonged fermentation—far longer than the 6 or so hours of commercial yogurts—to achieve super-duper high bacterial counts. The addition of prebiotic fiber yields even higher bacterial counts. Our many flow cytometry counts of microbes in the yogurt have revealed that we achieve hundreds of billions of microbes per ½-cup (120 ml) serving.

I used a basin-type sous vide device, but you can use a stick sous vide, yogurt maker with adjustable temperature control, or Instant Pot. (Just be careful with the Instant Pot or yogurt makers without adjustable temperature, as they are set to be compatible with conventional yogurt microorganisms that are more heat-tolerant, using temperatures that can kill L. reuteri; if your device heats to 110°F or higher, it will likely kill L. reuteri and you should find an alternative means of heating. If in doubt, turn on your device and measure the temperature reached with a thermometer first before you ruin a batch.) Keep your materials out of the way of fans, heating/cooling vents, or other sources of air contamination.

The end-result for me is rich, thick, and delicious, better tasting—and with far higher probiotic bacterial counts—than anything you can buy in a store. Once refrigerated, the “yogurt” is so thick that it can stand upright on a plate:

Serve with fresh or frozen berries, grainless granola, squirt of liquid stevia, or your choice of fruit or natural sweetener.

The original WBB post is currently found on the: Infinite Health Blog, but accessing it there requires an unnecessary separate blog membership. The copy of it above is complete, and has been re-curated and enhanced for the Inner Circle membership.