Discussion: :(

GI problems are not fun. Do you take pre- and probiotics? Maybe your gut microflora is out of whack..

yeah, that was the thought of what might be wrong, but other than "eat yogurt, esp. that green Activa stuff", I have no clue what ...biotics to consume - any suggestions?

BTW, the yogurt one is currently off the list due to Lactose Intolerance testing.

So far, 6-days in to my test. I've had no major issues - but not a superb GI either. Adding sink water back will happen soon - I don't expect that to be a problem. And then at some point late next week, I may just drink a large glass of milk...

In any case - even if it is lactose related - I suspect that might be gut microflora related _as well_ as I _think_ the microflora helps with a lot of digestive functions, and so may mitigate things? Guessing quite a bit...

Oh man, there are so many probiotic products on the market. Whole Foods carries a wide assortment of liquid and capsule type probiotics. Or a website like Swanson's carries cheaper alternatives. Some of these already come with prebiotics, as does the linked example, which are the food for the 'good guys' so they settle better in your gut (fructooligosacharides as an ex.). Most probiotic products contain a Lactobaccillus type of beneficial bacteria, which consumes Lactose, so you're probably right to associate microflora with aiding digestion of milk.

If you want to learn more about this, "Missing Microbes" by Martin Blaser is a good general book about the microbiome and its relation to various modern day disorders.

Good luck with your experiment!

Balter carries a macrobiome around with him. Lick him a few times, and your gut will never be the same again!

Licking a used fork around Balter would only give me a very limited sampling. Not ready for more complete sampling...