Probiotic foods are highly encouraged, if not required, as part of the 17 Day Diet regimen.
Probiotics are healthy bacteria or “bugs” that live in your intestinal tract and help balance your digestive system– probiotics are found in several foods.
When people think of probiotics, they naturally think of yogurt.
While the 17 Day Diet is mostly about removing sugar (and a few other things) from your diet, it gets difficult to think about consuming plain yogurt due to the fact that it doesn’t have the best flavor (I, on the other hand, love the flavor of plain yogurt so it’s never been an issue for me).
If you don’t care for the flavor of plain yogurt, try using a bit of sweetener and fruit (such as berries) and you’ll be amazed at how tasty this treat can be!
You can also use sugar-free fruit preserves to give your plain yogurt a little “zing”.
Probiotic Choices for the 17 Day Diet
If yogurt is not your thing, there are other foods you can use that contain probiotics. Here is a list from the 17 Day Diet book:
Yogurts, any type including Greek-Style, sugar-free fruit flavored, plain and low-fat (6 oz = 1 serving)
Kefir: similar to drinking-style yogurt; great for making smoothies (1 cup = 1 serving)
Low-fat acidophilus milk (1 cup = 1 serving)
Yakult (small 50-calorie bottle)
Breakstone LiveActive cottage cheese (1/2 c = 1 serving)
Reduced salt miso dissolved in low-fat, low-sodium broth (1 tablespoon = 1 serving)
Tempeh (a fermented cake of pressed soybeans) (4 oz = 1 serving)
Sauerkraut (1/2 c = 1 serving)
Kimichi (Korean cabbage) (1/2 c = 1 serving)
Probiotic Capsules/Supplements
If you’re still not crazy about the food list containing probiotics, the 17 Day Diet book recommends using probiotics in capsule/pill form or even in powder form.
Whether you consume probiotics through foods or through supplements, its important to promote healthy digestion throughout the 17 Day Diet.
I’ve been loving the 17 Day Diet since 2011. I love sharing my favorite healthy recipes and meal plans to keep you motivated and on the right path to success!
When I’m not hanging out here, I enjoy quick trips to the Oregon Coast, designing my jewelry line, being a proud Swiftie, and tinkering with my personal Youtube Channel!
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Hi, i whould like every information possible about the program
yours sincerly
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confused about the kefir .. I went to buy it but all were flavored am I looking at the wrong thing … it was pink bottle next to the cheese
Hi Brittany,
You probably found the right thing. Kefir is liquid yogurt (that you can drink) and I’ve always found it next to the cheese and regular yogurt. Just make sure the sugar content is low — at least 9g or less per serving.
I am confused about HOW yogurt is listed in the book. He says “yogurt, any type including Greek, sugar-free fruit flavored, plain and low-fat.
The any type is tripping me up
Does it need to be sugar free and plain?
Or is vanilla greek with some berries acceptable for the 1st cycle?
Hi Amy, you’re not the only one to be confused by what’s written in the book (one of the reasons I started the blog). You can have plain or even fruit flavored. Many people have reported that they were unable to find sugar free fruit flavored yogurt. I’ve seen on other blogs where people talk about trying to keep your fruit flavored yogurt under 9g of sugar. Hope that answers your question.
The Yakult tastes awesome, but I just realized it has sugar and glucose in it. It has 11 g of sugar and 12 g of total carbs. No wonder it tastes so good!
I’m also a bit confused regarding the “Reduced salt miso dissolved in low-fat, low-sodium broth” option. How many ounces of broth are allowed? I take one tbsp as the amount of miso paste but I’m not sure how much broth to dissolve it in.
Dana, I’m not sure of the answer. My first thought would be to look at the directions on the miso product. I don’t use this product, so I don’t have much experience. You can try asking this question on the FB page: https://www.facebook.com/17DDBlog
I also have a question on the kefir: the only one that said unsweetened was the plain vanilla; all of the flavored kefirs had sugar. I was on one website that the gal was raving about a smoothie made of peach kefir and fresh raspberries. Can we use the flavored kefirs on Cycle 1?
Jan, the book doesn’t specify fruit flavored kefir, but there are other inconsistencies within the probiotic section anyway. Best to try limit your sugar intake, so use your discretion. By the way, how many grams of sugar does the fruit flavor contain? And, in the ingredient section, do they ADD sugar?
the lowfat peach has 20 g of sugar. The recipe is: 1/2 c. Peach Kefir, 3/4 c. Greek vanilla bean low fat yogurt, and 1/8 tsp. almond extract (or 2 drops almond oil).
the 20 g of sugar was for 1 cup.
So essentially 10 grams of sugar for the entire recipe? Do they ADD sugar to the kefir or is it naturally occurring?
not sure what you mean by your question of adding sugar to the kefir — here is the website that shows the kefir I looked at in the store. http://www.lifeway.net/Products/OrganicKefir/LowFatKefir/LowFatPeach.aspx
If you look at the ingredients of the kefir, you’ll see that they add organic cane juice (which is sugar) in order to sweeten it. You’ll have a difficult time finding flavored yogurts/kefir with little sugar in it — best advice is to stick with plain yogurts or those that don’t add in extra sugar.
OK, I have another question: does it matter if I drink my cup of hot lemon water BEFORE or AFTER my morning coffee? When I drink it prior to my coffee, my coffee just doesn’t taste right. Can I drink it prior to my breakfast instead?
To get the best benefits of hot lemon water, you really need to drink it on an empty stomach first thing in the morning!
I love ice cream so I changed to Greek Frozen Yogurt 100 calories, 13 grams sugar and 4 grams protein. Can I use that for my probiotic? I save it for my bedtime snack.
Julie, I would make sure that there isn’t any added sugar on the ingredient list. That would be my main concern. I also would like to know how much probiotic you are getting in one serving.
Ok I am so sorry to be hung up on the yogurt issue. But I have another question. Where do you see how much probiotic it has. I have bought some Light & Fit Greek 2xprotein. Can’t really stand it so I bought some Stevia to put in it and noticed that the guide talks about Truvia. Stevia – Truvia. Which should I use? condiment list says Truvia, but recipes use Stevia. Sorry – I’m just not a dairy person so this is the only thing I’m struggling with. I’m almost to the point of eating sauerkraut. Thanks you soooooooo much – on day 3.
Hi Julie, no worries! If you happen to have the new edition of the book, on page 77, Dr. Moreno says that 5 to 10 billion count of probiotic is adequate to maintain your health. In a 6oz serving of yogurt, he goes on to say that there are 17 billion probiotics, so that’s one serving (and you have two servings per day of probiotics). Truvia is the brand name for Stevia. Stevia is the plant the sweetener comes from. Same thing! If you’re not a dairy person, consider taking probiotic supplements. Good luck!
Starting Monday, thanks for all the info on this blog. Need to lose about 50 – 60 pounds, hope this works!
Good luck, Sarah!
Hi Sarah – just seeing you posted this in April. I am starting the 17 day diet tomorrow. Wondering what luck you’ve had with the 50-60 pounds as I have the same to lose. Thanks!
I started this week. I was wondering the same about you.
Im not a big yogurt fan at all! So I was wondering if instead of eating it with some berrys can I just make a smoothie with greek yogurt n berrys n a slash of silk milk in it?
I think that would be just fine!
Sorry but just to clarify. If I don’t like greek yogurt I can have normal yogurt as long as it has probiotics and is under 9 grams of sugar with no added sugars listed in the ingredients section?? Thank you!!!
Yes, that’s correct!
I am drinking 12 Oz’s of homemade kefir water as one of my probiotics but have no way of knowing how much sugar is in it. There are 6 tablespoons of organic sugar in the recipe (6 cups) but have been told the majority of that is eaten up during the fermentation. Do you think I am sabatoging my 17 day diet drinking the kefir water?
Deborah, I’m not sure how to answer that. How long have you been drinking it and are you seeing any weight loss as a result? If you’re not seeing weight loss, try omitting it and see what happens.
Our local Wal-Mart carries these little probiotic drinks called “Bio Salud!” They are 98 cents for 5 of them. They are made by a company called El Vajero Brands out of Monroe, WI. We got tired of yogurt rather quickly, but have been drinking these little drinks for about 6 months now. My husband and I are thrilled with the results we have had on the 17 DD. I have lost over 50 lbs, he has lost over 100. =)
So glad you found something that you enjoy and you see results from!
Hi,
I am also a bit confused about yoghurt. I am now on my 6th day of cycle 1 and am eating Yoplait Forme fruit flavoured which is 175g, 10grams of carbs, 9.6grams of sugar. I seem to think this is still pretty high in carbs and sugar compared to berries. It isn’t clear in the book if we’re only allowed to eat probiotics before 2pm or are we allowed to eat this anytime. I usually eat my probiotics as snacks in the late afternoon eg. 4pm. The book doesn’t really give us a guide for when we should be eating our meals so any knowledge of this will be great!
Tina :)
Tina, you can read all about it right here: https://17ddblog.com/can-probiotics-2pm/
I can’t find acidophilus milk. Do you know where I can get it? Is there a subsitute?
Ann, I’ve found it at Safeway before. No substitute that I know of.
Can I take acidophilus capsule I can’t find the milk my state don’t have a Safeway .
Hi Joan! Yes, this is completely acceptable. Just make sure the supplement has active cultures in it.