Barb Hodgens
Barb Hodgens

Barb Hodgens loves to cook with alternative, healthy whole food ingredients, with a focus on gut health. Barb has overcome her own gut health issues through healthy eating. Share your ideas, comments and photos at the end of this post :)

Sugar shift probiotic yogurt

Homemade yogurt that targets the way the body metabolises sugar.

We’re excited to introduce our yogurt loving community to a new probiotic starter culture called ‘Sugar Shift’ by Martha Carlin of Biotiquest. The original Sugar Shift probiotic was created to target the way the body metabolises sugars. The formula converts excess sugars (glucose and fructose) into mannitol, which the human body naturally eliminates. Converting these sugars re-establishes harmony in the gut and helps speed up sugar metabolism.

Whether you’re struggling with a specific health challenge, or you simply want to feel your best, ‘Sugar Shift’ probiotic yogurt can:

  • Reduce inflammation and other complications by altering sugar metabolism.
  • Improve bowel regularity. 
  • Decrease sugar and carb cravings often leading to weight loss.
  • Boosts energy and lessen fatigue.
  • Restore overall digestive health.
  • Improve glucose metabolism by reducing levels of blood glucose.

Sugar Shift cultured dairy

THE STARTER CULTURE

The unique eight-strain formula was designed to tackle the growing problem of sugar addiction and its impact on the microbiome. The formula is a well-balanced, very specific community of bacteria that includes L. reuteri, the key strain Dr. Davis recommends for gut health. Unlike conventional yogurt making, Davis's method maximises bacterial counts by adding prebiotic fibre to the yogurt mixture before fermentation to provide additional food for the microorganisms. Good news, the unique Sugar Shift blend contains inulin so you will not have to add prebiotic fibre to the milk separately when you make your yogurt.

Sugar Shift starter is best fermented at a low temperature for up to 36 hours. According to lab tests, when the conditions are right during fermentation the bacteria in Sugar Shift double every 12 hours. The long fermentation process generates very high probiotic bacterial counts, far higher than any store-bought or traditional homemade yogurt.

<img style="margin-bottom: 10px; float: none;" alt="Sugar Shift probiotic yogurt" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1029/7511/files/sugar_shift_steps2_449aa14a-4ee3-40e8-93ac-2b967ae73714_1024x1024.png?v=1717635854">

WHICH MILK TO USE 

The original Biotiquest method uses ultra-pasteurized half and half milk, which is a full-fat milk commonly available in America. It is not available in Australia, in the UK and Europe, it’s known as ‘half cream’. If half and half milk is available in your area, we recommend you use it. Where half and half milk is not available, we recommend heating full cream milk (or ‘whole milk’ in America and Canada). Heating changes the milks composition, eliminates competing bacteria, and will prevent it from separating into curds and whey. Furthermore, heating and holding the temperature at 82° C (180° F) for 10-20 minutes denatures the milk proteins so that they bind and set together producing a thicker and creamier final product. Let the milk cool down to below 42° C (107° F) before adding the starter.

Sugar Shift yogurt

WHAT TO EXPECT

Thin or separated yogurt is common with probiotic strains. To yield a thicker Greek-style result you can pour off or strain the whey following this method. Whey is often dubbed ‘liquid gold’. It's highly nutritious and can be used in a variety of health-giving ways. Adding it into smoothies is a delicious way to get a probiotic boost. 

Sugar Shift probiotic yoguyrt

PREPARATION

Before you begin it is important to sterilise the Luvele yogurt making glass jar and any utensils you use, in boiling hot water. Do this by boiling a kettle and carefully pouring the hot water in the jar and over the equipment. The danger of not sterilising is that other bacteria may overpower your culture and affect the quality of your ferment. 

star

Sugar Shift probiotic yogurt

Sugar Shift probiotic yogurt

PIN THIS RECIPE

Sugar shift yogurt