GI ProStart

I make 4-6 quarts of fresh goat milk yogurt every week using a crock pot. I run each batch for 24 hours at 110 degrees. It comes out great each time, so I have reduced the amount of material I put in over the years so I calculate that I get about 120+ quarts of yogurt from a single GI Prostart container. One trick to make it stretch further is to take 3 quart jars of goat milk and place into a single large pot on the stove to preheat to 95 degrees. The GIStart is added when the milk is cold and whisked consistently until the 95 degrees is reached. The large pot of milk is then poured back into the three quart glass mason jars with loose plastic lids and these jar placed into a crock pot with towel/lid, regulated at 110 degrees using a Dorkfood. Running for 24 hours is perfect to use up the milk sugar, but after 28 hours the yeast might starve such that the yogurt loses its 'living' probiotic health benefits (though still tastes yummy).My sweetheart, who has Crohns, is able to have this yogurt whereas she could not tolerate the Goat yogurt from Trader Joes. After putting it into the fridge it develops a quarter inch crust of hard yogurt cream at the top -- way yummy.I am saddened that at the moment I want to reorder and Amazon says it does not know when/if GI Prostart will return as a stocked item. I will hunt it down as I am not interested in experimenting with another starter product since this one works so well for us.

I hesitated to order this product because of the price, but I have been very happy with it. GI Prostart Yogurt Starter works just as advertised. I make non-dairy yogurt almost daily so that I can use the yogurt and also make yogurt cheese. The GI Prostart has never yet failed-even when I have used a sub-par yogurt maker.I highly recommend this product. My only warning would be that GI Prostart needs to be refrigerated and the company sends it in cold packs. If it takes too long for you to get it inside-say during the summer-the micro-organisms may die. However, I had it delivered to my mail stop and don't know when it arrived. When I picked up the package, the cold packs had completely melted but were still cool to the touch. I didn't have any problems, but I wish they had tracking available so that I would know as soon as the product arrived! I think I was lucky that time.

I bought GI ProStart so I could make non-dairy yogurt. The reviews indicated that this was possible. I tried making yogurt with soy milk and with rice milk following the instructions carefully and neither batch thickened. The probiotic clumps up when it first gets wet and it was hard to get it to disperse evenly throughout the milk. I did manage to make a batch of yogurt using goat's milk. It fermented and thickened slightly, but not nearly as much as conventional yogurt. The taste of the goat's milk yogurt is good. I wish that I could make a non-dairy yogurt though.

This is a very reliable yogurt starter. I have used it many times and always get a nice, smooth, thick yogurt with whole milk and nothing else added. I love the convenience of a vial out which I can scoop out what I need for each batch (as compared to dealing with packets). The only negative is that the flavor of the yogurt is a little too bland. I prefer a tangy yogurt, so it's not my favorite starter, but it's good and reliable.

I have been suffering from IBS and SIBO for the past 7 years, I went on the SCD diet after reading the book "Breaking The Vicious Cycle" by Elaine Gotschall, this was 3 months ago, I used home made yoghurt using various starters, but was really having trouble with digestion after having those yoghurt's (dairy and non-dairy), I then tested this GI Pro Start stuff with both dairy and non-dairy milks, both were successful but the best one for me is the Almond milk yoghurt that I made with the GI Pro Start, I make the Almond milk myself and let the yoghurt ferment for 18 hours (on my YOGOURMET MULTI).I have seen a significant improvement in my condition and am 100% confident that I can completely cure this debilitating disease within a year or so of following the SCD diet (I am already 60% there). One thing is for sure, never give up on the diet, even if you have bad days and things seem to go backward at some times.I will list the things that were most important to me in getting to this level of health:Most beneficial element: Elaine Gotschall (may she rest in peace)Next Element: jordanandsteve@scdlifestyle.com - [...]Next element: GI ProStartBefore the above, I spent over $15 000.00 on medical bills and medication that really got me nowhere, please do not misunderstand me, medical procedures and tests are really important, but the medical community has not really looked into the disease called IBS in a meaningful way, and there are not many positive developments in the way of finding a cure.MY TWO CENTS: I got these problems due to my eating habits and lifestyle choices, I was and am under a lot of stress since I run my own business, nothing will work for me or anyone else unless we get good nutrition, enough sleep and reduce the stress in our lives; these things can be achieved by working at individual issues in a smart and logical manner one day at a time. I have achieved my financial dreams and got something I never bargained for as well (IBS and SIBO), I am now working towards undoing the damage that I did to my system all this time.UPDATE AFTER BECOMING A REAL PRO AT MAKING ALMOND YOGURT: I have mastered the process for making the most potent pro-biotic almond milk, I will list my process in point form:1. I use 80g of clear honey (do not use cloudy/sedimented honey, since this will inflame your bowel lining), per 2 litres of Almond milk (3oZ for 2 Quarts)2. I ferment for 12 hours, but stir the yogurt thoroughly, halfway through the process (6th hour), this stirring process will maximize the bacterial growth by redistributing the honey/fuel for the bacteria (I think that the bacteria will be at least 30% more compared to non-stirred yogurt).3. If possible, use Thai Longan Honey; this is a very light and clear honey, will not be harsh on the stomach as the more denser honeys.All the best!