Local Foods and Specialty Crops Outreach

Most importantly, our various social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, etc.) are part of a conversation between real people. Because of the family nature of our content, we have guidelines in place on what is appropriate interaction with the YMCA of Greater Houston online.

Our Social Media team works diligently to post accurate, timely, relevant content. We respond to feedback with respect and courtesy, and request our friends and fans do the same.

We welcome constructive feedback, but we reserve the right to remove any comments that are inappropriate due to foul language, attacking of a single person or group, unsupported accusations, or spam that explicitly promotes a product or service. If contact information is available, we will notify comment authors personally to let them know their comments have been removed. We reserve the right to ban repeat offenders.

No one is here to look over your shoulder, but please use common sense when it comes to the use of objectionable language, sensitive topics, etc. Also be sure to proof-read and use proper grammar / spelling.

Check your sourcesSome sources may acquire inside knowledge that is not meant for publication. Just because you may see something on the Web does not mean it is meant to be public knowledge. As a general rule, an item that has appeared in a press release may be considered fair game.

For the squeamish Some may feel more comfortable posting a disclaimer claiming that the opinions posted are not those of Opera Software. This may help readers understand that your comments are from your perspective.

Some bacteria make spores which can live for many years and then blossom and grow. Most probiotics do not make spores, so they gradually die off if they do not find a comfortable place to grow, meaning a moist, warm, friendly environment like the colon. However, when a probiotic sits on a shelf in a store, the bugs gradually die. The longer they are in a warehouse or on a store shelf the fewer live bacteria will be present. Refrigeration likely prolongs the life of probiotics but we don’t know for which ones and for how long. Most manufacturers will not tell you.

Stomach acid is very, very strong. It does and will kill the majority of bacteria that get into the stomach each day. So, how do you protect the probiotic bacteria you take from this “bacteria execution chamber” which everyone has inside them?

Some manufacturers will coat the bacteria with a whey (wheat) protein to resist stomach acid. We do not know how well this works and it is not for a celiac or wheat intolerant person. Another substance is called alginate which coats and protects the bacteria until it gets into the small intestine where it is safe. Again, we don’t really know how well this works.