A glass of probiotic tea a day may keep the
doctor away. For that matter, so may a Red
Mango frozen yogurt!

The all-natural teas, available in Lemonade Green Tea, Vanilla Black Tea and Wildberry Hibiscus Tea (herbal), use a new patented strain of probiotic called GanedenBC30, which will also be used in the frozen yogurts by September. This patented strain has been shown in clinical tests to have superior stability, which allows it to survive the journey into the digestive system, where it can be beneficial.

Here are the four things to look for in an effective probiotic, according to Ganaden:

1. Survivability. The probiotic needs to survive the harsh acids of your stomach in order to arrive in your intestines.
2. Safety. An effective probiotic will have published clinical studies on its specific bacterial strain. Often, probiotic manufacturers claim safety studies conducted on strains different from their own.
3. Colonization. Even though a probiotic is able to survive your stomach acids and is safe, it still needs to be able to colonize, or multiply, to have a positive effect on your digestive health. Choose a probiotic that is able to colonize your intestinal tract with beneficial bacteria.
4. Quantity. Look for probiotic-fortified foods or supplements that contain at least one billion or more probiotic cells per serving.

The probiotic teas have five billion cells per serving and are made to order. The probiotics are mixed into the tea right before it is served, to ensure efficacy. They have fewer than 50 calories per 8-ounce serving and are sweetened with cane sugar. They are priced at $2.75 for a 16-ounce cup, and $3.25 for a 24-ounce cup. Our favorite was the Vanilla Black Tea—it had the most tea flavor. Wildberry Hibiscus was our second fave. We love hibiscus, and this tea is brewed with real hibiscus flowers. But the racy red flavor and acidity of real hibiscus is overpowered by the (admittedly more mainstream) wildberry flavor. Lemonade Green Tea needed double the amount of lemon flavor. These teas are brewed fresh and therefore not subject to a uniform quality control. We’ll have to try it again to see if Lemonade Green Tea was brewed with too little tea, or if the flavor itself needs some added oomph.

If you don’t live near a Red Mango, you can purchase GanadenBC30 in capsule form via Sustenex, which is carried by many drugstores and vitamin shops. A two-month supply is $19.95, and there’s a free offer at GetSustenex.com.

• Become a probiotic pro: Read our Introduction To Probiotic Food.
• More on probiotics, including foods that contain probiotics.
• Check out our Probiotics Glossary.

Mozzarella, tomato and basil, the classic “Caprese salad” (named after the Italian island of Capri) is a popular first course.

For a change, substitute goat cheese. Its creaminess pairs beautifully with the sweet acidity of tomatoes.

For a beautiful dish:

 
Variations include serving the sliced goat cheese with a “salad” of red and yellow tomato wedges (or sliced cherry tomatoes) in a red wine vinaigrette.

Or, you can stack the cheese, basil and sliced tomatoes in a “napoleon.” 

When tomatoes aren’t in season, substitute roasted red peppers.

Goat Cheese Caprese Salad. The goat cheese substitutes for mozzarella in this recipe from Mario Batali (photo courtesy Good Housekeeping).

Visit the Heinz website for contest rules and to enter your memory. For each memory received, Heinz will make a donation to the National Gardening Association, a nonprofit organization that works to sustain the connection between people, plants and the environment through gardening.

• Check out THE NIBBLE’s reviews of 42 different ketchups. Some are so wonderful, we recommend them as gifts.

If you’ve got the memories, you could
take home the prize.

• Once advertised as the “slowest ketchup in the West,” Heinz Ketchup exits the glass bottle at 0.028 miles per hour.
• The secret to releasing the ketchup more quickly from the glass bottle: Apply a firm tap to the “57” on the neck of the bottle.
• The company no longer makes green ketchup—only red.

If you buy store-made salads—tuna, chicken, egg, potato and macaroni salad, cole slaw and others— there’s generally room for improvement.

Add little bits of one or more accents, and you’ll have a vastly improved product.

Select two or three seasonings to layer flavor. Examples:

Turn store-bought cole slaw into something more flavorful (here’s the recipe for this slaw from Epicurious).

 
It’s that easy!

From the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel to your lunch
box: the Waldorf tuna salad. Photo courtesy of StarKist.

Ingredients
– 2 cans (4 ounces) tuna, drained and chunked (or one 6.4-ounce pouch or two 2.6-ounce pouches)
– 2 tablespoon lemon juice
– 1/3 cup raisins
– 1/2 cup mayonnaise
– 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 3 apples, medium, cored and cubed
– 1 cup celery, chopped
– 1/3 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
– 1/4 cup milk
– Lettuce leaves

• How about Barack Obama’s favorite tuna salad recipe?
• Go gourmet with a recipe for seared sesame tuna with lemongrass and lychee coulis.
• Our editor’s favorite tuna recipe is Daniel Boulud’s tuna tartare.