This might seem like a strange question, but I have to give my daughter a daily dose of children's acidophilus which must be refrigerated... so taking a supply on the plane isn't going to work for us.

Does anyone know if I can locate a natural or health foods store that would sell probiotics/vitamins, preferably South Ken/Gloucester tube? Our apt will be near a Sainsbury's but don't know if I'll be able to get it there.

Same question I guess for Paris, in case I can't keep my London stash cold on the Eurostar, is there a place I might find this in the 6th or 7th?

thanks,
Kat

There are forms of acidophilus that do not require refrigeration? See, for example, http://www.primaldefense.net/primaldefcap.htm

In the alternative, how about a thermal bag with ice packs? We use these to bring perishables home from our travels (Blue Crab from Baltimore, cheeses from all over, Caviar from Russia) successfully.

The airlines, and I would guess Eurostar, will provide refrigeration for meds/necessaries.

DJK, just as an FYI, I thnk a lot of the non-refrigerated acidophiluses are actually not very effective... most of them are not so stable, at least from the lab techs I've talked to about this. Not to mention there are only a couple brands that make a formula for babies containing a specific strain... and those only come cold, I think....

Anyway, that's a great suggestion for a little thermal bag. I've got one for lunches I could pack with the luggage and fill with ice before we leave for Eurostar.

But I'm not even going to bother with bringing it over on the plane. So I still need to find a health food store in London. Any ideas?

thanks,
Kat

Why not get her some yoghurt, or those small bottles of cultured milk like Actimel or Yakult? All are very widely available in supermarkets and small 'corner shops' as we call them. Sainsbury's sell organic, own-brand yoghurt with acidophilus and other bacteria.

I am not super sure about finding acidophilus, but I did see a couple of health food stores when I was in London &amp; Paris a couple of months ago. In Paris, there was a health food store at the Ecole Militaire metro stop (between the Hotel Royal Phare and the rue Cler--it's right there). In London, I know I happened upon one in the Greenwich Market, which is pretty far removed from London proper....so I figure, if they have one in <b>Greenwich,</b> they must have some in London. I hope that helped a little?

You can check out yell.com, which is london's online yellow pages and look under the &quot;health food shops&quot; category.

There is a monster Tesco on West Cromwell Road which also houses an excellent health food store, Nutri Centre. West Kens is the closest tube which is only a stop or two from you. The flagship Nutri Centre is up by Regent's Park, somewhat less convenient.

You might consider contacting them directly about the acidophilus. All the phone/email details are at their website nutricentre.com. They were very helpful to me trying to track down an item during a visit last year.

I'd think you'd be able to find one. I know I've seen them in London but couldn't tell you where for sure. Check out www.upmystreet.com. It should help find the closest one to your flat.