Smidge is a supplement brand I love and have used with my family alongside GAPS. We have used its probiotic range, both digestive enzyme formulas, Morning and Evening Magnesium, and Beef Liver. We have also used Yeastbiotic. The small-batch approach and attention to ingredients are important reasons I choose the brand.
Our routine has changed over time. We have used different products at different times and in different combinations, switching according to symptoms, tolerance and how the products worked together. The bottles in this review represent that history. They are not one fixed combination we take every day.
We use a gradual step-up approach to dosage, and the small children stay on Infant Probiotic Powder. We have found that consistent dosing, paired with the diet, keeps our bowels moving and our symptoms, including constipation and eczema flares, under control. That experience is why I want to explain the range properly, including the differences that matter when choosing a formula.
Why I Like Smidge
I care about what comes with a supplement as well as its main ingredient. Smidge’s emphasis on small batches, minimal formulas and avoiding common allergens fits what I look for when choosing products for my family. Its product-quality page gives practical detail behind that approach: it describes hand-filling Sensitive Probiotic Powder, testing incoming ingredients and checking finished products for identity, potency and purity.[1]
The format still matters. Infant and Sensitive probiotic powders are presented as pure probiotic blends. Some capsules include cellulose along with the capsule material. Smidge explains that difference on its quality page, so a powder and a capsule from the same range can have different ingredient lists.[1][2][3][4]
That gives you a concrete choice. A pure powder suits someone looking for the shortest ingredient list and small measured amounts. Capsules offer a ready portion, while their other ingredients remain part of the decision. I would compare the actual formula and format instead of choosing from the product name alone.
Smidge also publishes a description of its manufacturing and testing process, including raw-material, finished-product and stability checks. Morning Magnesium, Evening Magnesium and Beef Liver appear on the current Informed Choice certified-products list. That program adds a third-party check for banned substances to the quality information available for those particular products.[1][11][13]
The Probiotic Options
We have used all the Smidge probiotic levels, with the little ones remaining on Infant Probiotic Powder. The range gives us different blends and concentrations to consider as tolerance and needs change.
The current labels make the differences easier to see. CFU means colony-forming units, the measure used on these labels for viable microbes. Each figure below is the amount on the label. Our step-up amounts have varied, so this table is a way to compare concentrations.[2][3][4][5]
| Product | Current Blend and Label Serving |
|---|---|
| Infant Probiotic Powder | Seven bacterial species. One included spoonful, approximately 20 mg, supplies 1.45 billion CFU. The 15 g bottle lists 750 servings. |
| Sensitive Probiotic Powder | Eight bacterial species. One included spoonful, approximately 20 mg, supplies 3 billion CFU. The 20 g bottle lists 1,000 servings. |
| Sensitive Probiotic Capsules | The eight-species Sensitive blend. The label serving of two capsules supplies 10 billion CFU; one capsule supplies 5 billion. |
| Optimal Probiotic Capsules | Thirteen bacterial species. The label serving of two capsules supplies 20 billion CFU; one capsule supplies 10 billion. |
Infant and Sensitive Powders
The Infant formula is the one our small children continue to use. Smidge also describes it as an option for sensitive older beginners. Sensitive includes Lactobacillus plantarum, which is absent from Infant, and has a different concentration. The names therefore describe different formulations, as well as different places in the range.[2][3]
One practical advantage of powder is the ability to measure a small amount with the included dosage spoon. That spoon is tiny: the label spoonful is about 20 milligrams. It is important to use the supplied measuring tool and the product’s directions, rather than substitute a kitchen teaspoon.
Sensitive and Optimal Capsules
Sensitive capsules offer the eight-species blend in a capsule format. Optimal has a broader thirteen-species blend, including species absent from Sensitive. Its CFU count per capsule also differs. Those details explain why switching products requires reading the new label, even when both bottles contain capsules.[4][5]
The larger bottle counts on the powders can be useful, but they describe labeled servings. How long a bottle lasts a household depends on who is using it and the amount each person takes. I do not treat 750 or 1,000 servings as a promise about how long it will last my family.
How We Step Up and Adjust
We start slowly and increase gradually. We also change combinations when symptoms, tolerance or compatibility call for a change. Once a combination suits us, consistency alongside the GAPS diet has been important in keeping things settled.
That gradual approach has a clear place in the GAPS book. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride describes beginning probiotics with a small amount, observing the response and allowing a reaction to settle before increasing again. She treats the therapeutic and maintenance amounts as individual, with the diet remaining essential to the work.[12]
Smidge’s directions also emphasize starting below the usual serving and building slowly. A label serving gives you a reference for the product’s concentration; your introduction still needs to account for the particular formula and the person taking it.[2][3][4][5]
For the wider GAPS explanation, read my probiotic guide and guide to die-off and slower introductions. My Supplement Introduction Tracker is listed in the WFLI Shop for families who want a companion to this part of the routine.
Where Yeastbiotic Fits
We have used Smidge Yeastbiotic too. It contains Saccharomyces boulardii, a beneficial yeast, rather than another blend of probiotic bacteria. Its current label lists 3 billion CFU per capsule.[6]
That is a meaningful distinction when looking at the range. Smidge presents Yeastbiotic for use as needed in a course, rather than as its ongoing maintenance probiotic.[6]
Smidge does not recommend Yeastbiotic for severely immunocompromised people or people with central venous catheters.[6]
The Two Digestive Enzyme Formulas
We have used both enzyme products. They serve different purposes, and the handling directions are different too.
Digestive Enzymes
Smidge Digestive Enzymes contains an enzyme blend without betaine HCl or pepsin. It includes enzymes for proteins, fats and carbohydrates, with more carbohydrate-focused enzymes than the HCl formula. Smidge directs taking it at the beginning of a meal and permits opening the capsule for a smaller portion.[7]
This is the relevant distinction if you are comparing the products: it supplies enzymes without adding the stomach-acid component. Smidge does not recommend it for children under three unless prescribed. The enzymes are produced through Aspergillus fermentation, and its directions also exclude people with mold sensitivity, an Aspergillus allergy or compromised immunity.[7]
HCl + Enzymes
Smidge HCl + Enzymes adds betaine hydrochloride and pepsin to its enzyme blend. The current two-capsule label serving contains 400 mg of betaine HCl and 8 mg of pepsin. The pepsin is porcine-derived.[8]
The GAPS book distinguishes support for stomach acidity from supplementing the enzymes that work farther along digestion. Dr. Natasha puts particular emphasis on stomach acidity and its role in the digestive sequence. That helps explain why the two Smidge products are different choices.[12]
HCl + Enzymes must be swallowed whole with food. The label says not to open or chew it, use it on an empty stomach, or take it with stomach or duodenal ulcers or medicines that can cause ulcers. Smidge also says to stop if it causes stomach upset or heartburn. Smidge does not intend it for babies or toddlers unless prescribed by a healthcare professional. Its mold, Aspergillus and immunity exclusions also apply.[8]
Timing is part of compatibility. Both Smidge and the GAPS book separate HCl supplementation from probiotic supplements. Dr. Natasha distinguishes that from fermented foods eaten with a meal. That separation is one reason to read the timing directions when putting a combination together.[8][12]
Morning and Evening Magnesium
Morning and Evening Magnesium are both products we have used. Their names describe the manufacturer’s intended timing, but the ingredient lists and serving sizes give the more useful comparison.
| Product | Current Label |
|---|---|
| Morning Magnesium | Four capsules provide 200 mg of magnesium from malate, taurinate and orotate, plus 1.5 mg of boron. |
| Evening Magnesium | One capsule provides 100 mg of magnesium as Chelamax magnesium bisglycinate and magnesium oxide. |
Morning’s labeled serving is four capsules, while Evening’s is one. Comparing one capsule from each bottle without checking that difference would give the wrong impression of their amounts.[9][10]
Form also matters in GAPS. In her constipation guidance, Dr. Natasha recommends amino acid chelates for regular magnesium supplementation and reserves magnesium oxide for occasional relief. Evening lists oxide as part of its blend; Morning uses the three forms above.[12]
Smidge directs Morning Magnesium toward breakfast or lunch and says to avoid late-day use; it does not recommend it for children under five. Evening’s directions place it with food at night or before sleep. Our use of the two has varied with the rest of our routine.[9][10]
Smidge Beef Liver
Beef Liver is another Smidge product we use. Its appeal is a compact whole-food ingredient: freeze-dried, non-defatted liver from grass-fed New Zealand cattle, in a gelatin capsule. Keeping the fat is part of the product’s design.[11]
The current label lists 2,400 mg of beef liver powder per four-capsule serving, with gelatin as the other ingredient. Smidge describes naturally occurring nutrients in the liver, including vitamin A, B12 and copper. The Supplement Facts panel gives the amount of liver powder rather than separate standardized amounts for those vitamins and minerals.[11]
That helps explain what you are choosing: a prepared liver ingredient in capsule form. Smidge permits opening the capsule, but describes the exposed powder as having a strong flavor and dry texture. For toddlers and young children, Smidge specifies no more than one capsule a day unless a qualified medical practitioner directs otherwise. The convenience of swallowing a capsule and the experience of using its loose contents are different considerations.[11]
Handling and Storage
The probiotic powders and bacterial probiotic capsules require refrigeration for long-term storage. Smidge allows up to two weeks at room temperature during travel and tells users to keep the powders dry. It also directs using cool or lukewarm food with the powders.[2][3][4][5]
These are useful everyday details when deciding between formats. A capsule can simplify taking a portion, but the bacterial capsule products still have refrigeration instructions. A powder gives more measuring flexibility and asks you to handle a small scoop carefully.
The enzyme and magnesium products call for a cool, dry place away from direct light. Yeastbiotic and Beef Liver call for cool, dry storage with refrigeration for long-term storage. Keeping each bottle’s own directions with it is more useful than assuming everything in one brand has the same storage needs.[6][7][8][9][10][11]
How Smidge Fits Our GAPS Routine
The diet has remained part of the picture throughout our use of these products. Our experience has been with supplements and GAPS together, with combinations adjusted according to the person and the response.
That fits the book’s emphasis on an individual supplementation plan. Dr. Natasha puts the diet first, gives fermented foods a central probiotic role and recommends keeping extra supplements to a minimum. Her vitamin-and-mineral discussion also distinguishes targeted supplementation from starting the program with a long list of pills.[12]
My GAPS supplement guide explains those roles in more detail. The point of this review is to help you understand the Smidge products we have used, why I value them and the differences between the formulas.
My Recommendation
I recommend looking closely at Smidge if you value minimal formulas, small-batch production and a range that gives you options for gradual introductions. Its probiotic powders are a particularly useful part of that choice for a family that wants small, measured amounts. Our little ones continuing with Infant Powder is an important part of our experience.
Smidge has earned a place in our routine because of what we have experienced alongside the diet, including more regular bowels and better control of constipation and eczema flares. We have changed products and combinations as needed, and I would keep that flexibility in mind when reading the range.
Start by comparing the Infant, Sensitive and Optimal formulas with the role you are considering. The product links above lead to Smidge’s current labels and directions, so you can make the choice with the actual formula in front of you.
You can shop Smidge through my referral link. The individual product links above take you directly to each formula’s label and directions.
References
- Smidge. Our Product Quality. Manufacturing, ingredients and testing. Checked October 22, 2026.
- Smidge. Infant Probiotic Powder. Current label, directions and storage.
- Smidge. Sensitive Probiotic Powder. Current label, directions and storage.
- Smidge. Sensitive Probiotic Capsules. Current label and directions.
- Smidge. Optimal Probiotic Capsules. Current label and directions.
- Smidge. Yeastbiotic. Current label, intended course and recipient conditions.
- Smidge. Digestive Enzymes. Current label, directions and recipient conditions.
- Smidge. HCl + Enzymes. Current label, directions and handling conditions.
- Smidge. Morning Magnesium. Current label and directions.
- Smidge. Evening Magnesium. Current label, blend and directions.
- Smidge. Beef Liver. Current label, sourcing, directions and storage.
- Natasha Campbell-McBride. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020). Nutritional Supplements: Probiotics, Digestive Enzymes, Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation; A–Z: Constipation.
- Informed Choice. Certified Products List. Smidge Morning Magnesium, Evening Magnesium and Beef Liver. Checked October 22, 2026.
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