I just started taking a probiotic for the first time. I did a bunch of research about them before I picked one. I'm taking progressive's HCP70, just started yesterday. It's just a gel cap, with all the probiotic powder within it. They say to take it with food at breakfast and dinner, so the stomach ph is optimal. I like the gel cap idea as well, since it'll open up in the small intestine and keep all the probiotic's away from the stomach acid.