It's easy to be confused when shopping for yogurt in the dairy case, as there are dozens of varieties. Some yogurts are made with cow’s milk, goat’s milk or soy milk. What’s the difference? Some are made with live cultures such as Lactobacillius acidophilus and bifidus that helps the body manufacture more so-called friendly bacteria in the gut. If you have ever taken a prescription for oral antibiotics and later felt your digestion was off or you even had a yeast infection, this is a common side affect. Prescription antibiotics are designed to kill off all bacteria in the gut, including the ones that make you feel ill and the ones that maintain a homeostasis so you can digest foods. Yogurt has been made for centuries in kitchens around the world from starter bacterias, much the way sourdough bread is made. Today, it is safest and easier to simply purchase live culture yogurts as the supermarket or health food store.
Instructions
1. Begin by reading labels. You may be surprised to discover that your favorite yogurt contains no . This is common among many well-known brands of yogurts.
2. Know what to look for on the labels. Specifically, you are interested in yogurts that contain the live cultures Lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidus. There may be two or three other types of live cultures, but these are the most common and easiest to assimilate for most people.
3. Don’t be fooled. Even labels that read “live cultures” on the front of the yogurt container may, upon closer inspection of the food label, contain only milk, added milk powder, gelatin, sugars, fruits and colors.
4. Remember that even nonfat, organic, live culture yogurt has natural sugar. A one-cup serving of this kind of yogurt provides live cultures, 14 grams of protein, 0 grams of fat and 10 grams of sugar. That is not added sugar, but simply sugar from the milk from which it it is made. This is to say all things in moderation.
5. Consuming ½ to 1 cup of live culture yogurt a day is appropriate for most adults. Consult your physician or nutritionist for specific guidance.
Tags: live cultures, live culture, acidophilus bifidus, culture yogurt, live culture yogurt, made with