If you’ve already committed to getting more yogurt into your diet (congratulations), the next step is to make sure you’re getting as many benefits as possible. Whether you prefer flavored yogurt, Greek yogurt, skyr or non-dairy plant-based yogurtregistered dietitian and nutrition expert Kristie LeighRD, Director of Scientific Affairs of Danone North Americahas tips that will ensure you get the most out of every delicious spoonful.
How to make the most of the benefits of yogurt for intestinal health and digestion, according to an RD
1. When you go grocery shopping, keep yogurt fresh by stacking it with other cold items in your shopping cart.
Dairy-based yogurt must be kept cold for food safety reasons. But temperature matters when it comes to all types of yogurt, including plant-based, and here’s why (in addition to the food safety factor): According to Leigh, yogurt should be kept between 32°F and 45°F to protect your live, active gut-stimulating cultures, and she has some practical suggestions for maintaining this temperature.
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First, Leigh recommends keeping yogurt in your cart alongside other cold or frozen items while you shop, and then packing those same items together to keep yogurt fresh on the way home. Once home, she puts the yogurt on a middle shelf; avoid the refrigerator door, where temperatures fluctuate the most. “This will help ensure that the live and active cultures and the quality of the yogurt are maintained,” says Leigh.
2. A little research can go a long way when it comes to finding the yogurt that meets your needs.
Leigh points out that there are many different types of probiotic strains, each conferring different benefits. Knowing what specific strains are in your yogurt is key to knowing what you’re getting from it. For example, according to Leigh, the widely used Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG the tension has been shown to support immune health. However, it is not always easy. For one, Leigh points out that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate the use of the word “probiotic” on food labels. That means you’ll have to dig deeper to learn more about specific strains.
The first step, Leigh says, is to look on the product label for specific strains of yogurt. The names of these strains usually consist of the genus, species, and specific strain, expressed as a combination of numbers and/or letters. Entering the strain name into a search engine can help you discover what benefits, if any, that particular strain is associated with. “There are products out there that contain many different ‘probiotics’ in one formula, but without the strain information you won’t be able to tell if the bacteria in the product are really studied probiotic strains or cultures with no studied benefit,” says Leigh.
Leigh also stresses that when it comes to the number of probiotic strains in a serving of yogurt, more isn’t always better. “Depending on the benefit you’re looking for, you may only need one probiotic strain to get that benefit,” she says. The same goes for the number of colony-forming units (CFUs), which are the number of live microorganisms in the product. “The amount of CFUs needed to get the benefit depends on the probiotic strain, so without a little research, it’s hard to tell if you’re getting the amount you need,” says Leigh.
Leigh also recommends looking for multi-benefit probiotic products. “For example, many brands of yogurt can pull double duty by supporting your gut health and immune system. The new Activia+ multi-benefit drinking yogurt is a great example: it’s packed with live, active cultures to keep your microbiome in balance, as well as vitamin D, zinc, and vitamin C to help support the immune system.”
3. Combine your yogurt with plant-based foods to diversify your diet
Although yogurt can do a lot of heavy lifting on its own when it comes to gut health, mixing it with plant-based foods can add additional flavor, texture, and gut-boosting benefits.
Citing findings from the American Gut Projecta crowdfunded citizen science project that collects data on the human microbiome, Leigh notes that it has been shown that people who consume 30 different types of plants a week have a greater diversity of gut bacteria— an indicator of good gut health — compared to those who ate 10 or fewer plants a week. “Fortunately, many plant-based foods pair deliciously with yogurt, including fruits, grains, vegetables, and even nuts,” says Leigh. Food to go? Topping your bowl of yogurt with dried cranberries, cherries, banana slices, peanut butter, toasted almonds, or chia (or all of the above) is a great power move for your gut health.
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