When you think of yogurt, you think of two things: bacteria and immunity. Probiotic means “for life,” and it refers to the good bacteria in foods and in the human body. Inside our gut are both good and bad bacteria. The goal is for good bacteria to seriously outnumber bad bacteria. This keeps our systems in balance and creates a healthy internal environment where digestion proceeds smoothly, our immunity is strengthened, and yeasts such as Candida albicans are kept in check.
Beneficial Bacteria
Yogurt is a wonderful source of probiotics, or good bacteria. Kefir is a form of drinkable yogurt, and is often a better source of these beneficial bacteria than yogurt. Although probiotics are available in supplement form, it’s better to eat foods rich in these health-promoting organisms, and create a healthy internal environment naturally.
Yogurt contains “live cultures” – living good bacteria. Names of beneficial bacteria that may appear on the label or ingredient list of real yogurt or kefir may include: Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei, L. lactis, L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus, S. diacetylactis, S. florentinus, B. bacterium longum, B. bacterium breve.
What is Yogurt?
Basically, yogurt is fermented milk. Traditionally fermented foods (yogurt, sauerkraut and miso) are among the healthiest foods in existence. They are rich in enzymes and live microorganisms which provide a wide variety of health benefits.
How Probiotics Help Your Immune System
When it comes to supporting and improving your immune system, the members of the lactobacillus bacteria family do the job. An Australian study published in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism revealed that eating yogurt on a daily basis had a stimulating effect of cellular immunity in healthy young women.(1) In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dr. Petterson stated, “By maintaining good gut flora, you’ll prevent all kinds of different diseases, especially chronic degenerative ones.”(2) He went on to say that probiotics help increase the number of natural killer cells in the body, they increase antibodies when infection threatens, digestion improves, and they can increase good cholesterol while decreasing bad cholesterol.
Which Yogurt Should You Choose?
There are many choices on supermarket yogurt shelves. When it comes to choosing a yogurt, the safe bet is to look for the “Live and Active Cultures” (LAC) seal developed by the National Yogurt Association. This identifies yogurt with significant quantities of beneficial live bacteria cultures. Caution: Just because a yogurt label says “made with live cultures” doesn’t mean the bacteria are still alive after the yogurt has been processed. Live cultures can’t survive heat treatment. Look for the LAC seal, or check the label for phrases such as “active yogurt cultures,” “living yogurt cultures,” or “contains active cultures.”
In addition, look for a yogurt or kefir product with more than one type of live bacteria. This is called looking for a “broad spectrum” of bacteria. The types of bacteria in the yogurt or kefir will be listed on the label. Different bacteria have different benefits to the human body, so a variety of bacteria is of more benefit than just one.
Also, when selecting a yogurt, the fewer ingredients the better. Be aware of sugar levels which increase calorie intake, but not nutritional benefits. This goes for all ingredients – the more ingredients on the list, the less yogurt nutrition available. And be sure to check the sugar content. Opt for plain, low-fat yogurt and add your own fresh fruit or healthy granola. And yogurt and kefir are terrific in fruit smoothies too!
Sources:
Bowden, Jonny, The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, (Goucester, Fair Winds Press, 2007), 183.
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