Yogurt Health Benefits: The Ultimate Guide!

Yogurt health benefits seem to be a new idea for many, especially the latest versions of the non-dairy variety. Benefits for traditional milk yogurt have been known for ages and may be one of the  most important foods that you could eat. It is made by adding bacteria cultures to animal milk or non-dairy milk to start the fermentation process. You want to make sure that the added bacteria that created the new thick and somewhat sour product are still active and have not been rendered inactive by pasteurization.

Your digestive system and immune system benefit greatly from the live probiotic bacteria:

• Lactobacillusbulgaricus 
• Streptococcus thermophiles

Other good bacteria may include:

• lactobacilli
• Casei
  
• L. Rhamnosus
  
• bifidobacteria
  

Yogurt makes it easy to get your probiotic needs without having to take pills that offer minimal nutritional value. 

Yogurt Health Benefits Reduce Risk...

There are many other yogurt health benefits that may include reduced risk of obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, type-2 diabetes, and irritable bowel syndrome.  Yogurt may also help to increase the body's microbiome by adding good probiotics. We know that a healthy gut is one of the most important aspects of maintaining a healthy life.

At this point, I need to review some of the reasons to why we think you should avoid animal milk yogurt. As many as 20 different antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, steroid hormones, painkillers, and sex hormones may be found in milk products including yogurt offered in your food market. Some of the chemicals are given to lactating animals directly while others are obtained or placed in their food sources.

Organic Yogurt

If you would prefer cow's milk yogurt it would be best to find a brand that is made from grass fed cows and only ORGANIC products are used to maintain the animals. With the conditions of the USA standard milk production, it was easy for Barbara and me to look for a good non-dairy form of yogurt to avoid all the unhealthy elements that may be found in animal milk yogurts.

It is still necessary to find an ORGANIC brand of plant yogurt. Soy beans and other plant-based products may be genetically modified (GMO) and /or contain glyphosate or other chemicals found in herbicides and pesticides used in the plants growing cycle. The very least that you should consume in order to take advantage of yogurt health benefits would be one that is certified with a NON-GMO label. The ideal brand would contain prebiotics, probiotics, no added sugar and be all plant based without any emulsifiers, refined sugar, colorings, preservatives, or non-plant products. If you go for a low-fat yogurt it will usually have most of these additives.

Non Dairy Yogurt

The demand in recent years for plant-based milk and yogurt has been dramatic. Traditional producers of animal-based yogurts are introducing non-dairy (plant-based) yogurt to satisfy demand. The public is finally figuring out that dairy in its present form is not the healthiest way to go. One thing that is very important is that animal yogurt contains cholesterol and has zero fiber. Don't forget that the body manufactures all the cholesterol that it needs. Consuming animal products only adds cholesterol. Non-dairy yogurt has real fiber that the American diet is dramatically deficient in. As far as yogurt health benefits are concerned, here are some of the different brands of plant-based yogurts available in 5.3-ounce cups  with active cultures for you to consider: 

So Delicious

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Dannon Good Plants

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Chobani Slightly Sweet

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Lavva 

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Stoneyfield Organic

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Silk Plain Almond Milk

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The next time that you pass by the yogurt aisle in the grocery, pick out one of the new non-dairy yogurts and give it a try. We know that yogurt health benefits are many, especially plant-based, and they can help you stay on the road to great health.

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         >Healthy Food Choices

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