Visit your nearest grocery store, and the yogurt section is as jam-packed and dizzying as the cheese section. There are plenty of sizes, from little individual cups to big tubs; plenty of varieties, from Greek to non-fat to skyr; and tons of flavors, from plain to vanilla to s’mores.
With all of those options and brands, it’s hard to know if you’re getting the basic benefits of yogurt. To help me narrow down my choices, I talked to an expert: Becca Grad, Director of Marketing at Maple Hill Creamery, a grass-fed and organic creamery that produces milk, yogurt, and kefir.
The Most Important Thing on a Yogurt Label
When examining a yogurt label, Grad says to look for the phrase “live and active cultures.”
“Live active cultures are what make yogurt, yogurt. They’re the beneficial bacteria that ferment milk into yogurt, giving it its tangy flavor and creamy texture,” she says. As a bonus, this bacteria is known to support digestive health, and even makes yogurt easier to enjoy for consumers with dairy sensitivities.
Beyond this phrase, look for the specific bacteria strains listed on the packaging. Grad explains, “By law, yogurt is made with two core cultures: Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. They do the fermenting and give yogurt its classic flavor and texture. But sometimes brands add extra strains such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium (often listed as Bifidus or B. lactis), and Lactobacillus casei, which are commonly associated with digestive and gut health.”
She’s quick to note that extra strains are not required for a quality yogurt. What’s more important is that the yogurt is made from quality ingredients and contains active ingredients that were not heat-treated. “You should also watch out for language like ‘heat-treated after culturing.’ That means the yogurt was pasteurized after fermentation, which can kill the cultures, so you’ve lost the very thing you were looking for,” says Grad.
Credit: Simply Recipes / Getty Images
To Buy Great Yogurt, Follow These 3 Steps
To sum up Grad’s advice, here’s a handy quick guide for the next time you buy yogurt:
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“Start by checking out the ingredient label and look for the words ‘live and active cultures,’ ideally followed by the specific strains,” says Grad. A package that says “made with cultures” won’t cut it.
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Ensure that the label does not say it was heat-treated after cooking, since this will kill valuable bacteria.
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Check the ingredient list. “The shorter and more recognizable the ingredient list, the better,” says Grad.
Read the original article on Simply Recipes