What does Yogurt do for the body? Does it really help your stomach and what is the best to buy?

Answer 1

Its full of beneficial bacteria.

Its good for your entire body, most notably your digestive tract.

The best yogurt to get is natural yogurt with no sugar added, as the sugar kills a lot of the good stuff and isn't that good for you.

Most yogurt at the supermarket isn't good for you, most of the time you have to find some kind of specialty store to get it, like an organic veggie shop or at a market or juicing place.

Also, its traditionally part of Indian cuisine so if you go to a really hack Indian restaurant you can often get stuff they have made themselves, this is how i usually eat it.

Answer 2

Probiotics, derived from the Greek word meaning "for life," are thought to be beneficial to the health of our intestinal tracts, boosting the body's immunity, fighting some cancers and for preventing osteoporosis as well as improving lactose intolerance and milk allergies.

Probiotics are able to survive the harsh environment of the stomach and make their way to the intestinal tract where they serve as friendly bacteria to help keep a balance between the other kinds of bacteria that live there. Even more amazing, this friendly bacteria helps the body break down foods, synthesize vitamins and process hormones such as estrogen. They may even help in the treatment of ulcers, colon cancer and vaginal yeast infections.

Studies have shown that this alliance actually does help with digestion and decreased infections. For people with lactose intolerance, yogurt produces lactase to help break down the sugars found in dairy products. These folks find that they usually can digest yogurt without the discomforts of gas and bloating that they might experience with other dairy products. This is good news, especially since yogurt is a good source of protein, calcium and B vitamins!

Yogurt has also been shown to help children and adults with diarrhea. Other research is in the works as to whether this food can also help boost immunity, prevent cancer and osteoporosis.

Choosing yogurt
Taking advantage of the benefits of probiotics can be tricky! Here are a few tips to aid in your search for a yogurt that's right for you:


Choose a yogurt based on your calorie and fat goals. Yogurt comes whole fat, low-fat, nonfat and light (which means fewer calories and less sugar.)
Decide whether or not you'd like to take advantage of organic products. Several companies label their yogurt as such.
Look for a "Live and Active Cultures" seal on the side of the container. This will assure that the product has met standards for cultures used in production. Some yogurts are heat-treated after they are cultured in order to increase shelf-life or decrease the natural tartness, which inactivates the bacteria. These types of yogurt will not have this seal.
For additional benefits, look for other nonstandard cultures added in the ingredients list. An example is Bifidobacterium longum.
Make sure the expiration date is far in the future. As yogurts age, the bacteria count will decrease and the yogurt will become less effective.

Answer 3

It's from the bacteria that are in the yogurt... they are good for you in that they benefit your body as a contributor to your normal flora. In your body you have bacteria that live in your digestive tract from the entrance of your mouth to the other end if you will. They contribute to helping in digestion of food that you couldn't if you didn't have them. So you gain some of the nutrients for the work they do. It is a symbiotic relationship, that is, both organisms benefit. In increasing the amount of bacteria that are not pathogenic... that also benefits you by giving them an edge in competing for space that pathogenic or opportunistic pathogens also compete for. It works like this.. some find it repulsive to think in this manner but whatever... The average human has 3.3 pounds of bacteria within their digestive tract... And it will remain that way no matter if it is harmful bacteria or beneficial bacteria that pose no threat. So by tipping the scales in your favor helps insure that you will be less apt to develop a population of bacteria that can harm you. But if you think that only 1 in 10 cells that are the organism "you" are human... you begin to realize that most of you is alien... by count. They are much smaller cells... much smaller... so it really sounds worse than it is. However... you will also see just how really easy it is to contract an infection... Round about an drawn out much more than intended you see why the bacteria that are in yogurt are "good for you." If you already know what I am saying, forgive me... but when choosing a yogurt in respect to that... the one that has the largest count of live culture is best... not necessarily brand.

Answer 4

Yogurt is good for you but it has to be a natural yogurt with live active cultures. Most of the yogurt you buy at the grocery store has high fructose corn syrup in it and usually has as much sugar as a 12 oz can of coke. I usually buy an all natural yogurt at the health food store.

*Yoplait is one of the highest in sugar.

Answer 5

Supposedly it's good for you because of the healthy bacteria. However, if you eat healthy otherwise you should already have a healthy balance of bacteria.

The best kind that you can find in a grocery store is Stoneyfield Farms. Their yogurts are organic and free of gelatin. They also make soy yogurt.

Answer 6

Fat free Yogurt of good quality is a rich source of First class protein -CAESIN-one of the 2 proteins( the other is Egg albumin) recommended by WHO as having the Highest PER value.10 essential Amino Acids(for humans)-MATTVILPHLY- IS IN THE IDEAL PROPORTION. Yogurt has calcium and Vitamins depending on the organism used for fermentation

Answer 7

It adds good bacteria to your digestive system.If you are ever on antibiotics make sure you eat yogurt.Antibiotics kill all bacteria in your gut so you must eat yogurt to replenish good bac.Look for live and active cultures on label.

Answer 8

actually it does nothing... the additives aren't absorbed as well via the body than natural minerals.

yogurt is processed... it also has dairy in it.. so thus...

it's not a vegan product.

it'll give you calories and a delicious snack... IF you like yogurt. it also has enzymes in it that claim to be melatonin - tryptophan like and that's a plus for your serotonin levels.

Answer 9

It has live active cultures that helps with digestion.

Answer 10

yes it helps the digestive system and yoplait works best