Yogurt is one of the most ancient health foods around. It’s been treasured as a probiotic-rich, healthy treat for thousands of years (some historical accounts even trace its roots back to 6000 B.C.).
And it’s no wonder that yogurt has maintained popularity for so long: it’s vitamin-rich, impressively immune-boosting, and full of beneficial bacteria that support your microbiome.
Proper gut flora optimizes not only your digestive health, but also the functioning of an entire network of processes throughout the body. Researchers have even linked unhealthy gut flora with anxiety, depression, and ailing brain health.[1]
In its pure and natural form, yogurt is an excellent source of flora-promoting probiotics.
But yogurt these days isn’t what you think it is…
Big Food has the uncanny ability to turn anything healthy it touches into a toxic mess. And unfortunately, this is exactly the fate that yogurt has suffered.
Naturally, industrial food companies have capitalized on its health benefits by highlighting them in their marketing campaigns. Here’s the problem, though: what they’ve created barely deserves to be called yogurt.
After a two-year, comprehensive study, the Cornucopia Institute released their aptly named Yogurt Report, which exposes just how health-destroying conventional yogurts actually are.
Here’s some frightening facts about the “fake” yogurts made by Dannon, Yoplait, and other mega-corporate brands…
They contain sweeteners that are worse than high-fructose corn syrup. That’s right—many conventional yogurts are sweetened with HFCS-90, which contains 35% more fructose than regular HFCS.
And worst of all, companies are not even required to list it as an ingredient. Instead, you’ll find that many yogurt ingredient labels simply say “fructose” or “fructose syrup.” Don’t be fooled, though.
Other yogurts contain a highly processed, indigestible beet sugar called neosugar (though it’s often disguised under other names like “NutraFlora” and “Fructan.” Companies claim that it’s a healthful prebiotic, but this benefit hasn’t been proven.
The reality is that it’s such a new creation that we have no idea what long-term effect it has on the body. But there’s a good chance that—like other processed foods—it’s bad news.
They’re full of other (unlabeled) toxins. A chemical called dimethylpolysiloxane is sometimes used during yogurt processing. If the name isn’t enough to scare you, this information will: its a toxic defoaming agent that’s preserved with formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.
Here’s a bonus tip, in case you still give your patronage to fast food joints: this formaldehyde-laden defoamer is routinely used in their oil fryers and soda dispensers.
Another study also discovered titanium dioxide nanoparticles in yogurt.[2] Though companies diplomatically deny such claims, it’s a known fact that such nanoparticles are often used as artificial coloring agents…and they’re only labeled as something like “artificial color.”
They’re the result of toxic processes. To top things off, nearly all conventional yogurt is made with milk that has been pasteurized—which renders the milk dead and toxic.
Furthermore, the fruits and pectin in yogurt are often GMO and pesticide-treated (and that’s if they contain real fruit at all…sometimes they’re just loaded with artificial colors and flavors).
They often don’t even contain living cultures. Here’s how they trick you: Industry regulations only require manufacturers to ensure probiotic content when the product is sealed in the factory.
The Yogurt Report, as well as other independent testing, has revealed that by time you purchase them, many conventional yogurts have very few (if any) living bacteria left in them.[3]
The right way to eat yogurt
First and foremost, avoid all those processed, sugary yogurt knock-offs that line the shelves of most grocery stores.
The best way to go is to make your own yogurt—it’s not nearly as hard as you may think, and the probiotic quality of homemade yogurt is unparalleled. And besides, creating your own food is wonderfully empowering!
If you’d rather stick to store-bought yogurt for now, just make sure you read labels very carefully. Pass on anything that contains lots of added sugar, carrageenan, or any other suspicious-sounding chemicals…even if it’s “organic.”
Choose products with simple recipes, and make sure that they contain living bacterial cultures (otherwise, you’ll be missing out on one of yogurt’s primary benefits).
Never forget how much power you have as a consumer. By choosing brands that make organic, healthy, real yogurt, you’ll be investing in your own health—and in the process, you’ll also be supporting organic farming, humane animal treatment, and stewardship of the environment.
References
[1] http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/09/when-yogurt-affects-the-brain/380542/
[2] http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es204168d
