So you’ve decided to get yourself some yogurt.

You heard that it contains probiotics which are so good for gut health!

First of all – good for you for doing something for your gut health – you’re already miles ahead of everyone else!

And, while dairy isn’t a food I recommend to anyone – I’ll go into that in another post – depending on the way it’s made, yogurt can be a good source of probiotics (the “good” bacteria that we want setting up shop in our small and large intestines).

But now here you are, with all your good intentions, standing in front of the ever-expanding yogurt aisle at the supermarket, trying to figure out which one is the healthiest option.  Greek, low-fat, fruit on the bottom, plain, the list goes on.

What’s the best yogurt for your gut health (and overall health for that matter)?  Well, I’ve listed a few of the options in order of most healthy to least healthy:

Kefir – Kefir is not actually the same thing as yogurt, although they are very similar. Like yogurt, kefir is a cultured milk product. Kefir “grains” (which aren’t grains at all but rather a combination of bacteria and yeasts in a protein and lipid matrix) are used to ferment cow or goat milk to create kefir.  Kefir contains enzymes that can metabolize lactose which means that many people who are lactose intolerant can actually have kefir with no problem. Kefir tends to be thinner in consistency then yogurt and is often used as a drink or poured over cereal or fruit. Kefir, however, typically contains three times the amount of probiotic cultures of yogurt. Some kefirs offer up to 40 billion probiotic organisms per half cup, while most probiotic yogurts contain roughly one billion per serving.

Greek yogurt – Another name for this is “strained yogurt” because it’s yogurt that’s been strained to remove the whey. This is why it tends to be thicker than regular yogurt.  The straining process that Greek yogurt undergoes, also means that the final product contains more protein and less sugar than regular yogurt, which raises it’s health marks in my book.

Regular plain yogurt – Yogurt is a culutred milk product. Like kefir, yogurt can help with lactose digestion because it contains enzymes that actually break down lactose. Yogurt contains probiotics which are the “good” bacteria that we want to get into our small and large intestines. The number and type of bacteria present in yogurt really depends on how it’s made and commercial yogurt producers are not required to list on the label the number of strains their product contains.

Low-fat yogurt – Low-fat yogurt is absolutely the worst choice on this list.  While many think they’re making the healthier choice by choosing a low-fat option (and marketers certainly encourage that idea), you’re almost certainly doing more harm than good here.  Low-fat foods tend to be less filling, causing people to actually end up consuming more calories during the day as a result.  Fat is necessary to allow the body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins like D and A which are found in dairy so in removing the fat, those vitamins become inaccessible to the body.  Also, when you remove the fat, taste suffers so food manufacturers almost always replace the fat with sugar. The increase in sugar spells disaster for your health as it raises insulin levels, increases triglycerides and encourages the growth of “bad” bacteria in your gut.

What’s your favorite type of yogurt and have you noticed any difference in your digestion and gut health from eating it?