The reasons why it is usually a waste of money to buy yogurt at the grocery store, the very few brands that are legit, and the best approach for enjoying yogurt that is truly probiotically active without breaking the bank.
As I was standing in line at the grocery store the other day, I noticed an older lady in front of me had an entire cart loaded with commercial yogurt.
I immediately felt very empathetic as she obviously was placing high importance on store yogurt in her diet. Perhaps she was attempting to help some sort of chronic digestive issue caused by the typical overmedicating of people her age.
What is really sad is that it is virtually certain that she was experiencing little to no benefit from her efforts and money spent.
This is because standard store yogurt, including those squeezable yogurt tubes for kids, is not the probiotically beneficial food that TV commercials and other compelling advertisements would lead you to believe.
The truth is that commercial yogurt is fermented for very short periods of time.
This includes highly popular Greek yogurt alternatives.
Improper Fermentation
The length of fermentation for commercial yogurt brands is so short (one person in the dairy industry told me that it is an hour or even less) that thickening agents are commonly added to give it the look and feel of real yogurt.
This is why Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome, recommends avoiding commercial yogurt.
Instead, she recommends making yogurt at home and fermenting it for a full 24 hours to achieve maximum gut healing benefits.
The Specific Carbohydrate (SCD) Diet also recommends yogurt that is cultured for a full 24 hours.
Milk Sugars (Lactose) Still Present
Another problem that occurs by cutting corners at the factory is that commercial yogurt still contains plenty of lactose, as there was insufficient time for it to be completely consumed by the beneficial microbes.
Lactose is a disaccharide sugar, which is very difficult to digest for anyone with a digestive disorder.
Raw milk and raw yogurt contain lactase, the enzyme for digesting lactose, but pasteurized and homogenized store brands do not even if they are organically certified (heat destroys the enzyme lactase).
Thus, consuming commercial yogurt can often trigger autoimmune symptoms until steps are taken to heal and seal the gut wall so that it is no longer permeable.
In short, not only will store yogurt NOT help heal the gut, it can potentially make the situation WORSE.
GMO Sweeteners
Another problem with commercial yogurt is that sweetened versions often are of GMO origin.
Even health-savvy shoppers often don’t realize that if the label on commercial yogurt says “sugar”, it is virtually certain that sugar is also from a GMO source (beet sugar).
Only if the label says “cane sugar” or “organic sugar” does this guarantee that the sugar is GMO-free.
Other Considerations
Of course, making yogurt at home permits the selection of high-quality milk and avoidance of all the additives and sugar added to most commercial versions.
Yogurt fermented for 24 hours will most definitely assist your gut with the help of beneficial (though transitory) cultures that good quality yogurt is loaded with.
It is also helpful to note that yogurt made with raw milk will be naturally more drinkable-style like kefir than yogurt made with heated or pasteurized milk.
Cannot Make Yogurt Yourself?
The best policy when it comes to yogurt is to always make it yourself or buy it from a small farm that uses quality grass-fed milk (preferably raw) and ferments it properly.
You don’t need a yogurt maker! I make raw yogurt using a slow cooker. You can even make yogurt using your microwave (turned off, of course!) or oven as a low-temperature incubator.
If you must buy commercial yogurt when traveling, be sure to seek out one of the only two brands of 24-hour yogurt I’ve found that are commercially available (White Mountain and St. Benoit).
If you’ve come across any others, please add them in the comment section!
My online shopping hack will help you find these brands very quickly even if you are unfamiliar with the area you are visiting.
I started my yogurt with Fage and Half n half from Trader Jo’s (organic) it makes a much thicker yogurt with no straining. After once, you use a little of your own starter. I make a quart at a time and use the cloth in the bottom of pan of water heating method, scald, then cool to 100 to 110 add starter with a little of the cooled heated cream, then stir in—-Put in oven with the light on only for several hours—-it’s the best!
Jean
How funny that I just got your email. I literally just watched a commerical for Go-gurts, and was making my usual irritated/sarcastic comments that come after watching pretty much any “food” commericals these days. Gross!
I was buying whole milk plain yogurt for a while from one of the big companies, and I called the company one day to ask how long they ferment their yogurt. Not only did the rep I spoke with have no idea what I was talking about, but she had no idea where to find the information.
I make a batch of homemade yogurt at least once a week.
Store Yogurt Won’t Do Squat for Your Health – The Healthy Home Economist
http://ow.ly/6xGn3
Nourishing Traditions and Mother Linda’s website. It’s very thin though and does anyone know if fermenting it the full 24 hours helps it thicken more than 10-12? I strain mine, then end up with much less yogurt but thicker, and of course I get all that great whey. It is expensive, but very healthy!
What about Stonybrook Farm organic yogurt? Is it any better?
Do you have a post on how to make yogurt on your blog?
I’d love to make my own yogurt with the raw milk I find at my local farmer’s market. Where can I find a recipe?
here are instructions for making yogurt with raw milk:
http://www.youtube.com/user/CulturesforHealth#p/u/8/bobgCNkCIS8
I have only been drinking farm fresh raw milk from a local farmer for two weeks and it is fantastic. The thing is I am pretty in love with Fage greek yogurt. Is there any way for me to make my own yogurt from the raw milk and cream in a style that is similar to that? How do you get the culture? ANY advice would be so appreciated!
My family loves Fage as well. I haven’t tried making my own yogurt yet…so I’ll be very interested to hear Sarah’s take on Fage. It agrees with our digestion as well as our raw milk does.
Just strain your yogurt through a cheesecloth. Presto, thick Greek-style yogurt with less carbs 🙂
Use the Fage Yogurt, if it has active bacteria, to culture your milk, then strain it to achieve the greek style. I culture milk straight from our cow (after straining), so it’s still warm, but you can heat it to be WARM, without letting it get hot, then add a few tbsp of the greek yogurt. You can either let it sit in a dark place for a few days to culture (I’ve heard, but not tried), or place your jar of warm milk with culture whisked in into a sports cooler with warm water (not hot!) for 24 hours, then strain. Makes some super yummy yogurt!!
White Mountain yogurt is fermented 24 hours. It is the only one I have found.
I buy their organic whole milk one.
From their website:
2. I have Celiac’s or Crohn’s disease. Is your yogurt OK to eat?
Our yogurt is considered gluten free and incubated over a 24-hour period. We do not add any milk solids, or anything else to our yogurt except milk and culture. Cow’s milk contains 2 mg of free glutamates per 100 grams.
http://www.whitemountainfoods.com/FAQ.html
Yes, White Mountain is one of the few national brands that has a LOT of living cultures in it from a long ferment. They also use milk that is hormone and antibiotic free (although not necessarily organic or grassfed).
There are other brands out there that have good long ferments, but I’ve forgotten what they are since White Mountain is so readily available in all the stores near me.
Are you thinking of Mountain High? It is usually readily available and is not organic. White Mountain is a different brand and can be tricky to find; and they do have an organic line. I did some research and White Mountain was the only commercial yogurt available in the San Francisco area that does a 24 hour ferment.
So funny, and sad.. I just called Mountain High’s info line. I had not originally researched them since I was only interested in organic. The person on the info line told me that they don’t ferment their yogurt. She obviously didn’t even know how yogurt is supposed to be made. A supervisor finally told me the yogurt was cultured from the time they put it in the cup until the pull date. 🙂 After I explained how yogurt is made, they said they would have to get back to me.
Just checked online. Mountain High is now owned by Dean Foods. yuck. figures. But do try White Mountain organic if you can get it. I buy it when I don’t make my own.
“White Mountain” is different from “Mountain High”
Julie, Just seconding your comment. I love White Mountain Yogurt too! It’s the only kind I buy.