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.
Also, Mountain High has 5 active cultures. What if I just left it out to ferment? Would it revitalize the process?
I just called Zoi. They ferment for “about 6 hours”.
What’s up to all, as I am genuinely eager of reading this blog’s post to be updated on a regular basis.
It consists of fastidious data.
I was working in a dairy plant (process enginner) and the process fermentation time for a plain yoghurt is always 6-7 hours. Its almost imposible to make yoghurt in one hour or less.
Regards
I have tried this and it’s WONDERFUL. Thank you so much for this innovative way to utilize my useless microwave. I have a question. Some of my raw milk accidentally froze (overstuffed fridge) and I’m wondering if I can still use it to make yogurt.
Sarah,
Question about probiotics. I have been trying to find out on your site if you take a probiotic pill along with all the fermented foods/ beverages that you eat. I don’t want to give up my green pastures CLO so I was thinking of giving up my probiotics instead ( a financial thing) I actually want to increase my CLO daily. I eat yogurt, sauerkraut, water kefir (occasionally) are these enough?
I drink raw milk also. So what your thoughts on probiotic pills? I love your site and can’t wait to see what you write everyday,,,,
Why don’t you just make your own Kefir , it’s better it’s natural and it’s cheap.. I do and my digestive system works Great! Google it ! They should tell you how to make it. Just 3 ingredients . Water,Surgar,and whatever those little creatures I put put in the mix. Anyway the critters eat all the Surgar and produce Kefir water!!
Hi Sarah- I have tried the 24 hour incubation twice now, and both times the yogurt has curdled. I use my oven light for warmth, and the second time I monitored the temperature with a thermometer which stayed at 103 pretty consistently. If anything, I’d think this was a little cool. Isn’t it supposed to be 110? What am I doing wrong?
Also, the entire batch of yogurt isn’t setting. I always drain my yogurt to get the whey and the first cup is very milky in appearance. The latter part of the whey is yellow and crystal clear. Any tips? I very much appreciate any advice!
I guess I’ll go back to the old 8 hour incubation. Or maybe try 12. 24 hour just isn’t working for us. Too bad!!
Ever since I stopped drinking Lactose free milk and started drinking grass-fed, low-temp milk (Natural by Nature, Ronnybrook), my intolerance has all but disappeared. I love Traders Point Creamery and Fage Total yogurt. If I was going to make yogurt in the crockpot then Fage Total would be the best one for me. Sadly, New Jersey stalled a bill allowing raw milk to be sold in the state. I’ll have to make a trip to PA one Saturday for some raw, grass-fed milk!