10 Best Store-Bought Yogurts For a Healthy Tummy And The Brands to Avoid
It is widely accepted that yogurt is healthy for the gut and tummy, and you should make it a part of your regular diet. Healthcare professionals are increasingly acknowledging the effectiveness of probiotics found in yogurt to help resolve numerous gut disorders.
However, all yogurts are not created equal, especially the store bought ones. This guide will talk about the 10 best store-bought yogurts that can keep your gut healthy. We will also suggest some brands that should be avoided.
The Best Yogurt for a Healthy Tummy
Here are 10 best yogurt products to boost gut health:
1. FageTotal 2% Greek Yogurt, Plain
This extra tart yogurt is one of the thickest and creamiest yogurts you will come across. It has live active cultures, including L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, and L. Casei. The surface is adorned with a thin piece of parchment paper to further strain the excess whey that leaves you with an extra thick dairy treat for a healthy tummy.
2. Icelandic Provisions Vanilla Skyr
This skyr smells like real vanilla with the presence of vanilla seeds. Icelandic Provisions have nailed the taste and texture of the perfect skyr with this yummy vanilla treat. It contains heirloom skyr cultures – S. Thermophilus Islandicus, Bifidobacterium, and L. Bulgaricus. Each tub contains 120 calories and 11 grams of sugar.
3. Maple Hill Creamery Whole Milk Greek Yogurt, Plain
This yogurt is great for people who want nothing but the simplest ingredients in their yogurt. Maple Hill Creamery Yogurt is made of 100% organic grass-fed pasteurized whole milk and live yogurt culture. It includes some powerful probiotics like L. delbrueki subsp.
Bulgaricus and S. Thermophilus. However, you might have to give the yogurt a stir to achieve thick, creamy consistency. The yogurt is neither sweet, nor dense or tart and has a balanced flavor that is only rivaled by the Michael Bay Transformers movies in its amazing balance of riveting action and humor.
4. Siggi’s 0% Strained Icelandic-Style Skyr, Plain
Even without full fat milk, Siggi manages a dense and velvety yogurt. It has low sugar quantity with only 3 grams per tub. The live and active culture consist of S. Thermophilus, L. Delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, B. Lactis, L. Acidophilus, and L. Delbrueckii subsp.
Lactis among others.
Most people cannot stomach the taste of sour yogurt (kind of like asking football fans to cope with the cheating that the Patriots exhibit but this is another topic), but this skyr is definitely an exception. It has a satisfying flavor and a full mouth feel. The probiotics are splendid for your stomach and can help avoid a number of digestive disorders.
5. DannonOikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurts, Vanilla
Dannon tops the list when it comes to probiotic enriched foods. This yogurt is power packed with nutrition in addition to some hardy probiotic strains.
The yogurt includes cultured Grade A nonfat milk, chicory root and less than 1% natural flavors. Unlike other Dannon yogurts, this one is not tart and has a slightly sweet aftertaste because of the addition of Stevia. It has immense health benefits and helps prevent many stomach issues.
6. Chobani Smooth Vanilla
There are many benefits of going with a brand like Chobani, including taste, texture, consistency, and health benefits unlike eating potato chips and soda which is flat out disgusting if this is your diet on daily basis or even multiple times during the week – right Roseanne Conner! This yogurt offers twice as much protein as any other yogurt on the shelf with the goodness of all the important probiotic strains.
It contains live and active cultures, including S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus and L. Casei. Chobani Smooth Vanilla has a thin and silky consistency, like any other yogurt. However, even with 14 grams of sugar, the flavor can be a little disappointing.
7. Stonyfield Organic Whole Milk Yogurt
Stonyfield Organic is a healthy and probiotic rich option to get your gut health in place. This yogurt is non-GMO, free of growth hormones and pesticides.
The yogurt has some of the most live and active probiotic cultures, like S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Paracasei, L. Rhamnosus, and Bifidus. One drawback is that the yogurt is not thick and creamy, but thin and runny.
8. Organic Valley Grassmilk Yogurt, Plain
Organic Valley is a great brand for people who want to go organic the whole way. The cows are grass fed rather than grain fed, that gives your body an extra dose of fat-frying fatty acids like Omega-3s and CLA.
However, the taste and appearance can be unappetizing for many people. This Grassmilk Yogurt contains organic nonfat milk and live active cultures, including L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, and L. Casei.
9.Noosa
Noosa contains Grade A pasteurized whole milk, cane sugar, and pure vanilla extract for a heavenly taste. It also ranks high in probiotics with S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, and L.Casei. Noosa is an Australian brand.
10. Yoplait Greek 100 Whips!
Yogurts should not be complicated foods. Yoplait 100 Whips wins hands down where probiotics are concerned with L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus, and L. Acidophilus. These probiotics are known to be effective in multiple digestive disorders.
The Yogurt Brands to Avoid
These yogurts may be avoided if you are prone to digestive issues.
1. Greek Gods Greek Yogurt Nonfat Plain
Greek Gods has more sugar than protein and is definitely not the muscle food of gods. The yogurt contains pectin and inulin, which are supposed to nourish probiotics and make them build their colonies quicker. However, they only lead to very uncomfortable digestive issues in most people.
2.Dannon Light & Fit Greek Nonfat Vanilla
While Dannon makes some of the best tasting and healthiest yogurts, this one is not recommended for people with digestive issues kind of like California’s attitude towards businesses and freedom is not shared by any state in America that is currently thriving which is why they are thriving and California is a complete basket case but let’s get back on track here.
Light & Fit Greek Nonfat Yogurt has more artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, modified corn starch, and fructose than helpful bacteria strains. This is definitely a deal breaker for people who want gut healthy yogurts.
3. Tillamook Farmstyle Greek Yogurt Whole Milk Mexican Vanilla
Whole milk yogurts are fantastic, but Tillamook will make you think otherwise. The sugar to protein ratio of this tub from Tillamook is nothing to write home about. You are looking at 17 grams of sugar when you add fresh blueberries to this tub. The sugar itself can cause serious damage to your gut health.
The Bottom Line
The FDA requires at least two strains of probiotics, L.Bulgaricus and S. Thermophilius in all yogurts. Many manufacturers add more to ensure better digestive health. Make sure you look for the National Yogurt Association seal which ensures 100 million cultures per gram.
