Probiotics play a huge role in balancing your gut health, keeping your body running at its best. I don't know about you, but I often reach for yoghurt to increase my daily probiotic intake! However, what I didn't realise is not all yoghurts contain probiotics! Only half of the yoghurts you see on your supermarket shelves contain probiotics, and less than 10% held enough to make a health claim. Fortunately, nearly all yoghurts are now rich in probiotics, thanks to an increased understanding of the benefits of probiotics.
Why are probiotics so important, and how much do we need?
Probiotics are living bacteria that can be found throughout your intestinal tract. These living bacteria may sound scary, but they play a vital role in maintaining a healthy gut. The majority of our immune system tissue can be found in the digestive system, so having a healthy gut flora is vital.
Probiotics found in your body, however, are different to the cultures used to create yoghurt. Yoghurt is made through a fermentation process in which starter cultures alter the texture and taste. Only once this process is complete are probiotics added to produce probiotic yoghurt.
If you have digestive issues or problems with bloating, I highly recommend upping your probiotic intake! These probiotics have a long list of health benefits. They restore the balance of 'good bacteria' within the intestines and alleviate gas build-up or discomfort caused by an excess of harmful bacteria.
The more probiotics you consume each day, the better! Though exact amounts depend on which probiotic strain and probiotic yoghurt you consume.
Best Probiotic Yogurt in Australia
Ever since I discovered that not all yoghurts contained probiotics, I have made it my mission to examine labels whenever I visit the supermarket! Having reviewed a whole bunch of different probiotic yoghurt in Australia, a great one I’ve found is the probiotic-rich Danone Activia. Not only is it ultra-smooth, but this yoghurt also contains over 4 billion probiotics in one 125g serving! Danone Activia is an excellent choice for those with easily upset stomachs and includes the most probiotics out of all the yoghurts I’ve analysed.
Vaalia is another fantastic option, containing three different probiotics in every 150g serving. Not bad! Jalna, on the other hand, didn't advertise probiotics on their packaging. However, after a little snooping on their website, I discovered that there were even more probiotics in every 200g pot of yoghurt than Vaaila. My personal favourite is Five: am organic yoghurt. Although it contains probiotics acidophilus and Bifidus, I am yet to discover how much they put in.
If you're looking to improve your gut health, yoghurt is an easy way to ensure you're getting your daily probiotic intake. Take it to work as a snack, pair it with your morning muesli or mix it into a smoothie. It’s that easy! So next time you visit the dairy section of your local supermarket, make sure to inspect the labels. Once you get in the habit of seeking out probiotics, you'll start to notice the difference in your gut and overall health.
