Myths
about yoghurt and probiotics abound. To help dispel the misinformation and
myths, here are the seven most common myths about yoghurt you need to know.
It’s not our intention to bash yoghurt, only to present it in an accurate
light.
Myth
1. All yoghurts are healthy: Not all
yoghurts are healthy. Some are downright disgusting and contains more sugar
than doughnuts. Some yoghurts are full of additives, colours and gums to
thicken them and are best avoided altogether.
Myth
2. All yoghurts contain beneficial
probiotics: Many yoghurts are heated during the manufacturing or shipping
process and no longer contain the “live cultures” they claim to on the label.
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to find out whether the yoghurt you buy
contains live cultures other than to take a heaping tablespoon of it, add it to
warm milk or milk substitute, and leave it to rest for six to eight hours. If
you have a new batch of yoghurt from your experiment, then you know the
original yoghurt you purchased contains live cultures. Otherwise, it probably
doesn’t.
Myth
3. Yoghurt is the best source of
probiotics: Not even close. Unsweetened yoghurt with live cultures is healthy
and a great addition to any diet, but it isn’t the best source of probiotics by
a long shot. There’s sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented pickles, curtido, kefir and
miso to name a few — all of which tend to be higher in probiotics and contain
many more strains of the good microbes than yoghurt.
Myth
4. Yogurt contains a vast array of
probiotic strains: Yoghurt usually contains two or three different strains of
probiotics, which depend on the cultures used to inoculate the particular
yoghurt you’re buying. Yoghurt usually contains Lactobacillus acidophilus,
Lactobacillus bulgaricus and, occasionally, Streptococcus salivarius or
Bifidobacteria. Don’t worry: there’s no connection between S. salivarius and
the Strep bacteria that makes you sick.
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