Yogurt is a fermented dairy product that contains beneficial live bacteria. You can purchase yogurt plain or with fruit, honey or flavoring added. Yogurt can be made from whole milk, low-fat milk or skim milk. Many people enjoy eating yogurt at breakfast or as a healthy snack. It can also be used as an ingredient in other foods, although heating yogurt may destroy the beneficial bacterial colonies.
Basic Nutrition
One 8 oz. cup of whole milk yogurt, about 227 g, contains 138 calories, 7 g of fat and 8 g of protein. It also contains 11 g of carbohydrates, 104 mg of sodium and 30 mg of cholesterol. In contrast, yogurt made with low-fat milk has 143 calories and 4 g of fat. Low-fat yogurt is higher in protein, containing 12 g in an 8 oz. cup, and carbohydrates, with 16 g.
Micronutrients
Yogurt made with whole milk contains 275 mg of calcium, while low-fat yogurt has 415 mg of this mineral. Low-fat yogurt also has more phosphorus, with 327 mg compared to 216 mg in full fat yogurt. Other minerals in all types of yogurt include magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, selenium and flouride. Yogurt also provides vitamins A, C, B6, B12, E and K, pantothenic acid, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, choline and folate.
Live Bacteria
The live bacteria in yogurt work as probiotics, colonizing the gut and protecting the digestive tract from invading unhealthy bacteria. Yogurt can contain one or more of a few different bacterial strains, including lactobacillus casei, bifidobacterium lactis, streptococcus thermophilus and lactobacillus acidophilus. For the most benefit, yogurt should contain 100 million or more live active cultures per gram.
Health Benefits
Yogurt has been linked to a wide range of health benefits, due to both its bacterial cultures and the many micronutrients it contains. According to World's Healthiest Foods, yogurt can lower LDL cholesterol, boost immunity and offer protection from ulcers and some cancers. Yogurt also contributes to bone health, through its high calcium content and also because of a protein called lactoferrin, which contributes to the growth and activity of bone-building cells.
Considerations
People who cannot drink milk due to lactose intolerance may nonetheless be able to enjoy yogurt. This is because the live bacteria create an enzyme, lactase, that breaks down the lactose in yogurt. Yogurt tends to have an overall better digestibility than other dairy products. Frozen yogurt has some of the benefits of regular yogurt, but it usually has fewer bacterial colonies.
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