Yogurt contains probiotics, healthy bacteria that play a role in good health. The amount and type of probiotics in your yogurt depends on the brand you choose, its processing and its age. Probiotics are sensitive to heat and cannot survive pasteurization or cooking processes.
Importance of Probiotics
Probiotics help promote a population of healthy, versus harmful, bacteria in your gut. Probiotics may aid in preventing constipation or diarrhea. They can improve your absorption of B vitamins, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, magnesium and phosphorus. Probiotics may help people with lactose intolerance better tolerate dairy products because the bacteria provide the enzyme to digest this milk sugar. Probiotics may also have anti-cancer properties, but more research is needed on this subject.
Yogurt
Yogurt is one of the most common sources of probiotics in the American diet. Yogurt consists of milk cultured with any number of bacteria, the most popular being Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus acidophilus or Lactobacillus bulgaricus. The probiotics in yogurt are only beneficial if alive, however.
Heat
Yogurt that is pasteurized after the bacteria is added no longer has benefits of the healthy bacteria. Make sure the label of any yogurt you choose reads “contains live and active bacteria” if you want to take advantage of probiotics. If you use yogurt for baking, you will also kill the healthy bacteria.
Considerations
Although you lose the probiotic benefits, baking with yogurt may still offer some benefits. Low-fat yogurt used to replace sour cream or fat in baked goods can help reduce the calorie and fat content. Heated yogurt is also a source of protein, calcium, vitamin D and potassium.
