We’re all told that ‘yogurt is good for the gut’ through loud advertising and happy, skinny women rubbing their ironed-flat tummies. But not every yogurt is so-called ‘gut-friendly’ in much the same way that not all granola is good for you (another one enamoured with a health halo).
Yogurt, in of itself, should be simple. Just milk, and then churned/strained in different ways. But yogurt companies won’t let anything remain easy, with their added flavourings and umpteen varieties. That’s why it’s for the health-conscious/neurotic ones of us to do the digging.
Grab a spoon, and dive in with me.
The best gut-friendly yogurts in the UK
These are your standard yogurts, which span across Greek and Greek-style yogurts, and kefir. There are of course plant milk yogurts – but we will save this dissection for another time. For now, we are just focusing on gut-friendly yogurts made from cow’s milk (more on this later on).
The most gut-friendly dairy milk yogurts are typically full-fat Greek yogurts (they’re thicker than Greek-style, which means they are churned more slowly which helps to retain all of those lovely gut-friendly cultures) and kefir yogurts (they have been specially fermented to feed your gut microbiome – just remember, they can be a bit tangy!)
Best Greek yogurts for your gut
Mevgal, Fage Total 5% Fat, Yeo Valley Natural Kerned
How to find the best gut-friendly Greek yogurts
- Look for ‘authentic’ on the packaging – this means it comes from Greece and has been lovingly churned to perfection.
- Don’t be afraid of high-fat Greek yogurts – healthy fat is good for you!
- If you leave out the fat in yogurts, you’ve got far less chance of taking the maximum amount of lovely gut probiotics from each serving.
Best Greek-style yogurts for your gut
Lancashire Farm (my favourite – especially as in a big tub!), Rachel’s Organic, Skyr 5% Fat (this is actually Icelandic style but is too good to leave out!)
How to find the best gut-friendly Greek-style yogurts
- Greek-style yogurts are more prolific than Greek yogurts as they are easier to make (less churning), so quality is of the essence here. In which case, don’t be swayed by fancy packaging – always read the ingredients list!
- Avoid any additives and flavourings as they will degrade the quality of your product. Plus, you want to taste that gut-friendly tang on your tongue!
- A great Greek-style yogurt should be refreshing to the palate, yet nice and dense like a thick milkshake. Anything that feels watery, too tangy, and slips off the spoon too readily is likely low quality.
Best kefir yogurts for your gut
Bio & Me (Original), Biotiful (Original), Yeo Valley (Original)
How to find the best gut-friendly kefir yogurts
- Look for more than 10 active cultures per pot. You want as much gut-friendly bacteria packed into every pot!
- Avoid those which include thickeners, emulsifiers, or binders. Kefir doesn’t need any of that!
- Kefir should just be milk + active cultures. Anything different makes the gut-friendly properties lose their intensity, so you get a low value product.
- If you’re okay with drinking cow’s milk, then you will get the maximum benefit from having high-fat fermented dairy milk vs plant milk. That’s because cow’s milk is easier to ferment than plant milk such as oat milk, coconut milk, almond milk, simply because the fermenting grains need the lactose molecules to bind to.
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