Fresh yogurt is digested in about one hour, as compared to the three hours it can take to digest milk. Individuals who have trouble digesting milk may find that fresh yogurt is much easier to digest and actually aids in their digestion as well.
While dairy products often face flak for leading to digestive problems, yogurt can be excluded from the list. Yogurt is healthy and easily digestible even for those who suffer from lactose intolerance.
Yogurt has a low lactose content, so a person with a lactose intolerance will likely find it more tolerable than milk. It also contains bacteria that aid digestion. As a result, people who experience discomfort, bloating or gas after consuming liquid milk or ice cream can often tolerate yogurt without symptoms.
The increasing pH as the yogurt enters the small intestine and a slower gastrointestinal transit time allow the bacterial lactase to be active, digesting lactose from yogurt sufficiently to prevent symptoms in lactose-intolerant people.
Because it's been fermented and strained, Greek yogurt is lower in lactose and easier for most people to digest than a glass of cow's milk. Most Greek yogurts also contain probiotics that help increase the good bacteria in your gut.
May support gut health
Greek yogurt that is labelled 'contains live cultures', provides beneficial bacteria known as probiotics, which when eaten regularly may support gut health. This is because regular inclusion of fermented foods, including yogurt, appears to increase the microbial diversity of the gut.
Yogurt is full of probiotics, and they supply healthy bacteria to fortify the tract's natural flora, helping digestion and boosting the body's immune responses. Basically, yogurt brings good bacteria into your gut to kick-start digestion and help you get rid of toxins.
With the four recommended times mentioned above, the best options to consume yogurt are in the morning or on an empty stomach. This is because the good bacteria or probiotics in yogurt must reach the large intestine alive to maintain digestive efficiency and health.
Eating two to three containers of yogurt every day can add around 500 calories and close to 100 grams of sugar to the daily diet. This can cause unwanted weight gain and increase the risk of diabetes.
Some people have health conditions that make many foods hard to digest. Foods that are easier to digest include toast, white rice, bananas, eggs, chicken, salmon, gelatine, applesauce, and oatmeal.
Yogurt. The bacteria that turn milk to yogurt are also good for your digestive tract. All yogurt helps keep it healthy and keeps you regular, but yogurt with live cultures or probiotics may be even better at helping you go.
Dairy products such as Greek Yogurt contain an amino acid called tryptophan, which may help you to feel drowsier before heading to bed. After you eat foods rich in tryptophan, your body converts it into two hormones, serotonin and melatonin, which may promote a restful night's sleep.
According to Lauren Popeck, RD, a dietitian at Orlando Health, Greek yogurt is perfect for bedtime, because it contains the sleep-inducing chemical tryptophan. And because it's such a rich source of protein, Greek yogurt can also help you avoid that same glucose spike.
According to the CDC, "you can't taste, smell or see the germs that cause food poisoning." So the only guaranteed way to consume yogurt safely is to follow the USDA policy of throwing out what you haven't eaten after two weeks.
Why it's good for you: A fermented food, yogurt naturally contains lots of probiotic cultures that strengthen the digestive tract. Some Greek yogurt also boasts added probiotics like Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus casei that may help increase the good bacteria in your gut.
According to nutritionist Kejal Sheth, “Yogurt contains probiotics, which is beneficial for a healthy gut. A healthy gut will definitely help reduce inflammation. For an added benefit, you can eat yogurt with muesli, nuts, seeds and fruits or blend it up as breakfast smoothie.”
Best Probiotic Yogurt in Australia
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.
Because straining removes some of the milk sugar, Greek yogurt can be easier to digest for people who are sensitive to lactose. However, in roughly the same amount of calories, some types of Greek yogurt can pack up to double the amount of protein while also cutting sugar content in half.
Egg yolk digest in 30 minutes on the other hand whole egg takes 45 minutes to digest.