Low Carb Yogurt
Low Carb Yogurt
Low carb yogurt may not be all it is cracked up to be. If you are counting carbs, do not be fooled by the label. Eating low carb yogurt has many great benefits. Lactobacillus, found in yogurt, is great for the gastrointestinal tract. Sure, you can take a pill to obtain the same results, but eating yogurt is a more natural way to achieve this benefit. People who are lactose intolerant also get great benefits from lactobacillus. The good lactobacillus gets predigested by the milk that was used to produce it. Due to the fermentation process, eating yogurt can make bowel irregularity improve. Some nutritionists suggest consuming up to eight ounces per day of yogurt.
The way manufactures are regulated to count low carb yogurt can be deceiving. According to Jack M. Goldberg, Ph.D., a cup of yogurt has only four grams of carbs. This is different from the container that says the carb count is 14 grams. Carbs are counted by difference. Everything else gets measured. This includes protein, water, and fats. Therefore, by difference, everything else is assumed a carbohydrate. For most foods, this count works well. In yogurt making however, it does not. The acidic bacteria inoculate milk used to make yogurt. This bacteria uses up the lactose, milk sugar, and then it is converted back to lactic acid. By the time the product get purchased the bacteria has eaten most of the milk sugar. The carbs that are counted is the lactic acid that is left. Therefore, there are fewer carbohydrates left for you to eat. A half of a cup of plain yogurt has about two grams of carbs.
Did you know the human body has about seven trillion good bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract? In addition, the human body carries about four pounds of bacteria in the intestinal tract. If you are reading labels don’t be fooled by the words low fat or nonfat. The fat will only affect the texture of the yogurt. Yogurt can be eaten seven days after the expiration date. Unbelievably yogurt should contain live and active cultures. Be sure to review the ingredient list and the nutritional facts on each brand you buy. Try to avoid artificial sweeteners and buy brands with lower sugar counts. Spice up plain yogurt and sweeten yourself at home with fresh fruit or granola. Another idea is to try substituting yogurt in place of sour cream in your next recipe. One cup of sour cream has double the carbs of one cup of yogurt.
CarbMaster brand yogurt is true to its’ meaning and does have low carbs in each serving. An 80 calorie single serving cup has four grams of carbs. This brand comes in four delicious flavors, peach, vanilla, strawberry, and raspberry. Kroger has a low carb store brand available. This lite variety only costs about thirty-nine cents for a single serving of six ounces. Blue Bunny Lite 85 is another brand that is low in carbs. Just make sure if you are want low carb yogurt; read the labels before you buy.