Healthy Bacteria Pt.1: What's in Your Yogurt?

You know that commercial where the guy is on the phone with his friend, bragging about all the desserts he's been eating? And then he rambles about how he's only losing weight in spite of the desserts consumed, and then his eyebrow-raising wife reveals in the background that he's actually eating yogurt, and then he awkwardly gets off of the phone?

Well, that's just marketing. And it works pretty well. But frankly, it's b.s.

The yogurt featured in that commercial, with oodles of flavors to satisfy anyone's sweet-tooth is, as my friends from Skinny Bitch say, "a chemical shitstorm". The synthetic sweeteners, colorings, flavorings, etc in most of the yogurts on the market are only perpetuating an imbalance in the body and can actually promote unhealthy cravings in the future. They are not even close to being a healthy eating option, and very bad for the body.

And then we have that "regulating" yogurt which, shame on you Jamie Lee Curtis, is jam-packed with high fructose corn syrup and artificial dyes.

These chemicals do not belong in our bodies, our food, and can lead to feeling and looking pretty crappy.

If you love yogurt, opt for a more natural, unhomogenized variety, free of sweeteners and full of fat. Erivan is a great choice for the yogurt lover. You can visit their website http://erivandairy.com/default.aspx and read about their products. Having full-fat dairy here and there is a much better option than guzzling the artifical, "lite" stuff on a daily basis. Take it upon yourself to sweeten naturally with some berries and a dab of honey. This way you control exactly what's going into your body.

There are also options like kefir, a fermented milk drink that has a ton of healthy bacteria to balance the gut. Use your label detective skills and read the tub to ensure there isn't anything added, no sugar, fake sweeteners, no nothin'.

If regularity is an issue, eat your fruits and veggies! The soluble and insoluble fiber found in veggies, fruits, and whole grains will bulk you up (as in your colon, honeys, not your physique) and help things move smoothly. Something as simple as drinking warm water with lemon in the morning will help things start to move along as well.

Be a label detective, and don't be a sucker for advertisers that make a killing in the board room. They work to sell products, not protect your health. You've got what it takes, so take care.