A Bowl of Yogurt per Day

You have probably heard the old adage about an apple a day, but what about a bowl of yogurt per day? With a society addicted to broad spectrum antibiotic use and increased sugar consumption, it seems that eating yogurt regularly is needed to keep the delicate balance of our intestinal flora in check--and not just when taking antibiotics.

There is a strong correlation between Candida Infections and sugar consumption (1).  Candida Albicans is a type of yeast that is naturally occurring in the body, specifically in the GI tract, mucous membranes, and the skin.  In a balanced gut, Candida isn’t a problem, because it serves as just one microbial population that is kept in check by a healthy immune system and another population called probiotics (good bacteria). Candida doesn’t become a problem until the gut balance is highly disrupted in favor of the Candida. 

Antibiotics are one cause of this disruption because they kill our good bacteria indiscriminately--warranting the need for repopulation through yogurt or probiotic supplementation.  However, Antibiotics alone, in my experience, are not the sole cause of chronic Candida.

A diet high in refined sugar feeds the Candida and encourages its growth.  Combine that with a diet lacking vital nutrients and you have a taxed immune system and increased inflammation. This is a melting pot not only for poor health, but Candida overgrowth.  To keep both probiotic colonies and the immune system strong, it is necessary to consume yogurt each day.  However, all yogurts are not created equal. 

Some yogurts, like cereal, are high in sugar because they are flavored.  I was able to combat this problem by buying plain yogurt and flavoring it generously with the same spices I listed on my last post: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger and Cardamom.  The reason is because these spices are sweet and have some properties specific to Candida that I will cover later. 

There are two kinds of yogurts I buy that I mix.  I prefer Greek yogurt, because it contains protein, but in reality the quality of the yogurt and the number of different strains of probiotics is key (not just Acidophilus). I buy Fage 2% Greek yogurt from my local grocer and a yogurt called Bulgarian Yogurt, made by White Mountain, which I purchase from Vitamin Cottage.  Bulgarian yogurt is a little bit more expensive, but contains 90 billion cfu (colony forming units) of probiotics per serving.  It is not as thick and creamy as Fage, so I mix the two together.  Together, these two have made a great addition to my diet and vital first steps to overcoming Candida and poor health.

 1)      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6481700