493745 Wed Feb 27 06:11:43 -0800 2008 10 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 3439278 is it for real? Can I get my spinach from a container of yogurt? Probably not. Wed Feb 27 06:11:44 -0800 2008 11104 dolores 1 3439328 I'm assuming you're talking about spinach metaphorically. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria, which yogurt contains. Certain brands contain more beneficial bacteria than others. I don't think Total/Fage is high on the list as I've read reports about people failing to make a decent batch of yogurt using Total as a starter. A better brand would be something like Stonyfield Farms. Wed Feb 27 06:30:06 -0800 2008 3439278 10763 Miss Needle 2 3439523 Miss Needle, I am, sorry if that didn't come across. I hate vegetables. I am wary of the new adverts for the Dannon product, and wondered if they were true or if there is a generic alternative. Wed Feb 27 07:34:51 -0800 2008 3439328 11104 dolores 3 3439722 do the ads imply this as a sub for veggies? That doesn't make much sense. I thought these probiotic yogurts were supposed to be good for, ahem, digestive difficulties. Wed Feb 27 08:32:43 -0800 2008 3439523 18353 DGresh 4 3440299 Yes, DGresh, I was alluding to the same thing, badly. I was just wondering if it's hype or if true. And if there are generic varieties out there, if true. Wed Feb 27 11:08:59 -0800 2008 3439722 11104 dolores 5 3440770 IMO, and you're paying for exactly what it's worth, you can get your vitamins from another place, but you will lack the other things that come along with actually eating the food. That's me, being a forty plus woman who never bought the, "and in the future we will not have to eat, just take a pill!" Who wants to really live like that? Okay, besides my dad. Wed Feb 27 12:56:35 -0800 2008 3440299 166570 nliedel 6 3440872 I know, that's me too. My mother said that to me ages ago about a pill for food. Of course, it's not healthy, and I probably won't buy into the extra cost of this yogurt. Wed Feb 27 13:15:16 -0800 2008 3440770 11104 dolores 5 3442748 dolores, if you want a yogurt to help in terms of "regularity" you should make it yourself. In doing so you'll ensure that the microbes are alive and well. Thu Feb 28 04:38:43 -0800 2008 3440299 36661 Sam Fujisaka 1 3440980 A 2006 report from the American Society for Microbiology noted that “at present, the quality of probiotics available to consumers in food products around the world is unreliable.” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/can-yogurt-really-boost-your-health/ Wed Feb 27 13:40:56 -0800 2008 3439278 170015 tsunami 1 3441075 Those were hyped big time for the last 10 years or so in Germany, with no scientific proof of doing much of anything. Just a marketing tool to make people think they can eat *even healthier* yogurt .... I'm curious, though -- there's not a single veggie you like? Wed Feb 27 14:02:53 -0800 2008 3439278 116513 linguafood 1 3441726 Of course no added nutrient is a substitute for real vegetables, beans, whole grains, etc. However for some of us who eat all the above items regularly, but still aren't, if you get my drift, Activia has proven to be beneficial. (Yes, I know there's other ways to get probiotics, I've tried them. Yes, I know Activia has Splenda, I don't care, because everything else I eat is top quality, so I doubt it makes a difference. Yes, I know some lady sued them because it didn't work for her. I don't care, because it does work for me. Now if only they would start paying me :) ) Wed Feb 27 17:10:33 -0800 2008 3439278 12460 Chowpatty