Probiotic yogurt... [Moved from Home Cooking board]

[dolores]

is it for real?

Can I get my spinach from a container of yogurt?

Probably not.

[Chowpatty]

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 :) )

[linguafood]

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?

[tsunami]

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...

[Miss Needle]

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.

[dolores]

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.

[DGresh]

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.

[dolores]

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.

[nliedel]

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.

[dolores]

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.

[Sam Fujisaka]

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.