Yogurt has probiotics in it. And probiotics can be good for your digestion. But is yogurt truly good for your digestion? And if so, which yogurt? If you’ve watched any of my videos before, then you know that I don’t give oversimplified answers. And that I keep things real. So let’s dive into this topic and I’ll tell you what you should be thinking about when it comes to yogurt and IBS.

Over the years many patients have told me that they were eating yogurt to try to help their IBS, and many others have asked me if they should be eating yogurt.

The answer to that question is not a simple yes or no. Here are the top 3 things that you need to know about IBS and eating yogurt.

#1. First of all, when most people talk about wanting to eat yogurt or liking to eat yogurt, they are talking about eating sweetened yogurt. If you look at most yogurts, the ingredient that comes right after the dairy ingredients is the word “sugar”. And sugar is not good for your digestive system. Ever.

Eating sweetened yogurt is basically eating dessert and trying to justify it as being good for you. It’s not, and you can’t fool me, even if you can fool yourself.

#2. The second thing about yogurt is that most of it is made with dairy. And dairy is the number one food allergen that I’ve seen in my 25 years of practicing medicine. That’s right, I see a ton of dairy allergies. And even yogurt is a problem when it comes to a dairy allergy, because it’s made from milk.

And I’m not even talking about a lactose intolerance, which is something completely different. And all yogurt still has a significant amount of lactose in it, even Greek yogurt, and they all have an even more significant amount of dairy in them, unless you are really going out of your way to get a dairy free yogurt.

And if you have a dairy allergy, then you shouldn’t be eating any dairy based yogurt.

Yes, it’s fermented, but that does not eliminate the dairy or the lactose, and I would never randomly recommend a dairy based yogurt to anyone, with or without sugar, unless I had tested them and knew for a fact that they did not have a dairy allergy. Because I’ve seen this cause more problems than it’s solved.

#3. So let’s say that you are not allergic to dairy, and you don’t have a lactose intolerance, or you are eating a non-dairy yogurt, and that it is an unsweetened plain yogurt. Some of you are willing to do that. Very few, but some. How good is that for you?

Studies have shown that there can be some benefits for some people. But there really isn’t that many probiotics, even in a live culture yogurt. Even in something heavily marketed, like Activia (which has sugar it in anyway).

Activia has around 1 billion probiotics. 1 billion sounds impressive, but a good probiotic like the one I use in my practice that you can see on my website, has over 25x that amount of probiotic in it.

So as you can now imagine, why would I ever recommend yogurt, especially as a generic recommendation to the masses, when I can avoid all of the potential hazards that can come with yogurt?  

It makes  a lot more sense to simply take a probiotic. (Which is another topic altogether, and also a lot easier said than done.) I talk about that in another video that is linked at the end of this one.

Ironically, I’m not recommending a probiotic either. That is another thorny issue.

So if you want to eat yogurt, make sure that it’s unsweetened. And that you don’t have a problem with dairy. And then it’s fine. Have at it.

And if you don’t want to eat yogurt, don’t worry about it. It’s not required. There are other ways to get the benefits that you can potentially get from yogurt.

Related Content:

Treating IBS With Nausea or Vomiting

IBS and Spicy Food, The Sign That Something Bigger Is Wrong

What is A Gastroenterologist? When To See One, and the Problems They Can’t Help You With

Digestion and Fatigue‍