Nutrition

A favorite of bodybuilders and gym rats everywhere, L-Carnitine is an amino acid naturally produced in the body with antioxidant activity that helps optimize recovery, powers muscular contractions and plays a role in cellular energy.** As it turns out, these sports nutrition benefits may also help your hardest-working muscle: the heart.**

Here’s the first clue: approximately 98% of the body’s L-Carnitine stores are located in the muscles and in cardiac tissue – at a concentration of 70X more than what is in your blood.

In the heart’s cardiac tissue, L-Carnitine hangs out in the cells’ mitochondria (power plants) to do what it does best: Promote energy production.** Specifically, L-Carnitine shuttles fatty acids into heart cells’ mitochondria, where they can be used as fuel to generate energy.** This is critically important because sub-optimal heart function can be linked with energy deficits.¹ An energized heart is a healthy heart, and L-Carnitine seems to help you get there.**

L-Carnitine’s antioxidant activity is a bonus for cardiovascular health. The heart is the site of high oxidative stress. L-Carnitine’s presence in the heart may help fight the damaging effects of destructive free radicals.**

Intriguingly, L-Carnitine supplements may also help to promote exercise efforts in those needing extra heart support.** This important nutritional benefit might just assist those who are actively trying to promote their heart health with cardio fitness programs.**

L-Carnitine: It’s not just for Gym Rats anymore. Listen to your heart, it’s saying: “I do limitless ‘reps’ every day, is there any workout more high-intensity than mine? Gimme some L-Carnitine supplements and let’s hit the gym to pump up our cardiovascular health!”

by Mike Geary

For decades now, news reporters with zero nutrition education, government agencies using outdated information from the 1960’s, and well-meaning but misinformed dieticians have pounded into your head that dairy fat from butter, cream, cheese, and other full-fat dairy products is terrible for you and “CLOGS” your arteries… but what if they’ve been WRONG all along?

After all, it wouldn’t be the first time that the government, the media, and dieticians have been wrong about a nutrition topic… remember for years when everyone falsely believed that trans fat laden margarine was better for you than butter?  Wow, were they ever wrong about that!  And remember the years when everyone falsely believed that egg yolks were bad for you?  Well, I think most of us are more educated now about that as well… At least I hope so!

Did you know that between the years 1910 to 2000, the average annual butter consumption per person in the US decreased from 18 lbs per year in 1910 to less than 4 lbs per year in 2000… Meanwhile heart disease rates between 1910 to 2000 QUADRUPLED.

Hmm… so let’s think about that for a minute…we ate almost 5x the amount of butter on average in 1910 and yet heart disease was RARE at the time.  Clearly the argument that so many health “experts” make about dairy fat being “deadly” is not accurate and needs to be re-evaluated.

Let’s look at some more interesting examples…

With regards to dairy fat from butter, cheese, and cream, if you believed the media that dairy fat clogs your arteries, then why do the French stay leaner and have a much lower rate of heart disease despite a diet very high in full-fat cheese, butter, and cream compared to Americans that purposely try to reduce their butter intake and choose non-fat or reduced-fat dairy products most of the time?

Or why do the Swiss, known for their rich full-fat dairy products including lots of cheese display lower heart disease rates than Americans?

Or how about the natives of the Caucasus Mountains in Eastern Europe that routinely live to over 100 years old while drinking full-fat dairy almost daily throughout their lives in the form of Kefir?

We’ve also got the Maasai and Samburu tribes from Africa that eat a diet rich in full-fat dairy (4-5x the consumption of dairy fat on average than most Americans) and yet display robust health with a distinct lack of degenerative diseases like heart disease.

Hmm, what’s going on here?

We could go on and on with examples that show the opposite of what you’ve been told over the years about dairy fat, but the fact of the matter is that all of these “experts” that have told you to avoid dairy fat have been flat out WRONG for decades now!

The TRUTH is… studies are consistently showing that certain unique compounds in dairy fat actually PREVENT the clogging of arteries and reduce your risk of heart disease!

I’ll tell you in a second about the powerful compounds in some types of dairy fat that can help reduce your risk of heart disease, but first, please realize that if you eat a lot of inflammatory foods such as sugar, corn syrup, refined grains (wheat and corn cereals, breads, etc), artificial trans fats, refined vegetable oils (soybean oil, corn oil), etc, you will most likely still be clogging your arteries from the inflammation caused by what these foods do to your insides.

So aside from just simply observing certain cultures around the world and their dairy fat intake, what other evidence do we have that compounds found in dairy fat can actually protect you from heart disease and prevent clogging of your arteries?  Well…

Studies involving 3 specific super-nutrients found in grass-fed dairy fat

Note that the 3 nutrients that I’m discussing here that help protect you from heart disease are found mostly in GRASS-FED dairy (pasture-raised) and not conventional grain-fed factory farm dairy that’s the majority of dairy found in the US.  Also, realize that we’re talking about benefits from the fat portion of the dairy specifically here (yes, the cream and butterfat), so this means FULL-FAT grass-fed dairy is where the benefits will come from and NOT all of these silly skim, 0%, or 1% reduced-fat varieties of yogurts, cheeses, etc.

Note that most dairy from Europe and other parts of the world is typically grass-fed for the majority of their feed and only supplemented with smaller amounts of grain.  For that reason, if you choose European cheeses, you’re generally going to get a healthier type of cheese.  And if you can’t find butter or cream that’s labeled as grass-fed or pasture raised, realize that true Irish butter (Kerrygold is a good brand of Irish butter in the US) or any European butter is usually grass-fed and a better choice.

Although, as consumer awareness is increasing about the benefits of grass-fed dairy in the US, I’ve noticed that more and more US brands are offering grass-fed yogurt, cheeses, butter, cream, and kefir from small family farm operations that truly allow the cows to freely roam and forage on grass and herbs.

So let’s get to those super-nutrients found in the fat of grass-fed dairy:
Dairy Fat Super-Nutrient #1: Vitamin K2

Vitamin K1 is found in leafy greens and is definitely good for you.  However, studies of vitamin K1 in relation to heart disease are neutral, meaning there’s no negative or positive response in comparing vitamin K1 and heart disease.

However, the story is quite different with vitamin K2!  In one Dutch study reported in the Journal of Nutrition in 2004, people with the highest vitamin K2 consumption had a whopping 51% lower risk of heart attack mortality and a 26% lower risk of death from all causes compared to those eating the least vitamin K2!  The study concluded that higher vitamin K2 consumption reduced arterial calcification.

The best sources of vitamin K2…

You guessed it:  grass-fed dairy fat (butter, cream, certain cheeses), organ meats, egg yolks, and certain fermented foods that use a specific starter culture.  In terms of cheeses, brie and gouda are apparently the highest in vitamin K2 due to the cultures that are used to ferment the cheese.  And goose liver is extremely high in vitamin K2 as well.

Isn’t it ironic that so many health “experts” have been telling you for decades to avoid dairy fat, and yet dairy fat contains one of the most powerful compounds being studied that helps prevent arterial calcification and clogged arteries.  As I always say, beware of who you trust when it comes to nutrition information!

One other important thing to note about vitamin K2…

Apparently, new research is proving what Weston Price knew all along many many years ago… in order for your body to properly utilize oral vitamin D, you need vitamin K2 as well.  In many of Dr. Price’s experiments, he found that patients only had minor improvements in health parameters when given cod liver oil (a concentrated natural source of vitamin D), but when cod liver oil was combined with grass-fed butter for vitamin K2, the health improvements were significantly better, as the vitamin K2 and vitamin D worked together synergistically inside the body.

Also keep in mind that vitamin K2 is generally NOT found in multi-vitamins or other supplements, so you need to obtain it from grass-fed dairy fat or other animal foods such as egg yolks or organ meats.

For those choosing to go on a vegan diet, please realize that vitamin K2 deficiency is a very serious concern.  Vitamin K2 deficiency can disrupt the balance and function that vitamin D and calcium play inside your body (causing inappropriate calcification in your body if you’re deficient in K2) and can lead to arterial calcification in vegans that ignore this important nutrient.  Vitamin B12 is another important nutrient that vegans are typically extremely deficient in, and supplemental forms are not as well utilized by the body.
Dairy Fat Super-Nutrient #2: CLA (conjugated linoleic acid)

CLA is a unique type of healthy fat that’s found in the fat from grass-fed meat or dairy in ruminant animals such as sheep, goats, cows, deer, etc.  In separate studies, CLA has been found to lower the risk for cancer and arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), in addition to improving fat loss.

Grass-fed dairy or meat has been found to contain 3-5x the amount of healthy CLA fats as grain-fed dairy or meat.

In one study in 2010, researchers studied the effects of consumption of a sheep’s milk pecorino cheese on atherosclerotic biomarkers (indicating risk for heart disease), and found that the dairy fat in this cheese improved the subjects markers!  They concluded: “intake of the tested dairy product naturally rich in cis-9, trans-11 CLA appeared to cause favourable biochemical changes of atherosclerotic markers.”

A search of conjugated linoleic acid in relation to cancer and fat loss on pubmed also brought up dozens of positive studies showing relationship between CLA and reduced cancer risks and improved weight loss.

CLA is yet another example of an extremely healthy fat contained in dairy fat, and higher in grass-fed dairy compared to grain-fed.  Yet another reason why I proclaim that most “experts” and dieticians out there telling you to choose skim or low-fat versions of yogurt, cheeses, or kefir are dead wrong.  Enough with the fat-phobia!  As we’re seeing, full-fat dairy can be healthier and taste better too!
Dairy Fat Super-Nutrient #3: Omega-3 Fats

I don’t think we need to go into great detail on this one, as most people are aware that omega-3 fatty acids are very important for heart health and almost every aspect of health related to inflammation with more benefits to your body than I could even list here.

And it’s no secret that pasture-raised dairy fat is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids.  Just keep in mind that pasture raised dairy fat contains a MUCH better ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats than does conventional grain-fed dairy fat.

Most people already consume FAR too much omega-6 fats, and need to raise their levels of omega-3 fats.  Grass-fed dairy fats can certainly help with that goal, just like fish oils do!

With everything in this article being about the health benefits of these 3 super-nutrients found in grass-fed dairy fats, are grain-fed dairy fats actually bad for you?  Well, the way I see it is that the fats in grain-fed dairy are “neutral”, meaning I don’t believe they are terrible for you like hydrogenated oils are bad for you, but I wouldn’t call grain-fed dairy fats beneficial either.

Just be aware that pesticides and other harmful chemicals can accumulate in the fat portion of dairy, so if you choose to use grain-fed dairy, choosing organic is very important.  On the other hand, if it’s grass-fed dairy you’re eating, it’s less important that it’s also labeled as organic since the cows will naturally be exposed to less chemicals in a pasture-raised environment.

Before we finish this article, let me also summarize my opinion of healthy vs unhealthy dairy products, since I know there’s so much confusion and misinformation about dairy out there…
Healthy Forms of Dairy with Super-Nutrients that Protect Your Health:

• Pasture-raised cream (aka, grass-fed)
• Pasture-raised butter
• Cheeses made from pasture-raised milk (European cheeses are generally grass-fed)
• Yogurt – only unsweetened, plain, or plain greek gets my vote (organic or grass-fed if possible)
• Kefir – fermented (cultured) milk with 2-10x more probiotics than yogurt. Kefir is the healthiest, most digestible form of dairy available and is known to heal many digestive problems (7 – 50 Billion probiotics per cup)
• Lassi – another form of fermented milk, Indian style, and similar to Kefir.

Unhealthy Forms of Dairy:

• Homogenized/pasteurized commercial milk – homogenized milk fat is thought to be harmful to health due to the microscopic fat particles that are formed from the homogenization processing.
• Yogurt that’s loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners (which is most brands)
• Processed cheeses such as American cheese or cheese spreads

The bottom line…

Full-fat grass-fed dairy is NOT the “dangerous” fat that you’ve been led to believe by the media, the government, and some dieticians.  As you can see in this article, there are at least 3 super-nutrients in the fat portion of dairy that are shown to PROTECT you from heart disease, as well as other health benefits.

Oh, and let’s not forget that dairy fat tastes great!  I’ll take REAL cream in my coffee any day over fake coffee creamer laden with hydrogenated oil and corn syrup.  I’ll take full-fat creamy yogurt over non-fat yogurt any day.  I’ll enjoy a good full-fat aged cheese instead of some silly fat-free processed cheese any day too, knowing that the full-fat aged cheese actually does a body good.

I personally choose to cook with butter frequently (mixed with coconut oil many times), and I enjoy full-fat grass-fed cream whenever I drink coffee (Organic Valley has a good pasture-raised cream).  I also drink full-fat Greek style Kefir most days of the week, and I enjoy all of these foods not just for their great taste, but also knowing that they only HELP protect my health.

And this daily ration of dairy fat is certainly not adding any body fat to my frame… I’m still as lean as ever.  As you now know, the CLA in grass-fed dairy fat actually aids fat loss, and the healthy fats overall can help to reduce cravings, control appetite, and balance your hormones.  So let’s all please stop being afraid of dairy fat, as long as you avoid that homogenized milk!

The hottest thing in nutrition over the last few years is the “Paleo” style of eating (aka, Paleolithic nutrition).  In some ways, it’s a simple concept, and it’s common sense… eat a similar hunter-gatherer diet like our ancestors did for over 1.9 Million years, and since this is the diet that the human digestive system is most adapted to during 99% of our existence, good health will follow, and getting a lean body becomes easier.

Some paleo authors though forbid even tiny amounts of grains and dairy in their recommendations, while other mainstream health authors and experts just aren’t convinced yet (or haven’t been explained the science yet) that whole grains can possibly be bad for you in any way.

My thought on this is that not all grains are necessarily bad for you, but some are a LOT worse than others… this is where I see “paleo” nutrition in a slightly different light than some very strict Paleo authors that advise to 100% eliminate ALL grains.  I don’t quite see it that way.

A couple things that I keep in mind in terms of deciding on the healthiest paleolithic nutrition plan:

1.  For people that are extremely active such as long distance bikers, runners, and athletes that do intense activity for several hours per day, the extra calories from starch that grains give can be useful. The extra calories and carbs from grains can also be useful to those looking to build muscle mass.

However, there’s no reason at all that these types of people can’t fuel their carb needs with potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit, squash, quinoa, and other non-grain carb sources, and still get the calories and carbs they need without getting all of the gluten and other problematic anti-nutrients that are in many popular grains.

2.  Some grains are worse than others.  For example, rice and oats still have anti-nutrients, but have a lot less anti-nutrients than wheat does.  Rice and oats also don’t contain gluten (unless they contain traces from processing machines that also processed wheat or barley), and as you know, chronic gluten intake can irritate the gut and cause internal inflammation in a large majority of us, even if we’re not Celiac.

This means that rice and oats are more “neutral” than wheat is, and if you’re extremely active and burn boatloads of calories with hours of exercise each day, then rice and oats can be a reasonable source of calories, although still not necessarily the “best” carb source per se.

However, if you’re an average person that exercises a couple days a week, and not daily for hours each day, there’s really no need for the extra calories and carbs that even “neutral” grains provide.

3.  It’s important to know that grains are NOT “essential” to the human diet in any way.  After all, before agriculture started approx 10,000 years ago, grains were just a very tiny % of the human diet, dating back almost 2 Million years.

Currently, it’s estimated that the average modern day person obtains 67% of their total calories come from only 3 foods — wheat, corn, and soy and their derivatives.

However, ancient paleolithic humans most likely only consumed about 1 or 2% of their total calories from wild grains that they could have gathered.  Mass produced grains to make bread, baked goods, and pasta that are modern day staples simply didn’t exist back then.

This means that for 99% of human existence, humans only ate grains in a very tiny fraction of their total calories, and for the last 1% of human existence, we now eat 67% of our total calories from wheat, corn, and soy alone (although technically, soy is not a grain…it’s a legume, but soy has it’s own health issues as well).

Ancient paleolithic humans were very active hunting and gathering each day (and probably fighting off predators too in most locations!), yet somehow us humans managed to “fuel our bodies” for almost 2 Million years without the need for large amounts of grains like modern day athletes resort to as the go-to carb source.

Although I’m not personally a competing athlete in anything, I’m a very active skier, mountain biker, hiker, and weight lifter.  But I don’t fuel my body on grains, and I don’t necessarily fuel my body on primarily carbohydrates either.  And I feel amazing every single day!

I tend to prefer to fuel my body primarily from healthy fats like avocados, nuts, egg yolks, seeds, olive oil, coconut oil, and grass-fed butter and cream.  But I still also fuel my body with small to moderate amounts of carbs each day from eating loads of veggies, raw honey in my morning or afternoon tea, maybe a few potatoes or sweet potatoes each week, squash, and one or two pieces of fruit a day.  This type of plan replicates the ancient paleolithic hunter-gatherer diet much more closely than these modern plans loaded with grains at every meal.

I’m sure we’ll talk more about this topic in upcoming newsletters, but let’s look at the big picture here…

The way I see it is that you can probably find a lot of examples of people you know that eat a lot of grains and yet remain lean, and seemingly healthy.  This doesn’t mean that gluten and other anti-nutrients they are consuming daily aren’t causing at least some form of moderate internal inflammation, blood sugar problems, or minor digestive problems though in many of these grain-eaters.

I personally don’t avoid grains altogether, but I would say that I only eat grains about 1 day per week, and I try to get variety when I do instead of only one type of grain, so that I’m not always consuming the same types of anti-nutrients which might affect specific minerals from being absorbed in the body.  This can lead to some mineral deficiency with over-consumption of certain grains too often.

by Stephanie Smith

Salt might be your go-to flavor enhancer, but it’s definitely not the healthiest way to season a meal. If you’re like most people, you surpass the American Heart Association’s recommended 3,000 milligrams (a little more than a tablespoon) per day sodium limit.

Before you reach for the salt to flavor your chicken breast, pause to consider these high-protein recipes from Dave Ruel, “The Muscle Cook.” They cut the carbs, fat, and unnecessary sodium without sacrificing taste. The addition of seasonings like thyme and mint add a nutrient-packed punch full of vitamins and antioxidants.

1 / Greek Chicken

Turning up the flavor on chicken breast can make your meal sing. A palm-sized portion of grilled chicken provides roughly 25 grams of protein, while the addition of thyme and rosemary add flavor, sans salt. Rosemary, rich in folic acid and vitamins A and C, has been shown to ease muscle pain and indigestion. Just one tablespoon of this fragrant herb also delivers five percent of an adult’s recommended daily amount of iron. Thyme—rich in B-complex vitamins (particularly B-6), and vitamins A, C, E and K—may help relieve gas, reduce fevers, and lower cholesterol.

• 4 chicken breasts (boneless, 6oz each)
• 1/2 cup black olives
• 4 diced tomatoes
• 1 cup crumbled low-fat Feta cheese
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 juiced lemons
• Black pepper

1. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, pepper, and lemon juice.
2. Cut the chicken into strips. Place the chicken strips, olives, and diced tomatoes in the olive oil mixture. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Place chicken mixture in aluminum foil and, creating a pocket, add some of the marinade to keep it moist.
5. Cook for about 30 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with feta cheese before serving.

Greek Chicken PDF (49.1 KB)

2 / Provencal Chicken Strips

Are you searching for a high-protein recipe that’s skimpy on carbs and fats? Try these simple, easy-to-make, downright delicious chicken strips flavored with a dash of parsley and rosemary. Parsley has strong anti-inflammatory properties and serves up more vitamin K than any other herb—just two tablespoons provide half of your recommended daily value. The kick of rosemary acts as an antioxidant.

• 4 chicken breasts (boneless, 6oz each), cut in strips
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• 6 diced tomatoes
• 1 minced shallot
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp rosemary

1. Saute chicken strips and 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet at medium-high heat for 4 minutes.
2. Add shallot and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir frequently.
3. Stir in tomatoes, capers, parsley, vinegar, and rosemary.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid evaporates.

Provencal Chicken Strips PDF (50.6 KB)

3 / Rosemary Marinated Salmon

When it comes to eating fish, you can’t go wrong with salmon. It is rich in omega-3 fats and high in EPA and DHA content—just four ounces contain more healthy fat than the average adult consumes in days. Salmon helps prevent chronic inflammation, promote cognitive function, and improve vision. Perhaps owing to the high levels of vitamin D and selenium, salmon also lowers cancer risks. So how do you take this superfood and turn it into an anabolicious delight? Why, with the magic of rosemary, of course. The herb’s phytochemicals prevent disease , while its high folic acid content makes it a great liver detoxifier.

• 4, 6oz salmon steaks
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp rosemary, crumbled, or 2 tsp fresh, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine all ingredients, except salmon, in a bowl. Add pepper to taste.
3. Pour the mixture into the bottom of a small baking dish.
4. Add salmon steaks and turn to coat. Marinate 15 minutes.
5. Wrap each steak in aluminum foil, and bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Rosemary Marinated Salmon PDF (52.4 KB)

4 / Alaskan Omelet

Are you looking for the perfect breakfast recipe to kickstart your metabolism and burn some fat? Consider amplifying your morning eggs with a hint of basil. Revered as the “holy herb,” basil’s antibacterial properties have been used to treat everything from the common cold and fever to respiratory disorders, kidney stones, and bronchitis and sinus infections. Its high magnesium content also makes basil key to improved blood flow.

• 1 egg
• 4 egg whites
• 1 tbsp fat-free sour cream
• 2 oz cooked, smoked, or canned salmon
• 1 tbsp fresh basil
• 1 tbsp scallion, chopped
• Pinch of dried parsley
• Pinch of pepper

1. Beat eggs and pour them in a heated skillet.
2. When the omelet hardens, place salmon on top.
3. Top salmon with sour cream and sprinkle with basil, scallion, parsley, and pepper.
4. Fold in half and cook until done.

Alaskan Omelet PDF (48.7 KB)

5 / Lebanese Beef Kebabs

Nothing says protein-packed finger food like meat on a skewer. And nothing’s better than tender beef marinated with herbs and spices. Enter: Lebanese beef kebabs. Along with the usual favorites of thyme and parsley, which are high in potassium, iron, calcium, and manganese, this recipe also calls for two other great herbs: the bay leaf and mint. Bay leaf is known to provide resistance against different types of cancer and has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial properties. In addition to promoting better digestion, bay leaf has been effective in controlling diabetes by enabling the body to process insulin efficiently. Mint, an excellent blood cleanser, relieves symptoms of cold and flu while inhibiting the growth of different types of bacteria and fungus.

• 1 lb beef tenderloin, cut into cubes
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh mint
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• Fresh parsley, chopped

1. In a food processor or blender, puree onion, oil, garlic, lemon juice and zest, mint, paprika, cumin, thyme, bay leaf, and cayenne.
2. In a big Ziploc bag, combine beef cubes with the mixture, coating the beef completely. Marinate in the fridge overnight.
3. Drain the marinade in a saucepan, and bring to a boil.
4. Skewer beef cubes and place on hot grill. While turning the beef, brush with boiled marinade.
5. Serve in a bowl with the remaining marinade.

Lebanese Beef Kebabs PDF (47.7 KB)

by Mike Geary

As you’ve probably noticed in the last couple of years, probiotics are all the rage as one of THE most important factors that helps control your immune system (an estimated 70% of your immune system resides in your gut), as well as your digestive system health.

Most people “think” they get enough health-boosting probiotics from yogurt (the average person eats yogurt almost daily).  Unfortunately, there are some problems with yogurt that you need to be aware of…

1.  First problem with yogurt:

Some brands of yogurt actually contain live cultures and some do not.  Almost all yogurts found in the US start with pasteurized milk… that’s not such a problem because once the live cultures are added and the milk fermented, you once again have a live and active food that’s easier to digest than regular milk and has a reduced lactose content due to the consumption of lactose by the microbes.

Sadly, some brands pasteurize the yogurt AFTER it’s been fermented (cultured) which kills the beneficial probiotics.  On the other hand, most good brands of yogurt do NOT pasteurize after fermenting, so the probiotics are still alive for your benefit.

The amount of probiotics in yogurt varies widely based on the brand and type, but I’ve seen estimates anywhere from 1 Billion to 5 Billion CFUs per cup.  This is decent, but low compared to some other probiotic sources we’ll discuss in a bit.

The KEY is that you need to look for “live and active cultures” on the label, or another labeling that indicates the probiotics are still active.

2.  Second problem with yogurt:

Most yogurts in the US are sadly adulterated with way too many sweeteners, whether sugar, corn syrup, or artificial sweeteners.

Remember that sucralose kills probiotics, so any yogurt that’s been sweetened with sucralose (aka, splenda) will most likely have a greatly reduced probiotic content or possibly even be fully dead.

And most other yogurts are produced to appease the overly aggressive sweet taste buds of American consumers, so they simply contain too much sugar to be considered healthy.

I always recommend choosing unsweetened plain yogurt or plain greek yogurt and adding your own stevia or other natural sweetener if you need extra sweetness beyond the addition of whole fruit.

I also personally choose FULL-fat yogurt and not all of this silly skim 0% yogurt that’s out there these days.  Remember that the extra fat in full-fat yogurt satisfies your appetite and cravings so that you eat less calories later in the day.  If you eat these 0% fat yogurts, you’ll end up hungrier in an hour or two.  Also, if you can find yogurt from grass-fed cows, the fat portion of the yogurt is VERY healthy and contains powerful vitamin K2 (shown to reduce heart disease risk) as well as CLA (found to reduce cancer risk and help to reduce body fat), and also omega-3 fats, which you also know are vital to your health.

3.  Third problem with yogurt:

The last problem with yogurt that I wanted to bring to your attention today is that yogurt is not necessarily the best source of probiotics, both in terms of quantity and also variety of strains.

Variety is KEY when it comes to the overall power of probiotics for your immunity and digestion.

Most yogurts only contain 3-4 strains of probiotics.  On the other hand, Kefir is a fermented dairy drink that contains anywhere from 10-20 strains of probiotics depending on the brand and type.  In addition, Lassi is an Indian style fermented dairy drink that also contains a much wider variety of strains than yogurt does.

In terms of quantity of probiotics, yogurts generally contain between 1 Billion to 5 Billion CFU’s per cup, whereas most Kefir or Lassi contains anywhere from 7 Billion to 50 Billion active CFU’s per cup depending on the brand and type.  Most yogurts are only cultured for 2-3 hours, whereas kefir is generally cultured for 12-16 hours, increasing it’s probiotic content and making it easier for digestion.

Also, most Kefir is 99% lactose free and is by far the easiest to digest type of dairy on the market due to the “predigestion” that the active cultures perform on the kefir before you drink it.

Kefir is a GREAT addition to any smoothies that you make instead of using water or almond milk because you get the immune system and digestive system benefits of the probiotics in Kefir, which you can’t get in almond milk.

Again, I personally choose FULL-FAT (for the reasons I described above with full-fat yogurt as well) when I look for a good kefir and I try to find grass-fed as well.  If I don’t use kefir in smoothies, one way I like it is just simply to add a small touch of real maple syrup, vanilla, and chia seeds to a cup of kefir — amazingly delicious snack for anytime!

Interestingly, I recently found out from their website that Lifeway brand kefir is made from grass-fed milk in ALL of their products (even though they don’t include that on the labels), so the fat content in Lifeway kefir will also contain those ever so important nutrients of vitamin K2 for heart health, CLA for cancer protection and body fat reduction, and omega 3 fats for overall health.  The full-fat greek kefir by Lifeway is my favorite and I use it almost every day!

With all of this said about yogurt and kefir, please note that I do NOT drink regular commercial milk that’s been pasteurized and homogenized.  It’s a dead food that has harmful microscopic fat particles due to the homogenization.  On the other hand, yogurts and kefirs generally start with pasteurized milk, (but NOT homogenized), and are made alive and easier to digest again through the fermentation process.

For this reason, I choose to NEVER use commercial milk, but I use yogurt several times a week, and I use Kefir DAILY because of it’s health benefits and great taste.

Lastly, if you’re one of those folks that thinks that all dairy is bad for you because you’ve fallen for certain anti-animal food propaganda that floats around out there on the internet, here’s one last fact to consider that might make some vegans want to switch to vegetarians…

It’s well known that in the Caucasus Mountains and other areas of eastern Europe, that natives to that area drink kefir daily throughout their lives and routinely live to over 100 years old.  And in India, fermented dairy in the form of Lassi is routinely consumed with daily meals, and they display much better health than the average American.

Clearly, if “dairy was bad for you” as many so-called “experts” seem to like to claim, these natives in the Caucasus Mountains that drink fermented dairy every day of their lives wouldn’t be living to 100 years old!  Just shows you to beware of who you trust for your health information.