Metabolism & Active Yogurt

Yogurt comes in many different styles and flavors, making it a natural choice for snacking and meals on the go. But it also provides the necessary good bacteria the body needs in order to maintain metabolism, making it a good choice on a sensible weight maintenance plan as well.

• Active yogurt can be a great way to boost the metabolism.

Define

• Active yogurt contains active cultures. Active cultures are, according to AboutYogurt.com, the good bacteria Lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus---the good bacteria that the body needs in order to maintain a healthy intestinal tract.

Significance

• According to an article by Neil Majithia on the website "Journal of Young Investigators," research has shown that the microbes present in the gut---the good bacteria provided by yogurt, for example---are responsible for much of a person's metabolism.

Best Choices

• For people interested in adding the benefits of active culture yogurt to their diets, AboutYogurt.com has established a yogurt seal of approval. Any yogurt manufacturer whose yogurt contains at least 100 million live cultures per gram gets the seal. Consumers interested in finding the seal should look for the words "Live & Active Cultures" with an icon that looks like a block "L."

Benefits

• According to Kathleen Zelman on MedicineNet.com, eating just 500 calories less per day and adding three servings of low fat yogurt has been shown to provide significant weight loss.

Types

• With flavors like strawberry, banana, vanilla bean and chocolate, there's a yogurt flavor to suit just about anyone's taste and diet plan.