How do I know if probiotics are in my food?
Most probiotic products will claim them on the label. A closer look at the ingredients may also turn up Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterius, the two most common probiotics that are added to “functional foods” or nutritional supplements. Most fermented foods naturally contain probiotics, so the bacteria may not be listed as ingredients. Buttermilk, yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese and even fresh sauerkraut are common examples of fermented food. Not all yogurts are created equal. In order for yogurt to have the benefits of the probiotics a label should read, “contains live and active cultures.” This voluntary seal says that there are significant amounts of these two probiotics in the product you are consuming. According to the National Yogurt Association, refrigerated yogurt products with this seal have at least 100 million cultures per gram of the product when manufactured. Frozen products with the seal should have at least 10 million cultures per gram, which is still a lot of friendly bacter
