Yogurt is one of those grey areas when it comes to Primal eating. Some are for it and some are totally against it since it’s dairy. I’m Team Yogurt.
For those that have issues with dairy, yogurt is something that can be tolerated. This isn’t the case for everyone, obviously, but for many yogurt can be a part of the diet.
Yogurt also provides us with healthy bacteria needed for digestion. Yes we can get that from other fermented foods as well but I do feel that if it works for you, yogurt should be in rotation in your diet.
There’s no way to know if one can tolerate yogurt unless they eliminate it for a time (30 days is optimal) and then slowly reintroduce it.
I recommend going with Greek yogurt in the reintroduction phase. Plain full fat (0% fat yogurt is not a good idea) Greek yogurt. It has a little bit more protein plus you don’t have to worry about thickeners or added sugar (which can trigger digestion issues).
For myself, I have found that yogurt in my diet has been essential with getting my digestion back on track. While I have been doing other things like limiting alcohol consumption (can lead to leaky gut) and drinking bone broth (helps heal leaky gut) to help heal my gut, I’ve also been having yogurt on the regular.
A typical yogurt bowl for me is yogurt + fresh fruit + almonds + coconut flakes (unsweetened). I love fresh blueberries in the spring/summer months. If those aren’t available, I’ll go with some sliced banana.
If I don’t have yogurt for breakfast then I will have it in a smoothie at lunch. The good bacteria boost it provides is helping my digestive tract heal and get healthy again.
For many yogurt can be helpful in healing the gut and getting digestion back on track. It can provide the much needed bacteria to help balance out digestion and get things moving properly.