The Best Time to Eat Yogurt for Gut Health, Weight Loss, and Stronger Bones
Yogurt, which is made from fermented milk, is a staple in many people’s diets and is known for its many health benefits, ranging from gut health to bone strength to weight loss. Eating yogurt at a particular time of day can increase these benefits.
- Best Time for Gut Health
Some of the best times to eat yogurt for gut health include:
- Thirty minutes before a meal
- With a meal
Yogurt contains probiotics, helpful bacteria that can improve gut health. In particular, yogurt contains Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, and Bifidobacterium.12 To benefit your gut health, these probiotics must reach the intestines.
Research has found that Lactobacillus is more likely to survive the stomach’s harsh environment and reach the intestines when taken either with a meal or 30 minutes before a meal, likely because stomach acid is lower when the stomach is empty
The worst time to eat yogurt for gut health is 30 minutes after a meal.
In the same study, Lactobacillus did not survive in large numbers when consumed 30 minutes after a meal, likely because stomach acid increases during digestion, destroying probiotics before they reach the intestines.
- Best Time for Weight Loss
Yogurt can help you lose weight. The best times to eat yogurt for weight loss include:
- As a snack
- As an ingredient replacement
- As dessert
- At breakfast
- Before meals
Regular yogurt consumption is associated with maintaining a stable body weight, in part because it replaces less-healthy, sugar-filled, or fatty foods in your diet.4 Replacing unhealthy snacks, desserts, or ingredients (like mayo) with yogurt may help you cut calories and lose weight.
The high levels of calcium and protein found in yogurt can also regulate your appetite and prevent you from overeating.4 Eating yogurt before mealtime could prevent overeating or over-serving yourself.
Yogurt at breakfast may also help curb your appetite for the day ahead. The protein in yogurt could help stabilize your blood sugar, stopping cravings that result from blood sugar fluctuations.
- Best Time for Stronger Bones
The best time to eat yogurt for bone health is:
- At the same time every day (for example, breakfast), to help build a daily habit
- After exercise
Eating yogurt at any time of day can help build stronger bones. People who eat more yogurt tend to have better bone mineral density.6 Yogurt contains calcium, which is an essential mineral for bone health. The vitamin D, protein, and probiotics in yogurt can also support bone health.
Experts recommend consuming two to three cups of low-fat dairy daily for optimal bone health.
USDA MyPlate. Dairy.
While eating yogurt at any time of day can contribute to stronger bones, some people find that building a habit of eating a food at the same time every day (for example, with breakfast, or as an afternoon snack) helps them remember to eat that food.
Eating yogurt after exercise, in particular, may help with bone health. In one study, high-load, high-impact exercise combined with post-exercise Greek yogurt consumption was associated with improved bone formation.9
Regular exercise and yogurt consumption likely helped bone health more than the exact timing.
Yogurt Nutrition
Yogurt comes in numerous flavors, which affect its nutrition information. Many packaged yogurts are filled with sweeteners and flavorings, which aren’t as good for your health.
Different styles of yogurt also have different nutritional information. For example, Greek yogurt contains more protein than regular yogurt.1011
For the best health benefits, focus on unsweetened, unflavored yogurt.
One single-serving container, or six ounces (oz), of plain, low-fat yogurt contains:
- Calories: 107
- Protein: 8.92 grams (g)
- Fat: 2.64 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Sugar: 12 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 10.2 milligrams (mg)
- Calcium: 311 mg
Key Takeaways
- Eating yogurt with a meal or 30 minutes beforehand can give probiotics a better chance of reaching your intestines, where they can improve your gut health.
- Replacing unhealthy snacks or desserts with yogurt, or eating yogurt before a meal to curb your appetite, can help with weight loss.
- Eating yogurt in general, and in combination with exercise, can improve bone strength.
