Is consuming a lot of probiotic yogurt BAD for you?

I was going to say I doubt the live cultures will hurt you. The lactose might be worse.

But then I googled this... https://breakingmuscle.com/fitness/4-signs-you-are-taking-too-many-probiotics

If you don't have gas and abdominal discomfort, I wouldn't worry.

If I were you I would save my money on the activia if that is the only reason you are choosing that brand.

All good yogurts have live cultures, and more than enough probiotics to satisfy your desire for gut health. Activia has just been marketed more to the masses, especially toward women/housewives/mothers, who do most of the grocery shopping.

There are 3 strains of probiotics, activia just happens to have one that one of the strains a lot of other brands don't use. That doesn't make it better. It's all marketing.

You must like yogurt because you're eating a quart at a time. You might want to explore other brands. Prices can vary widely, but so does the taste, and satisfaction level. Experiment.

Also, I wouldn't get all excited about whether it is low fat or not. This is a whole different subject, but the fact is, fat is good for you. It's what our bodies were meant to burn. Even if you can't wrap your mind around that (it's a big subject), you are certainly better off getting a full fat yogurt that is not full of sugars, than one that is low fat, but loaded with sugar.

I personally don't eat yogurt often, as I have problems with dairy. However, there are some really really good ones out that that will fill your probiotic goals.

I buy yogurt for my husband sometimes, and I've tasted them. Our personal favorites are in order of taste, are Noosa, Brown Cow, and a brand that is goat yogurt, Redwood Hill Farms. That last one is more expensive, but hey, goat yogurt is just more expensive.

Another reason for using full fat yogurt is that you probably won't find yourself wanting to eat an entire quart, because you will be more satisfied, satiated, because of the fat.

Also, if your eating that much yogurt, it's cheaper, and less wasteful as far as packaging, to try brands that also sell in quart sizes.

Bottom line, just make sure the yogurt has live cultures.

Regarding probiotics, be aware yogurt is not the only excellent source.

Items like raw saurkraut (not the crap that sits on the shelf, the kind you get in the cold section of the store, or you can make your own), kimchi, kefir (it's like a yogurt drink) can mix it up for you.
Putting a dash of apple cider vinegar on your salads, in your soups, whatever, will also serve the purpose.

Re saurkraut, I personally like it with breakfast. It is really good putting a small amount on top of your eggs, avocado, bacon, etc.
Breakfast is, as far as my experience, the quickest and easiest meal to get in a ton of nutrition. My typical breakfast (which I may eat at 10am or 10pm ) gets in 4 or 5 vegetables, my probiotics, protein, and fats. I get a lot of bang for my buck out of breakfast.

Thank you Max. I will take this up with a nutritionist.

You might like to read some books about nutrition. I suggest you go to amazon.com and search "adelle davis". Her books are old (1960-ish) but still the most popular introduction to the field.

All yogurt is probiotic, but that doesn't mean it's all good. Yogurt is milk and bacteria. The bacteria only eat milk sugar, and they eventually crowd out all other kinds of gut flora, and yogurt does not produce gas. So if you eat yogurt every day for a while you will no longer have gas.

Yogurt is not required to have live bacteria, so some brands are just stiff milk with an acid taste. That pretty much shuts out all reasons for eating those brands. They are just expensive milk, as far as nutrition is concerned.

HOW TO MAKE YOGURT
Buy a brand that you happen to like and use it for a starter. Only get plain yogurt. Get a mason jar, or several, depending on how much you want to make. Get powdered milk. (Liquid milk is ok but it often has medications that kill the yogurt bacteria.)

Mix enough milk to fill your jars. I use a ten cup Tupperware bowl because it is so much easier to handle than anything else. You can put a plastic bowl in the microwave or use a metal pan on the stove. Heat the milk, stirring occasionally, until it coats your spoon. (In a metal pan you stir constantly.) That indicates a temperature of 180F, which cooks the milk protein so the yogurt bacteria can do its thing easily.

Run cold water into a dishpan. Pour the milk into a metal bowl and set the bowl in the water. Stir occasionally until a drop of milk feels nice on your arm. Add your starter and stir well. (A few TBSP will be enough.) Pour the mixture into the bottles, cap and place in a picnic cooler. Add hot water (arm test again) to cover the bottles, close the cooler and let it sit for a while. A couple hours is enough, overnight is ok. Yogurt doesn't go bad, but it eventually separates into a yellow fluid and a soft curd, which is ok but it looks funny.

This is just a nice little ceremony that I do once a week. If you get bulk milk at Wally World or someplace you can make yogurt for half what the store charges and you always know exactly what's in it.

I intend on getting a new book on nutrition. I had one that my 6th grade health teacher gave me years ago as a gift, presumably as a graduation present, if I recall correctly, but the book got lost in storage.

But why?! You're probably consuming far too much sugar as these drinks are likely to be high in sugar.

The average daily intake of sugar for an average male:
36 grams daily

Activia yogurt has 11 grams of sugar per container. That's the regular lowfat yogurt. Not the drinkable kind. This site here indicated that the drinkable version has 25 grams per container/serving. You're speeding towards diabetes as I figure the rest of your diet probably isn't so balanced as well.

One or 2 drinks of this might be fine, but more than that at once is wasted. Any active culture yoghurt that is low in sugar would suffice. More consumption at one setting doesn’t improve your gut health. Furthermore, they need to be active cultures. Avoid sweet yoghurt drinks, having a balanced diet is more important than downing a quart of yoghurt drink.

Lastly, an appointment with a nutritionist can be expensive as they charge for their services

I was going to mention that as well ragman, about the nutritionist. Thanks for bringing that up.

Yeah, my husband and I both went to this particular nutritionist, and we were totally prepared for the cost, and let me tell you, it did. However, in this case, he has his doctorate in nutritional counseling, a couple of undergrad degrees, decades as a researcher, specializing in cancer research, served has nutrionist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and many many more.

We went to him for very very specific reasons for my husband, which he helped tremendously. It was almost like magic seeing the changes after the three months the doctor said we would start to see changes in him. Albeit, because of husband health condition, he was put on a very specific regime of very specific supplements, to be taken at very specific times. Like a German train schedule, bam, it did. Things strugged with for years showed marked improvement from week to week after that.
My conerns were more generalized, although yes there were some specific issues. Same positive results.

Point is, it cost. It was worth it.

However, nutrition research advances, just like everything else. Not sure if I would rely on a book from my grade school days. Or a book in general in this day and age.
There is however, the interwebs.

Anyway, the reason I had suggested other fine sources of probiotics, like live fermented foods, is that I'm not sure if goldman is eating all the yogurt because he thinks more is better as far as probiotics, or if he just likes yogurt.

Basically goldman, you are eating (taking away the probiotics) a quart of ice cream every time you pop open all 8 of those Jamie Lee Curtis yogurts.

My visits are free- they are covered by my insurance.

I don't think you can get too much probiotic bacteria. I take probiotics in capsules and each one has about 37 billion bacteria, give or take a few billion. As for the rest of the yogurt that you're eating, I suppose if you're taking too much your body will have something to say about it.

So they're not free, you have to pay insurance.

Are they covered if you just decide to go to one, or do you have to have a doctors referral?

Do you have a specific medical problem that you need to see one?
If you need a referral, do you have a medical problem your doctor would agree you need to see a nutritionist?

What is the nutritionists experience, or are they just going to tell you something you can research yourself

Why exactly do you think you need to see a nutritionist?

Or not, until the damage is done....like developing diabetes.

BTW goldman, in case you are deciding that things said here are just us being argumentative, putting down your choices of what you are eating.....keep in mind 2 things....

#1
You were the one who asked if something was bad or not....to us. We're giving answers.

#2
Much of the info provided here are exactly the types of things a nutritionist would tell you, or ask you about.

The nutritionist, in no particular order will tell you, or ask you:

The amount of sugar you are consuming in that brand, and in the amount you are eating, is way too high. If you want to eat yogurt, greek yogurt has less, or eat plain yogurt.

You may be neglecting other aspects of nutrition because you are too full of yogurt to eat other things.

What is your goal of coming to see me? What do you want to know?

Consider other sources of probiotics.

Why are getting more probiotics so important to you? What kind of issues are you having that you believe probiotics will help?

and many more things that perhaps if said here, would upset you if we were saying them.

I have Medicaid and Medicare. My medical visits are free. My nutritionist was referred to be by my physician.

I was told elsewhere just eat plain yogurt. The probiotics isn't the main issue, it's the sugar.

I bought some plain Greek yogurt and put some unsweetened apple in it.

Thanks for the answers.

Next question, what is "unsweetend apple"?

Do you mean you cut up a fresh apple and put it in? That sounds good.
What did you think of it?

Unsweetened apple juice?

That would make some mushy yogurt.

Actually, I know in the past I've had yogurt that had apple in it, and it was really good.
I guess putting fresh apple in it would be even better.

Even better would be a handful of fresh blueberries. Berries in general have less sugar.

Of course not saying sugar is now the subject of this thread....but, just sayin'

And they make ones kidneys that much happier.

It really should be given his vacuuming of bucketsful of the drinkable yogurt. The OP never answered why he was consuming the entire 8 pack in a single sitting....