Another unclear food label - live cultures in yoghurt.

[awayandaway]

I have just discovered the bit on the yoghurt pot I was eating from that says "live cultures" and it is tiny.

Ok, it IS there, but it is very small, and I am dyslexic. I did check in the shop before picking it up, but I didn't see it.

I now have to contact my cancer nurse arrange a telephone conversation. Not that there is anything she can do now, I have eaten it.

I am going to contact the manufacturer and complain. Particularly on the grounds that a lot of people undergoing chemo are going to have temporary eyesight problems. But obviously, this is dangerous to other people too, not just cancer patients.

I think food with a content that poses a significant danger to a significant proportion of the population should have that warning written in a standard colour, so it is easy to skim the package standing in the super market isle, and find that warning.

There should be a list of ingredients that have to be printed in bright orange, or something, so that if you are scanning for a particular ingredient, and you don't see any bright orange, you know it isn't there.

Of course people who are severely colour blind might have to get someone else to scan for them, but that would solve this issue for most people most of the time, wouldn't it?

@OP this is one of those times to just accept that you are very, very wrong and now out gracefully.

You are very, very wrong.

Please just leave it now!!

Giving children yoghurt will not give them blood infections or sepsis for goodness sake. Please stop spreading mis information.

Real yogurt should be live. Heat treatment literally ruins it and kills all the good bacteria. In the country I live babies are weaned onto proper, live yogurt. It's incredibly healthy. So that's not true at all!

All yoghurt is live that’s literally how it is made from milk

Apart from a vague “cancer nurse”, can you share some links or studies showing that yogurt poses a risk to a significant portion of the population, OP?

These are some wild and unsubstantiated claims you are throwing around, so some actual evidence would be appreciated. Thank you.

All yogurt as live cultures, I thought so at least. My kids have eaten it since babies without issue (and the kind I buy save live cultures on it)

If you want to nourish your gut bacteria, then feed them food that helps them. Fruit and veg, and breast milk for babies. Don't jump on the faddy woo-wagon

Why did you buy yoghurt then?

Yoghurt is not faddy, yoghurt and other fermented foods have been staples for thousands of years.

I've made yogurt since my kids were babies and it's definitely live, I also checked the yogurt I've bought more recently (since they left home and I need less) and it clearly says live. I buy plain Greek yogurt.

I'm sorry about your anxiety OP. I know a cancer diagnosis can trigger it. I hope you can find ways to overcome your illogical world-view.

All food has millions of bacteria on it. None of the food we eat is sterile.

Live cultures are good for gut health. What makes you think they’re dangerous?

This thread needs deleting because it’s spreading misinformation.

Only by one poster though. Pointing out misinformation could help others.

All yogurt is live, that is what yogurt is! Yabu here as it does say on the label but understand why you worried, although I don't think there's a link to someone going with cancer treatment. My mum was advised to have yogurt as an easy thing to eat after treatment. Weaning you meant to offer yogurt. Hope your treatment goes well x

Some yoghurts have been heat treated so aren't live, probably those little Petit Filou for kiddies.

I don't think it's the posters on the thread (particularly the actual medical professionals and scientists) who have "jumped on the faddy woo wagon".

The "nurse" is making half of what she said up, exaggerating another quarter of it, and misunderstanding the rest.

Disgraceful.

One thing I agree with you about @awayandaway is that food labelling legibility is poor in many cases. The colours, contrasts and size of font is so tiny it's impossible to read.

I often take a photo of labels on my phone so I can zoom in and read the ingredients list.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9455928/#sec10-foods-11-02691title

Not a fad.

I’m not sure where you’re getting your information from OP, but yogurt is safe and healthy for young children.

Perhaps, but given the misinformation involves telling posters they’re essentially putting their children’s lives at risk off of the back of information the OP has made up it shouldn’t be tolerated.

The OP would be better getting help for her anxiety, especially given what she’s going through rather than embarrassing herself on a public forum.

The brands Bio&Me and Yeo Valley natural are excellent - no added sugar, live cultures and very pleasant smooth taste, not sour like some brands.

Your nurse is an idiot. And so are you for believing that live yoghurt is dangerous for kids. I’d actually want to report your nurse for giving out that information.

I am very surprised at people who genuinely beleive that this is good for your gut. If you are adding live bacteria to your gut, ( which you normally aren't- but if you were) then there are over 500 species to be considered. Why would overloading your gut with a couple of species help with anything? What about the effect on the other 498 species that you need, but are going to crowd out?

There are about 100 trillion cells of various microorganisms (and many, many more than 500 species) in the average human gut, a pot of yoghurt isn't going to overload it.

The OP is not wrong, probiotics can be harmful to people with serious illnesses and the immunocompromised. It should also be avoided by SOME cancer patients. If I were in this category, i would avoid yogurt altogether. As it is a fact that most yogurt contains live cultures and yogurt is fine with healthy people, I think it is the responsibility of the person that has the serious illness to avoid yogurt.