I’m a Dietitian, and I Always Add This 1 Ingredient to My Yogurt to Boost Gut-Healthy Probiotics

As a dietitian, you can bet that I’ve had my fair share of yogurt bowls. They are delicious, easy to assemble, and packed with protein—making them the perfect post-workout (or anytime) snack. Typically, I’ll go with classic toppings like berries and walnuts, but if I’m feeling a little creative, I’ll try savory combinations like cucumbers and olives with plain Greek yogurt. All in all, there’s no denying that I’m a super fan of this healthy breakfast, for myself and for my clients. But one recent study about a particular yogurt bowl topping gave me reason to love them even more: gut health benefits.

On its own, yogurt is filled with probiotics, aka good bacteria that live in your gut and make it easier for you to digest food. However, researchers from the Journal of Nutrition study discovered that adding honey to yogurt helps the probiotics survive even longer during digestion.

Here, we’ll learn more about why honey and yogurt are the perfect gut-friendly combo and the benefits of each ingredient on their own.

Why honey in yogurt is good for your gut

Adding honey to yogurt doesn’t seem all that revolutionary. You might already add this natural sweetener to your yogurt bowl to make it extra tasty. But as the study found, honey can also serve as a protective agent for the probiotics in yogurt, helping them survive in your digestive tract long enough to reach your small intestine—where the good bacteria can have the greatest positive impact on your intestinal lining, nutrient absorption, and microbiome health.

Specifically, clover honey was found to significantly boost the survival of the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis in the small intestine. So, next time you’re at the store, try to look out for this kind! (For context, there are more than 300 unique types of honey available in the U.S. alone, all originating from different floral sources. Clover honey comes from the nectar of the clover plant.)

These results “suggest that incorporating clover honey into yogurt may be a practical way to enhance the effectiveness of probiotics, potentially supporting gut health further,” Jessie Winstead, RD, LD, a registered dietitian and owner of Health Down South, tells Well+Good.

Another thing to note: The study tested four other honey varieties but found the most significant gut health benefits with clover honey.

Other beneficial ingredients in honey and yogurt

While honey and yogurt together are a match made in heaven, they individually offer a variety of health benefits, too. Here’s a breakdown of the top nutrients in both.

Benefits of yogurt

Yogurt contains probiotics, protein, and calcium. Here’s why all three are so important for your gut.

Probiotics

Most varieties of yogurt (whether Greek, Skyr, Kefir, or regular yogurt) contain a certain amount of live active cultures, which are also known as probiotics. The most common ones you’ll see listed on yogurt labels include Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermopolis. As we’ve learned, these probiotic strains (of which there are many!) can all help support a healthy gut microbiome and help regulate your bowels.

When shopping for yogurt, just be sure to look for products that explicitly state they have active cultures because many end up dying off during the manufacturing process.

One serving of yogurt could contain anywhere from 90 billion to 500 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) of probiotics.

Protein

Protein is all the rage these days, and rightly so. The essential macronutrient helps to build up lean muscle, oxygenate your blood, strengthen bones, and keep you full and energized throughout the day, as Piedmont Healthcare notes. Greek yogurt has an especially high protein content, although some other types also contain small amounts of the nutrient.

One eight-ounce serving of yogurt has about 12 grams of protein.

Calcium

Most dairy-based yogurt also contains a significant amount of calcium—an essential mineral that helps strengthen and support healthy bones, teeth, and blood vessels. While you can get calcium from other foods (e.g., vegetables like spinach and kale, tofu, and almond milk), dairy-based yogurt and milk tend to have the highest amounts of calcium per single serving.

One eight-ounce serving of yogurt has about 488 milligrams of calcium per serving.

Benefits of honey

We know that honey gives us a little taste of sweetness, but it’s also high in antioxidants. Here’s why that’s important.

Antioxidants

Honey is high in antioxidants—natural substances that help delay cell damage and potentially protect the body from certain health conditions. Eating antioxidant-rich food (like honey, berries, and beans) can help neutralize free radicals (unstable oxygen molecules) in the body, which, in large amounts, can contribute to inflammation and damage to your cells. The top two antioxidants found in honey specifically are phenolic acids and flavonoids.

“Clover honey, in particular, also contains high levels of beneficial compounds like kaempferol and transferulic acid, which may shield probiotics from the harsh conditions of digestion,” says Winstead.

How much honey should you use?

“For optimal results, the [Journal of Nutrition] study suggests using one to two tablespoons of clover honey per serving (about six ounces of yogurt) to enhance probiotic survival during digestion,” says Winstead.

Just remember: While honey is a natural sweetener, it’s best not to overdo it. Two tablespoons of honey have about 34 grams of sugar, which, for people with diabetes or high blood sugar levels, can lead to a blood sugar spike, which can lead to worsening symptoms.

Keep in Mind

If you have a pollen or bee sting allergy, it’s possible that eating honey may cause a mild flare in certain allergy symptoms, like itching and swelling. If this is the case for you, reach out to your healthcare provider to get tested and look into alternative sweetener options like agave.

The takeaway

Adding one to two tablespoons of clover honey to your yogurt may help the probiotics survive longer in your gut, helping you reap all the digestive health benefits from the good bacteria. But aside from that, it’s simply a delicious (and nutritious!) combo.

In need of a little more inspo? Here are some ways to take your yogurt and honey bowl up a notch tomorrow morning:

• Add chopped apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg for an apple pie-inspired flavor
• Mix fresh rosemary and peaches with honey for an herbal twist
• Sprinkle pistachios and pomegranate arils for an added crunch

But here’s your chance to get creative too! Go through your pantry or fridge and find fruits, veggies, nuts, and spices that you already have to enjoy your own honey-inspired yogurt treat.