Forget The Glass Of Milk, This Dairy Product Has A Lot More Calcium

For years, milk has been the face of calcium, wholesome and canonized by advertising as the key to strong bones. But if you're actually after the biggest calcium return, yogurt outpaces milk. It's milk, plus: the liquid is reduced, the solids are concentrated, and the minerals pulled closer together by fermentation. As the proteins tighten, calcium becomes more densely packed per spoonful. A cup of milk delivers about 275 to 300 milligrams of calcium. A cup of plain low-fat yogurt averages about 400 milligrams of calcium, sometimes more depending on the brand and style. Even Greek yogurt, which loses some calcium when strained of its whey, still holds roughly 250 milligrams per cup, although it also brings in nearly twice the protein. 

Basically, yogurt gives you everything milk does, with less volume and some other appealing extras — probiotics. During fermentation, bacteria convert milk sugars into lactic acid, which slightly lowers the pH and helps keep calcium soluble rather than locked in proteins.Lactic acid and live bacterial cultures thicken yogurt. Through fermentation, lactose and casein are partially broken down, which makes yogurt easier to digest than milk for many people. That same mild acidity keeps calcium in a soluble form, improving absorption in the small intestine. Populations with widespread lactose intolerance have long embraced yogurt, because in addition to longer storage potential, the milk is transformed by fermentation into something both gentler and more nutrient-dense.

Because there are so many yogurt choices to make, it's good to be aware of the differences. Plain, unsweetened varieties of yogurt preserve their natural balance of minerals and probiotics, while flavored versions often undermine it with sugar. Greek and Icelandic yogurts have slightly less calcium because they're strained, but they make up for it with concentrated protein. Traditional stirred yogurts retain more minerals from their whey. Make sure you see "live and active cultures" on the label, because those are the bacteria that keep yogurt a living food.

Along with calcium, yogurt is rich in other essential nutrients, like potassium, phosphorus, and B vitamins, all bound within a matrix that helps your body absorb them efficiently. The mix of protein, fat, and gentle acidity also slows digestion, keeping you full longer than milk or most other dairy foods. That balance makes it both nutritious and satisfying in a way few foods are.

Yogurt isn't just for breakfast. It can stand in for milk or cream in baking, incorporated into marinades to tenderize meat, or stirred into soups and sauces for body and tang. A spoonful balances the spiciness of curries and gives desserts a soft, tart complexity. It's one of those special foods that's equally useful in savory or sweet cooking, and it keeps for weeks without waste.