Yogurt is widely known as a "green" and natural food with many health benefits. However, exposed to so many options, many urbanites feel puzzled about how to choose the right one and drink the right way.

A recent research shows about 70 percent of city population suffer from digestive discomfort, according to Professor Yuan Yaozong, an expert in digestive disease at Ruijin Hospital.

Meanwhile, the rate of digestive diseases caused by digestive disorder has been rising over the past few years.

"People living in this fast-paced society are very likely to suffer digestive problems such as diarrhea and constipation," Professor Yuan says. "Stress, unbalanced diet and disordered lifestyle are major reasons leading to indigestion."

He notes that drinking probiotic yogurt is a very effective way to ease the problem. However, not all work.

With so many brands and varieties available in the market, Professor Yuan suggests people first read the ingredient list before purchase.

He says that if they look for a yogurt to get quick and smooth transit, Danone's Bio Yogurt is one of the choices as it contains a big amount of living bacterium whose digestive effects have been clinically proven.

"The efficacy of probiotic yogurt product is largely decided by three key factors, namely the probiotic strain, living bacterium and the sufficient amount of living bacterium in the product," says Dr Liu Yi, health marketing manager of Danone Dairy.

Liu advises people to drink yogurt daily. The best time is about half an hour after a meal, and do not heat yogurt to keep the probiotics alive.

If you want to get the calcium benefits, choose a yogurt that contains inulin since it is a dietary fiber that has been proven to increase calcium absorption.

Experts also add that consumers should be wary of added sugar. While fruit-flavored yogurt products may taste better, with the added flavor also comes more sugar, sometimes as much as 7 teaspoons per cup. A good substitute is to choose a plain low-fat yogurt and add fresh or dried fruits.

(Shanghai Daily March 31, 2009)