Is Greek yogurt safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about Greek yogurt during pregnancy?

1. Milk, yogurt, and cheese are the main food sources of calcium for most people in the United States, against a pregnancy target of 1,000 mg a day for adults and 1,300 mg for teens. 1
2. The dairy flagged in pregnancy is unpasteurized milk and raw milk products, which is why a sealed tub of commercial yogurt sits in a different category from a raw milk cheese. 2
3. A systematic review of 13 studies found probiotic yogurt intake in pregnancy associated with better metabolic, inflammatory, and infectious outcomes, though the authors flagged that most trials came from just two countries and used no standard formulation. 3
4. Fermentation lowers the lactose in milk, and Greek yogurt ends up roughly half the lactose of standard yogurt because straining removes more of the watery whey. 4
5. Most people with lactose intolerance can handle some lactose without symptoms, and adjusting the diet to keep calcium up while managing symptoms is the usual approach. 5

Is Greek yogurt safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Cold, plain, and mild, Greek yogurt is often tolerable when hot food is not. It is also a straightforward way to get calcium on days when meals are unpredictable. Plain tubs let you control sugar, which flavored ones add a lot of.
• Second trimester. Calcium demand is real now, and yogurt is one of the three foods that supply most of it in the average diet. Straining also removes some lactose, which can make Greek yogurt easier to tolerate than a glass of milk.
• Third trimester. Nothing changes for safety. If you are screening for gestational diabetes around 24 to 28 weeks, plain Greek yogurt with fruit tends to be an easier choice than the pre-sweetened cups, which can carry a lot of added sugar.