By Jennifer Whitmire, MS, MEd, MH, CHES, NEP

I’m going to be honest—I’m angry.

Angry that I spent two mornings and two hours of my life reading label after label on dairy-free yogurts… and came home empty-handed on a recent weekend away.

Not a single one fit my food guidelines.

Every single container of so-called “clean” yogurt was packed with sugar, corn derivatives (citric acid, starch), gums, and/or other cheap starches designed to feel like the creaminess we love to feel instead of letting fermentation do the work. Even the ones marketed as healthy were filled with ingredients that feed inflammation and damage the gut lining.

I don’t care how pretty the packaging is. It’s not just misleading. It’s sabotage.

And I know I’m not the only one this is happening to. If you’re trying to stay healthy—or worse, if you’re trying to recover from autoimmune disease—shopping should not feel like navigating a minefield. But it does. And the truth is, I feel like the entire system is set up to keep us dependent, discouraged, and inflamed.

My #1 Rule: Read the ingredients! Every single time.

If you’re trying to stay healthy or healing from an autoimmune condition, keeping your gut protected isn’t optional. It’s non-negotiable. And food companies are failing us.

The Dirty Truth Behind That Grocery Store Yogurt

Go ahead—open your fridge. Read the label on your dairy-free yogurt. I’ll wait.

See those words like food starch, guar gum, maltodextrin, citric acid, and “natural flavor”? That’s not real food. That’s chemicals. That’s a lab experiment designed to look and feel like yogurt while costing the manufacturer as little as possible.

That’s a processed, engineered formula meant to survive long-distance shipping and sit on a shelf for months—not something made to nourish your gut.

And let’s not pretend these things don’t affect us. Maltodextrin (usually from non-GMO corn if you live in the U.S.) has been shown to inflame the gut lining and immune system. Guar gum and carrageenan are known for bloating and gut irritation. Even the “cleaner” brands sneak in corn-based derivatives under vague names—and for those of us who can’t tolerate corn, that’s a problem.

Every single dairy free yogurt option I could find in 2 major grocery stores in a major city where I was visiting contained a corn-derivative. Every single one!

For me, this isn’t a case of “treat yourself” or “everything in moderation.” This is a case of: your healing depends on getting this right.

Grocery Store Yogurt Is Not Made For Your Health

Let’s be real. That little tub of yogurt isn’t for you. It’s for the distributor, the manufacturer. It’s for the supply chain. It’s for convenience and profit margins and scaling production—not scaling back your inflammation.

Let’s break it down:

• It’s made for shelf life, not your microbiome.
• It’s made for cost savings, not gut healing.
• It’s made for mouthfeel, not mucosal repair.

Even the “best” options often only have one or two probiotic strains—when we know now that the gut needs dozens, if not hundreds, of different beneficial microbes to truly thrive. And the ones that are included are ones that can sustain long shelf lives which aren’t necessarily the ones we need most.

And they don’t let it ferment long enough. That’s where the real probiotic density comes from—the kind that helps regulate immune function, reduce intestinal permeability, improve nutrient absorption, and even support neurotransmitter production. But they care about getting it to you fast, cheap, and “pretty.”

It’s yogurt-like junk food.

This Is Why I Make My Own

I don’t want emulsifiers and fillers. I don’t want sugar. I don’t want corn slipping in under another name. And I definitely don’t want a microbiome-disrupting chemical cocktail in disguise as a “gut healthy” food.

So I make my own.

Every single week, I make a batch of thick, creamy, probiotic-rich, dairy-free yogurt using nothing but clean ingredients (nuts and seeds and water) plus a high-quality starter, and time. That’s it. No fillers or thickeners, no guesswork, no surprises. And I make a delicious and thick yogurt.

Jennifer Swank does the same. And honestly, we even make our yogurt for our dogs, because theydeserve better than what’s on the shelves, too.

Making your own yogurt is quick and easy. It isn’t complicated. It’s not messy. And it doesn’t take more than 5–10 minutes of hands-on work. The rest is passive fermentation time—while you sleep, while you work, while you live your life.

It’s one of the simplest, most powerful things you can do for your gut.

Why DIY Yogurt Is a Great Thing For Your Gut

If you’re living with an autoimmune condition, there’s a good chance you’re already dealing with:

• Leaky gut
• Dysbiosis
• Malabsorption
• Food sensitivities
• Low stomach acid
• Fatigue
• Brain fog
• Hormone imbalances

Any of this sound familiar?

You cannot get well unless your gut is well. And you cannot heal a damaged gut with chemicals and fillers.

Homemade yogurt is a functional food.

Here’s what you get when you make it yourself:

• True probiotic density – No half-fermented, low-strain garbage here. You can choose strains that specifically target the gut issues you’re facing, and ferment for a full 24–36 hours to let those cultures thrive.
• Total ingredient control – No gums. No starches. No added sugars. No fillers. You choose every single thing that goes in.
• Real texture – Achieved through natural fermentation. Not emulsifiersm “guar gum,” or modified food starch trying to fake it.
• Food that feels different – You can feel it in your belly. Your body knows when something is real and alive.

Coming Up Inside the Zen & Zest Zone: Fermented Foods

We’re not just talking about making yogurt—we’re doing it and showing you just how simple it is! Inside this month’s Zen & Zest Zone Food Demo, we’re taking back the power.

You’ll learn how to make:

• A gut-loving, creamy dairy-free yogurt from nuts and seeds—and even one from sweet potatoes
• A spicy, lively kimchi to wake up your digestion and metabolism
• A fermented dairy-free feta that turns any salad into a flavor explosion (seriously, it’s addictive)

Whether you’re brand new to fermentation or you’ve dabbled before, this class is for you. We make it fun, we make it simple, and we make it accessible. It’s not about perfection. It’s about power. YOUR power.

This class is a love letter to YOU. To your gut. To your healing journey.

You Deserve Better Than What’s on the Shelf

I’m not here to play nice with brands that pretend to care about your health while cutting corners and using cheap ingredients.

I’m here to help you take your healing into your own hands—starting with what goes on your spoon.

Because the food system isn’t broken. It’s working exactly as it was designed—to feed the machine, not your mitochondria. Not your microbiome. Not your immune system.

But you don’t have to play along. You don’t have to settle.

You can opt out.
You can ferment your own future.
You can take your health back—one jar at a time.

And you can do it with us.

Join us in the Zen & Zest Zone Membership Group

Can’t make the live fermentation class?
Don’t worry—it’ll be in the digital library waiting for you when you’re ready.

Click here to reclaim your gut health now.
Let’s ferment the system together.