Have you noticed? Yogurt is taking over the dairy aisle at your local grocery store.

There's yogurt made from sheep's milk, goat's milk, coconut milk, rice milk and soy milk. There's Icelandic, Greek, and some thickened with gelatin. Some have active cultures, added fiber, added whey protein, less fat or less sugar.

Yogurt, long recognized as a healthy food, is made by adding bacterial cultures to milk.

"Yogurt helps regulate your digestive system," says Vivian Tocci, a dietician at Jupiter Medical Center.

It's also a good source of protein, calcium, Vitamin D and probiotics, or beneficial microorganisms.

"Many people who are lactose intolerant can eat yogurt because the lactose has already been broken down," Tocci noted.

When choosing a yogurt, she suggests, stick with the same fat content as the milk you drink, be it fat-free, 2 percent or whole milk.

"When Whole Foods Market opened in Florida, our yogurt selection was mostly cow milk-based yogurts," said Lauren Belinsky, spokeswoman for Whole Foods Market in Wellington.

"But now, to satisfy the needs of our customers' expanding taste for diverse and authentic yogurts, we have incorporated Greek and Australian styles, brown rice, soy, and coconut-based yogurts."

Veronica Nestora of Palm Beach prefers Greek yogurt.

"It is the king of yogurts," says the woman of Greek ancestry. "It is the most substantial, fresh, delicious, healthy one."

Back in her native land, her Greek countrymen like their yogurt with honey, cherry jam or fresh fruit.

"It is magical," she enthuses.

Sales have been magical as well. Sales of yogurt have grown 10 percent per year for the past 30 years, meaning that consumption has doubled every 7.2 years, according to Time magazine/

THE TASTE TEST

We conducted a blind taste test of a few of the new and more unusual brands. Here's what we thought about them:

So Delicious vanilla ($1.99, 140 calories, cultured coconut milk): A little too sweet. Creamy, tasty.

Probiotic Soyogurt vanilla ($1.09, 170 calories, soy milk): Mild, good a balance of tart/sweet.

Fage 2% Greek Yogurt, plain ($1.99, 130 calories, strained, cow's milk, low fat): Super-thick, smooth, creamy … rich.

The Greek Gods Greek honey-flavored yogurt ($1.69, 250 calories, cow milk): Mild, very thick, rich. .

Old Chatham Sheepherding Co. plain yogurt ($2.19, 140 calories, sheep's milk): Strong, tart flavor. More 'gamey' than the others.

Siggi's Icelandic style Skyr vanilla ($2.69, 120 calories, strained non-fat, cow milk): Very thick, very strongly sour, slightly unpleasant.

Redwood Hill Farm vanilla yogurt ($2.19, 140 calories, goat's milk): Too strongly goaty, tart.

Ricera vanilla ($1.69, 180 calories, organic brown rice. Low fat, non-dairy): Weird artificial flavor. Watery and chalky.

Winn Dixie Active vanilla yogurt ($1, 150 calories, organic, probiotic lowfat, cow's milk): Soft, creamy, light, refreshing. The least expensive contender.

Our top four in order of preference:

• 1. Fage 2% Greek yogurt
• 2. The Greek Gods
• 3. Winn Dixie Active
• 4. So Delicious Coconut Milk yogurt

Yogurt …

• Is a good source of protein. An average 8-oz. serving contains between 8 and 10 grams of protein.
• Is nutrient dense and a good source of calcium. One serving can provide up to 35 percent of the recommended daily intake.
• Boosts the immune system. Experts are studying how yogurt may lower cholesterol and how it may combat certain types of cancer-causing compounds, especially in the digestive tract.
• May help people who are lactose intolerant improve lactose absorption.

Source: The National Yogurt Association