Yogurt—How Do I Choose a “Good” One?

Yogurt: Is one better than another?

How do I choose a Yogurt? There are more types on my grocery store shelf than I can shake a stick at!!

A huge variety of yogurts made from milk

• Whole  low fat, non-fat
• Flavored
• Plain
• Regular
• Greek
• Icelandic

Here are 3 types of plain yogurt (these also come in low fat and whole milk varieties)

Here is a popular brand of flavored yogurt:

There are also several varieties of Non-Dairy yogurts–soy, almond, coconut

How do you choose the yogurt that is best for you?

It all depends what you are looking for: probiotics, high protein, high calorie, low calorie, low protein, sweet, low sugar, or non-dairy….. There is no one “best” yogurt!

Yogurt 101:

• Probiotics:

  • These are healthy bacteria that live in your gut; they grow in foods that are fermented–like YOGURT
  • They are one of the main reasons many of us eat yogurt.
  • Look for “live cultures” or “probiotics” on the label of your yogurt.
  • If you’re looking for probiotics, either dairy OR non-dairy types can be good sources

• Calcium

  • Both cows milk and goats milk based yogurts are naturally high in calcium
  • Non-dairy yogurts have calcium added to
  • If you’re looking for calcium, read the nutrition facts label to make sure it has at least 20% of the DRI or 200 mg calcium per 6 ounce serving.

• Protein

  • Protein content varies among yogurts that are commercially available
    • Greek and Icelandic yogurts, made from cows milk are the highest in protein (17-19 gm protein per 3/4 cup serving)
      • These yogurts are strained to remove some of the water and carbohydrates; they are thicker than regular yogurts.
      • Protein in a serving is decreased slightly in flavored yogurts as the fruit-sugar mixture has no protein.
      • Protein is slightly lower as the fat content increases as the fat portion of the milk has no protein.
    • Regular milk based yogurts contain about half the protein of Greek or Icelandic yogurts (8-9 gm per 3/4 cup serving).
      • The protein is still very good quality.
    • Non-dairy yogurts have less protein than milk or goat milk yogurts
      • Silk brand Soy milk yogurt has about protein per 3/4 cup serving
      • Silk brand almond yogurt has about 6 gm protein per 3/4 cup serving
      • Coconut yogurt has less than 1 gm protein per 3/4 cup serving.
  • If protein is what you’re looking for, choose a Greek or Icelandic Yogurt and stay away from the non-dairy yogurts

• Sugar

  • Plain yogurts have only natural milk sugar in them
  • Flavored yogurts are sweetened with sugar, fruit juice, a little fruit, honey and/or high fructose corn syrup.
    • These make great treats or desserts that are far healthier than many other sweets!
  • If you’re looking to reduce added sugars, try flavoring your own yogurt
    • 3/4 cup yogurt + 3/4 cup fruit + 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar or honey is going to have about the similar calories but a lot less ADDED SUGAR than a typical flavored yogurt
    • You get the added benefitd of the vitamins, minerals and fiber in the real fruit.
    • You might find that you don’t even need the teaspoon of sugar or honey!

• Need extra calories for weight gain?

  • Go with a whole milk yogurt when you need concentrated calories!
    • Plain OR Flavored
    • 130-180 calories per 3/4 cup serving for plain yogurts.
    • 180- 210 calories per 3/4 cup serving for flavored yogurts
      • Noosa® Yogurt is the highest calorie plain or flavored yogurt that I have found.

• Trying to keep calories low?

  • If you want all the great things about yogurt, but NOT a lot of calories, choose a plain, non-fat yogurt.
  • Flavor it with fresh fruit and add the least amount of sugar or honey that makes it taste good to you.

• Trying to avoid additives like gums, corn starch, sugars, and artificial colors?

  • Choose a plain yogurt that contains only milk and live cultures if you want to avoid additives!
  • If buying a flavored yogurt read the ingredients list to find out what is used to flavor, thicken or color the yogurt.

 

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Bottom line: Yogurt is a healthy food for a meal, dessert or snack! Choose the yogurt that you like and that meets YOUR needs. If buying flavored yogurt, try to find the kind with the lowest amount of added sugar.