Yogurt Buying Guide: How to Find the Healthiest Yogurt for your Dollar!
Plain yogurt,
especially plain Greek yogurt is high in protein, low in carbohydrates and is full
of probiotics (good bacteria) that is good for gut health; but, beware! Not all
yogurt is created equal. Yogurt is naturally made by heating milk (on low heat)
and adding a live bacterial culture. (Yogurt with live cultures can be used as
a culture to make this yogurt at home.) The culture will thicken the milk until
it becomes the consistency of yogurt over the course of a day. There are some yogurt
companies that are adding thickeners to their “yogurts”. The amount of yogurt
thickened by a live/active culture or by thickeners is a mystery. The process
of thickening yogurt is not yet regulated by the FDA. Moreover, some yogurts
are treated with heat that kills the live and active cultures completely! Yogurts
that are heat treated and have added thickeners are detracting from the health
benefits gained from eating the live and active cultures that make yogurt
naturally thick. Similarly, buying yogurts that are extra sweet because of
added sugar makes it a not-so-low sugar/carbohydrate food anymore.
Yogurt is one of the
few foods where you can find the healthy options for the same price as as the
not-so-healthy options. You just have to shop around and read nutrition labels.
Some of the yogurts that fall into the “healthy” category are more expensive,
but you can get all of these benefits from some more economical options as
well.
Below is a chart of
what to look for and what to be wary of next time you are perusing the yogurt
aisle. Keep in mind that one serving of yogurt is 6 ounces.
When we’re talking
about:
|
Look For
|
Watch out!
|
Thickness
|
-
On The Ingredients Label: “Live
Cultures” or “Active Cultures” (ex: lactobacillus bulgaricus, streptococcus
thermophilus)
|
-
On The Ingredients Label: Thickeners
and fillers such as pectin, cornstarch, gelatin and phosphates
-
On The Ingredients Label: If you
do NOT see any active or live cultures as mentioned on the left.
|
Flavors
|
-
On The Ingredients Label: Whole fruit
or “fruit puree” under ingredients
|
-
On The Ingredients Label: If you
see names of sweeteners that you do not recognize (sodium, citrate,
sucralose, acesulfame K, aspartame, fructose, malic acid)
|
Protein
|
On the Nutrition Facts Panel – more than 9 g
(grams) protein
-
6 ounces of Greek yogurt
naturally has 17-18 grams of protein
-
6 oz plain yogurt naturally has
about 9 grams of protein
|
On The Nutrition Facts Panel – less than 9 g
(grams) protein
|
Sugar
|
On the Nutrition Facts Panel – less than 20 g (grams)
of sugar
-
6 ounces of unflavored Greek
yogurt usually has less than 13 grams of sugar
-
There are flavored yogurts that
have low amounts of added sugar that have less than 20 grams of sugar
|
On the Nutrition Facts Panel – more than 20 g (grams)
of sugar
|
Eat your yogurt with
live cultures and whole ingredients. Enjoy!
References:
1. www.FDA.gov
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