How To Choose A Healthy Yogurt?

Yogurt is a food of high nutritional quality that can be included in the diet. However, it is important to know how to make the right choice, avoiding those that contain too much sugar.

Getting down to the refrigerated aisle of the supermarket and trying to choose a healthy yogurt has become a really difficult task. To the wide variety of brands and flavors a yogurt can have, we must add all the functional “with” and “without” we can think of.

Likewise, we are forced to go through the list of ingredients on the label and many times they are not entirely clear to us. What should we take into account to make a good choice? We give details here.

What is healthy yogurt?

To get started, let’s get straight to the point: the best yogurt to choose is plain, whole, unsweetened yogurt. We shouldn’t be interested in “with” or “without” yogurt.

A good yogurt should only contain two ingredients: milk and lactic acid bacteria. So anything that escapes this simple formula cannot be considered a good choice for our daily diet.

Nutritional properties and benefits of healthy yogurt

If we know how to choose healthy yogurt, it can have benefits for our health. Yogurt is a food that provides us with many nutrients and can be part of a healthy and balanced diet without any problems.

Although its nutritional composition can vary between that of cow’s, sheep’s or goat’s milk, we can generally say that it brings us a lot:

• High biological value proteins
• Saturated fats
• Calcium and phosphorus
• Vitamins A and D

Besides being a nutritious food, one of the main advantages of yogurt is that it is very rich in probiotics. It contains significant amounts of beneficial bacteria, mainly lactobacilli and streptococci, which provide us with positive effects on the body, and not just in the intestine.

In addition, although it has a slightly acidic taste, it is a very light and digestive food. Even for people with lactose intolerance issues, it is much better than milk because the lactose has been broken down by bacteria.

Finally, it should be noted that thanks to its proteins and fats, it is a satiating food, also indicated for people who follow slimming diets.

Which yogurt is bad for you?

To reap the full benefits of yogurt, we need to choose healthy yogurt. Or, what is the same, stop eating those options that shouldn’t be regular. The worst options are high-sugar yogurts, skimmed yogurts, and dairy desserts.

1. With added sugar

One of the factors to take into account is the amount of added sugar that can be found in many yogurts. These are the varieties that do not fit into the “plain yogurt” category. They usually contain sugar or sweeteners:

• Fruit yogurts:  most of them have very little fruit or, directly, a fruit flavor
• Yoghurts with cereals, muesli or “super foods” (goji, quinoa, chia, etc.): they generally contain only a very small percentage of these “special” ingredients.
• Functional drinks and yoghurts  : these are those to which an element has been added that can be beneficial for health. We are talking about probiotics, calcium, plant sterols, among others. If we follow a healthy and sufficient diet, they are not necessary. And many of them have a long list of ingredients (with flavors, colors, and other additives) that don’t give us anything nutritionally.
• Yoghurt for babies  : From around the ninth month, babies can start to have a few tablespoons of yogurt. But beware of yogurts prepared especially for them, as they are generally much less healthy than whole natural yogurts.

2. Skimmed yogurt

One of the problems with low fat or fat free yogurts is that they lose the smoothness and flavor that fat gives them. The same goes for 0% yogurts: “zero fat and zero sugar”.

Manufacturers end up adding other ingredients such as sweeteners, starches, and other additives to add flavor and consistency. The end result is a product of poorer nutritional quality than a whole yogurt made only with milk and lactic ferments.

In addition, scientific studies are emerging that deny the bad reputation of whole milk, saturated fat and their relation to overweight, cholesterol or cardiovascular problems. In fact, it is now claimed that:

While not conclusive, this claim opens the door to further research.

3. Dairy desserts

We are talking about custard, dessert cream, chocolate mousse and others. While most are made from milk, they also contain a lot of added sugar. Some weigh up to 25 grams, which means that with one unit we would meet or exceed the WHO recommended minimum amounts for children.

Can I choose another type of healthy yogurt?

The truth is, because there are a lot of options that are not recommended, it seems like the range of choice is a bit narrow. But nothing is further from the truth.

There are other types of dairy products that we can also consume with peace of mind and which are good choices for our daily diet:

• Plain Greek yogurt
• Plain kefir
• Skyr : This is a type of Icelandic yogurt, a little creamier and more sour in taste. Nutritionally, it provides us with more protein
• Other dairy products such as cottage cheese or freshly beaten cheese

And, of course, we always have the option to customize them as we wish : adding chopped fruit, raisins, dried peaches, dates, grated coconut, vanilla, nuts, seeds or dark chocolate. We see that the combinations are endless, so it is impossible to get tired of them!