How To Choose A Healthy Yogurt?
Getting to the supermarket’s refrigerated aisle and trying to choose a healthy yogurt has become a really difficult task. To the great variety of brands and flavors that a yogurt, we have to add all the functional “with” and “without” that may come to mind.
In the same way, we are forced to go through the list of ingredients on the labeling and, many times, they are not entirely clear to us. What should we take into account to make a good choice? Here we detail it.
What is the healthiest yogurt?
To begin, let’s get straight to the point: the best yogurt we can choose is whole, unsweetened natural yogurt. We are not interested in any “with” yogurt or “without” yogurt .
The ingredients of a good yogurt should be only two: milk and lactic ferments. So everything that escapes from this simple formula cannot be considered a good choice for our daily food.
Nutritional properties and benefits of yogurts
If we know how to choose a healthy yogurt, it can have benefits for our health. Yogurt is a food that provides many nutrients and that can be part of a healthy and balanced diet without any problem.
Although its nutritional composition may vary between those made with cow, sheep or goat milk, in general we can say that it gives us:
- Proteins of high biological value.
- Saturated fats.
- Calcium and phosphorus.
- Vitamins A and D.
Apart from being a nutritious food, one of the main benefits 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, not only at the intestinal level.
According to a study published in the journal Gastroenterology Clinics of North America , the intake of probiotics is associated with a lower risk of inflammatory bowel diseases.
In addition, although it has a slightly acidic taste, it is a very light and digestive food. Even for people with lactose intolerance problems it is much better than milk, since lactose has been broken down by bacteria.
Finally, it should be noted that thanks to its proteins and fat it is a satiating food, also indicated for people who follow diets to lose weight.
What yogurt is unhealthy?
In order to take advantage of all the benefits of yogurt, we must choose a healthy yogurt. Or what is the same, stop eating those options that should not be used regularly. The worst options they are yogurts with high levels of sugar, skimmed and dairy desserts.
1. With added sugar
One of the focuses of attention has focused mainly on the amount of added sugar that we can find in many yogurts. These are the varieties that are not natural yogurt and that are usually made with sugar or sweeteners:
- Fruit yogurts. Most with very little amount of fruit or, directly, with fruit flavor.
- Yogurts with cereals, muesli or “super foods” (gojy, quinoa, chia, etc.). Generally, they tend to have a very small percentage of these “special” ingredients.
- Functional drinks and yogurts. They are those to which a component has been added that can be beneficial to health. We refer to probiotics, calcium, plant sterols, among others. If we follow a sufficient and healthy diet they are not necessary. And many of them have a long list of ingredients (with flavorings, colorings and others additives) that do not provide us with anything nutritionally.
- Yogurts for babies. From the ninth month or so, babies can start taking a few tablespoons of yogurt. But be careful with those yogurts prepared especially for them, as they are usually a much less healthy product than the whole natural yogurts of a lifetime.
2. Low-fat yogurts
One of the problems with skimmed or zero% yogurts is that they lose the creaminess and flavor that fat gives them. And the same goes for 0.0 yogurts: “zero fat and zero sugar”.
Manufacturers end up adding other ingredients like sweeteners, starches, and other additives for flavor and consistency. The end result is a product of worse nutritional quality than that of a whole yogurt made only with milk and lactic ferments.
In addition, scientific studies are appearing that deny the bad reputation of whole milk, saturated fat and its relationship with overweight, cholesterol or cardiovascular problems. In fact, it is stated that:
Although it is not conclusive, it opens the door to new research.
3. Dairy desserts
We refer to custards, puddings, chocolate mousse and the like. Although most are made from milk, they also have a lot of added sugar. Some up to 25 grams, so that with one unit we would be equaling or exceeding the minimum amounts recommended by the WHO for children.
Increasing sugar intake has been shown to be detrimental to health. This ingredient is capable of affecting metabolic health, thus increasing the risk of developing diabetes.
Can I choose another type of healthy yogurt?
The truth is that since there are many options that are not highly recommended, it seems that the field of choice remains a little reduced. Nothing could be further from the truth.
There are other types of dairy products that we can also eat with peace of mind and are good options for our daily diet:
- Plain Greek yogurt.
- Natural kefir.
- Skyr: it is a type of Icelandic yogurt, a little creamier and with a more acid flavor. On a nutritional level, it gives us more proteins.
- Other dairy products such as quark or fresh whipped cheese.
And, of course, we always have the option to customize them as we want : adding cut fruits, raisins, dried apricots, dates, grated coconut, vanilla, nuts, seeds or dark chocolate. We already see that the combinations are infinite so, impossible to get bored!
