You may have noticed the yogurt section of your supermarket explode with options in recent years. High protein, plain, flavored, non-dairy, and low carb are just a few of the adjectives used to describe the many yogurt options these days. While the variety is good, unfortunately many of the options available are less than ideal when it comes to nutrient composition. With many options packed with sugar and artificial ingredients and low in protein, there are features to consider when choosing yogurt for your home. For example, One of the unhealthiest types of yogurt you can buy is the one with a lot of added sugar and very little protein.
Sugar is one of the ingredients of greatest concern when looking at yogurt labels. While some brands use Artificial sweeteners To keep calories low, which can pose its own health concern, many other brands have high-sugar recipes to cater to the taste preferences of kids and adults alike.
According to Harvard HealthAdded sugar can increase blood pressure, increase chronic inflammation, and lead to weight gain, diabetes, and fatty liver disease, all of which are linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. the American Heart Association recommends that women consume no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day, while men should limit their intake to 36 grams.
While most yogurt options have some amount of added sugarDairy-free options tend to be a surprising added sugar culprit. Many automatically think of a non-dairy option as healthier; however, these are the varieties that I often consider the least healthy. In fact, options like SO Delicious dairy-free coconut milk yogurt raspberry-flavored alternative has 17 grams of added sugar in a serving of yogurt. That’s almost 70% of the recommended daily intake for women in one food.
These high amounts of sugar are common among dairy-free yogurts, and these vegan options can also be low in protein. For example, that same SO Delicious raspberry-flavored non-dairy yogurt that has 17 grams of added sugar also has less than 1 gram of protein per serving, which is true for many of its dairy-free flavors.
With such low protein content, these yogurt options don’t contribute to your minimum protein needs throughout the day and are likely to satisfy less than higher protein options. This combination of high sugar content and very low protein content makes it an undesirable choice.
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Not all dairy-free yogurts are created equal, and there are brands that intentionally develop recipes that have more protein and less sugar, putting them in a healthier category. Among all yogurts, dairy-based or otherwise, look for options low in added sugar and with minimal artificial sweeteners. Varieties that come with candy or granola are likely to have a higher sugar content, and those that are sweet but have little or no added sugar are likely to contain Artificial sweetenersanother ingredient that has been linked to unfavorable health outcomes in some studies.
When narrowing down the yogurt options to buy for you and your family, look for those with the least amount of sugar and artificial ingredients and that provide at least 10 grams of protein per serving.
