Nutritionally, all yogurts are not created equal
Read the fine print to see if what you’re eating is actually good for you, Casey Seidenberg writes.
I grew up eating Dannon strawberry yogurt, while my brother began hoarding the lemon flavour long before he could utter the words lemon or yogurt. My kids love yogurt, too, yet eating the creamy stuff is more confusing than it was in the 1970s and ’80s. Now there is drinkable yogurt, squeezable yogurt, Greek yogurt, and yogurt made from coconuts, soy, almonds, cashews, hemp and flax seeds. Kefir and lassi are yogurt’s close relatives, and don’t forget the frozen kind.
So which ones are actually yogurt, and which ones are healthy?
According to Merriam-Webster, yogurt is made by adding bacteria to milk to help ferment some of its carbohydrates. Alternative products such as almond and coconut milk yogurts may not be made from real milk, but because they taste, smell and are eaten like yogurt — and are sold in the same grocery aisle as yogurt and are made from a form of milk — let’s call them by the same name.
When evaluating yogurt for nutrition, start by peeking at the sugar content on the nutrition facts panel. Traditional yogurt has natural sugars from lactose and from any real fruit. What you want to avoid is added sugars (cane sugar) or fake sugars (aspartame or sucralose). Ideally, your choice would deliver less than 15 grams of sugar per serving, and more grams of protein than sugar.
Also search the label for food colourings or other unnatural additives and avoid the brands with too many of these. Countless drinkable and squeezable yogurts have lots of additives and large amounts of sugar.
Carrageenan, one of the most common additives in alternative milks and yogurts, is suspected to be an allergen and digestive irritant. It is extracted from red seaweed and used as an emulsifier to stabilize the ingredients.
COMPARING YOGURTS
Cow’s milk: Cow’s milk yogurt provides the ample protein (six to eight grams per small container), calcium and B vitamins yogurt is famous for. Cow’s milk yogurt contains less lactose than straight cow’s milk because much of the lactose is used up during fermentation; people who are lactoseintolerant may be able to digest yogurt better than milk.
Greek yogurt is usually thicker and higher in protein (14 to 16 grams per small container) because it is strained to remove the liquid whey, but it is often lower in calcium and other minerals as many of theses nutrients get left behind during straining. Most cow’s milk yogurt contains good bacteria known to be beneficial to the gut.
Goat’s milk: For many people who have a hard time digesting cow’s milk. This variety offers similar protein, calcium and fat counts as cow’s milk but can cost more.
Almond milk: Often low in sugar and can deliver healthy fats, but they are also lower in protein (four to six grams) than cow’s milk yogurts and have almost no calcium unless fortified. Avoid brands with a long list of additives or thickeners, and remember that nuts can be an allergen.
Hemp milk: Provides heart-healthy omega-3 fats, about eight grams of protein and many of the essential amino acids. It lacks calcium, is pricey and is harder to find in stores.
Flax milk: Flax milk yogurts provide heart-healthy omega-3 fats, about six grams of protein (partially derived from pea protein), some calcium (about 20 per cent of the recommended daily allowance) and good bacteria. They are pricey and have a longer ingredient list than many other alternatives.
Cashew milk: This type of yogurt is lower in sugar with generally one gram per serving, a source of good bacteria made with fewer ingredients and additives than other alternative varieties. Yet it provides less protein than many alternatives, generally delivering about three grams per serving and almost no calcium.
Coconut milk: These yogurts are low in sugar and full of antioxidants. They provide easily metabolized fatty acids, yet they are also low in protein ( generally about one to three grams per serving).
Soy milk: Soy yogurts have protein counts comparable to cow’s milk yogurts and deliver healthful, unsaturated fats. Studies show that soy products can lower cholesterol and decrease blood sugar levels, especially in diabetes sufferers.
Pea protein: Daiya’s yogurts, made from pea and potato proteins plus coconut, are high in protein, with six grams per serving, and low in sugar. These products are fortified with calcium, vitamin B and vitamin D, and include a fair amount of other ingredients.
WHICH TO CHOOSE?
Although they all share the yogurt moniker, each of the options offers different health benefits, and some include additives you may want to avoid.
Nearly all of the yogurts made from alternative milks provide less naturally occurring protein and less calcium (in some cases almost none). On the flip side, they contain fewer saturated fats, more healthful fats and less sugar.