So which yogurt is healthiest?

... the answer may surprise you

AS IF the huge amount of choice in the supermarket yogurt chiller cabinet were not confusing enough, there’s another addition in the form of Skyr — a yogurt from Iceland.

Its arrival is welcome news for both shoppers and sellers; yogurt sales have rocketed in Britain over the past two decades, and we spend an estimated £1.5 billion on the stuff every year.

Much of its appeal lies in the purported health benefits. Not just the protein, calcium, B vitamins and minerals it contains, but also the ‘live’ bacteria used in the fermentation process that are considered crucial for our health.

Studies have shown that regular yogurt consumption aids gut health, can lower blood pressure, ease hay fever, boost the immune system, lift mood, help balance the metabolism and speed weight loss. That tiny creamy pot could even reduce your risk of heart disease by reducing the thickness of your artery walls and boosting healthy cholesterol levels.

But beware: some yogurts are far less good for you than others, with some claiming health benefits that don’t stack up and others packed with hidden sweeteners and additives.

Some low-fat yogurts can have as much as five teaspoons of sugar in each pot — the same as is in three scoops of ice cream.

Furthermore, pictures of fruit on the packaging do not necessarily mean you’ll find fruit pieces in the pot. Even the seemingly natural fruit compote mixed with your yogurt is a concentrated source of sugar, with added artificial sweeteners, colours and chemical stabilisers.

Here, we call in the experts to guide you through the yogurt maze . . .

LOW-FAT DOESN’T MEAN LOW IN CALORIES

By FAR the most common yogurt in the supermarket is cow’s milk. Look out for pots labelled ‘natural’ yogurt, which have no added sugar, sweeteners, fruit or flavouring. ‘I recommend plain or natural yogurt because you can add your own sugar, honey or fruit to taste,’ says independent dietitian Dr Sarah Schenker.

But should you go for a reduced-fat option? Not necessarily.

Although full-fat natural yogurt has around 82 calories per 100g (a small pot is usually 120g), there’s little difference in calories between lowfat (56 per 100g) and fat-free (54 per 100g), and all three contain around 5g of protein per 100g.

‘Even full-fat natural yogurt is only around 3 per cent fat, and the fat content could keep you feeling fuller for longer as it slows the metabolism of food in your gut,’ says Dr Schenker.

French- style ‘set’ yogurt is nutritionally similar, but is cultured directly in the pot, giving it a firmer texture.

GREEK YOGURT ISN’T FATTENING

BECAUSE it’s so thick and luxurious, many assume Greek yogurt must be fattening. Not so.

The Greeks make yogurt by straining it to remove much of the sugar, lactose (natural milk sugar) and whey (the liquid remaining after the milk is curdled), which means not only is it thicker and more creamy, but it provides twice as much protein as regular yogurt, with less natural sugar.

So it should keep you feeling fuller for longer, offsetting its slightly higher calories — anything from 96 to 130 per 100g, depending on the brand.

New rulings last year mean only yogurt made in Greece (like Total’s brand, Fage) can be called Greek yogurt. Anything else has to be called ‘Greek style’ — but be warned, this blanket term can cover anything from creamy bioyogurt to diet desserts cynically thickened with starch.

YOGURT WITH A PROTEIN PUNCH

SkyR yogurt is an Icelandic product made by putting skimmed milk through multiple straining processes with biocultures using four times more milk than regular yogurt. So although it remains virtually fat-free (0.2g of fat per 100g), it ends up thicker, creamier and higher in protein than any other yogurt.

A 100g portion is around 65 calories, but contains 11g of protein — three times as much as other yogurts and equivalent to half a chicken breast.

This puts it slightly ahead of fat-free Greek yogurt in the health stakes. Its probiotic/ bacteria content is similar to ordinary yogurt. Skyr (pronounced Skee-er) is now available at large stores and is much loved by fitness fanatics.

SHEEP MILK BOOSTS BONES

yOGURT fermented from sheep’s or goat’s milk is a useful source of nutrients for people allergic to cow’s milk.

It has a higher calcium content than cow’s milk, with around 240mg per 100g compared with around 150mg for cow’s milk yogurt, so it’s great for bones and teeth. But the full-fat version is comparatively high in fat at 7.3g per 100g. Fat-free goat’s milk yogurt has just 42 calories per 100g.

THE ONE WITH LOTS OF VITAMINS

COCONUT milk is made from grated soaked coconut flesh and is converted into a thick, creamy yogurt using the same bio-cultures used in normal yogurt-making. Coconut milk yogurt is popular with nutritionists as a dairy alternative because coconuts are rich in fibre, vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6 and minerals including iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. It does, however, contain 19g of fat per 100g, of which 17g is saturated fat, putting women very close to their recommended daily limit of 20g.

But unlike other nuts, the fat from coconuts takes the form of medium chain saturated fatty acids (MCFAs), which are thought to be rapidly metabolised into energy by the body and less likely to be stored as fat.

SOYA TO BEAT THE MENOPAUSE

yOGURT made from fermented soya milk is popular with people who can’t tolerate cow’s milk and a useful source of plant nutrients called isoflavones, which are believed to have a hormone-regulating effect.

Studies show soya products can ease PMS and menopausal symptoms and may reduce breast cancer risk (although breast cancer patients are advised to avoid it). The yogurt is relatively low-calorie at 46 calories per 100g, and low in fat (2.6g), but is a useful source of protein and calcium.

ARE PROBIOTIC YOGURTS A CON?

ALL yogurt — apart from longlife UHT yogurt — is ‘live’, which means it contains active friendly bacteria, usually strains called Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, which are thought to stimulate the friendly bacteria in the gut to help maintain intestinal health.

But according to Dr Schenker, much of this bacteria is destroyed by stomach acid during the digestion process. This is where probiotic yogurt (often called ‘bio-yogurt’) comes in.

Many contain additional forms of friendly bacteria, such as the super-resilient Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus acidophilus strains. These are thought to survive unscathed as far as the colon, where, she says, they can have an impact on your health.

‘Probiotic yogurts may be worth considering periodically — during the winter, for instance, or if you are feeling under the weather or if you have been on a course of antibiotics. But they may not be necessary if you are fit and healthy,’ Dr Schenker says.

So while probiotic yogurt isn’t exactly a con, there may be no need for healthy people to eat one every day as the marketing men claim.

IS UNPASTEURISED YOGURT SAFE?

MOST milk is pasteurised (heat-treated to kill harmful bacteria) before it is blended with friendly bacteria to be made into yogurt, but some farms and farmers’ markets sell unpasteurised milk and yogurt.

‘The majority of milk’s nutrients survive the heating process so I can’t see there is much to be gained from unpasteurised yogurt,’ says Dr Schenker.

It’s likely to be harmless for most people, but she warns: ‘Lack of regulation means you might want to avoid it if you are pregnant or have a weakened immune system.’