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Deciding on which yogurt to buy is so confusing! Generally, yogurt contains live and active cultures which is bacteria that supports a healthy gut which directly supports your immune system. Making fruit parfaits, dipping fruit into yogurt, putting them in smoothies, and replacing it for cream in recipes are great ways to incorporate more yogurt into your diet. But which one should you buy? There are a few things to consider. Take a look at my example below comparing Sunnyside Farms Non-Fat Lemon flavor yogurt to Fage Total Full-Fat Greek yogurt.
Fat
Yogurt fat is determined by the milk the yogurt was produced from. Non-fat yogurt was made from non-fat milk and full-fat yogurt was made from regular, full-fat milk. Full-fat yogurt is higher in calories and fat but tastes better, gives you more satisfaction, and keeps you fuller for a longer period of time. With low-fat or non-fat yogurts, you'll find calories and fat is lower, but companies tend to add sugar to it to make it taste better. Sugar Yogurts naturally have about 8 grams of sugar. If you see more than 8 grams, definitely take a look at the ingredients! Most likely, the manufacturer added sugar to it. Notice in the table above, the non-fat Sunnyside Farms yogurt has a whopping 25 grams of sugar! It will definitely taste good, but it's better to buy plain yogurt and sweeten it yourself with fruits, berries, and granola. Ingredients You want to find a yogurt with minimal ingredients. Ideally, yogurt should only contain milk and cultures. As you can see, Fage contains only milk and cultures, but Sunnyside Farms has a long list of ingredients with sugar listed twice. Next time you find yourself shopping for yogurt, get educated and turn the yogurt container around to see the nutrition label. Look for minimal ingredients and little to no added sugars. Happy shopping!
Jane the Dietitian If you enjoyed this post, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Want to talk? Email me at janethedietitian@gmail.com.
2 Comments
Rossana
10/4/2018 11:03:07 am
Hi Jane, I believe the information you have provided maybe misleading. the comparison shows 2 different types of product. Regular traditional fruit flavored yogurt vs Greek Plain yogurt. These items would definitely have different ingredient and nutritional facts. The Sunnyside Farms (store brand) can be compared with a national brand Yoplait. Also, as for Greek yogurt, can compare Red Top Reserve (store brand) vs National Brand Fage 10/4/2018 01:27:25 pm
Hi Rossana, thank you so much for taking the time to read my yogurt article and providing feedback! I agree comparisons should have been made between more similar products. I believe the goals are still the same in the end which is to take a look at the nutrition label to check for added sugar and active cultures. Leave a Reply. |
Jane Pelcher, RDNI am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist focused on helping everyone love nutrition through cooking! My blogs provide new home cooks with basic cooking skills and grocery shopping tips. Most importantly, I strive to teach the nutrition behind the foods you cook to help you understand how specific foods can better your health and prevent chronic diseases. I hope you embark on this journey with me! Archives
February 2019
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