Yogurt may not live up to the promise of ALL the hyped up health claims you may have heard, but it can be a nutritious choice for a low calorie diet. Most importantly, yogurt can be a great source of calcium and protein, two nutrients that might be in short supply when your caloric intake is reduced. In addition to these nutrients, yogurt has vitamin B-12, riboflavin, potassium, and magnesium. An added plus is that it may contribute to maintaining a healthy digestive tract. But are you getting what you think when you make a purchase?
At one time yogurt was something of a novelty item and choices were limited. However, by the year 2005 the production of yogurt in the United States was five times greater than it had been in 1980, only 25 years earlier. The potential benefits of yogurt have caught on but there are so many different yogurt products that deciding which one to purchase can be a daunting task!
If you look closely at the many yogurt options lining supermarket shelves, you may find plain, flavored, whole, low-fat, fat-free, creamy, fruity, fruit on the bottom, reduced-calorie, sugar-free, no sugar added, granola-topped, drinkable, organic, probiotic, source of dietary fiber, and possibly others I have yet to discover! How about a few guidelines to help you make a better selection?
First of all, I would keep in mind what yogurt does best to prevent yourself from being pulled in by seductive advertising claims and walking off with something you don’t want. Yogurt is typically made from cow’s milk in the U.S. but it might also be made from the milk of goats, sheep, and water buffalo. Like the milk from which it is made, traditional yogurt is good source of calcium and protein. Yogurt might also be made from soymilk, which is a good source of protein. Because soymilk is usually fortified with calcium it is equally as good a source or better than cow’s milk. Yogurts can also be a source of helpful bacteria or what you may be familiar with as probiotics.
But are all yogurts nutritionally equivalent? The answer to that is a resounding NO! As with other food products you will need to read the label. Here is a comparison of two different products and ingredient lists for an example of how yogurt can differ:
Yoplait Light Peach Yogurt
Cultured Pasteurized Grade A Nonfat Milk, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Peaches, Modified Cornstarch, Whey Protein Concentrate, Kosher Gelatin, Citric Acid, Tricalcium Phosphate, Aspartame, Potassium Sorbate Added to Maintain Freshness and Natural Color, Colored with Annato Extract, Retinyl Acetate (Vitamin A), Vitamin D3
Fage – All Natural-Nonfat Greek Strained Yogurt
Grade A Pasteurized Skim Milk, Live Active Yogurt Cultures (L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus)
Quite a difference!
All yogurts are made with two live active cultures L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus. These bacteria cultures break down natural milk sugar to give yogurt its tangy taste. After processing, however, the benefits of these bacteria may be small. For probiotic benefits, I would encourage you to look for not only the words active culture but also see if beneficial bacteria have been added to the product. Lactobacillus (L. acidophilus), Bifidobacterium (B. bifidum), and others are often added for the health benefits they may impart. Check the ingredient list.
To discover the BEST low cal nutritious yogurts here are a few recommendations to keep in mind:
1. Pick yogurt having no more than 150 calories per 6 oz. container*. On low calorie diets of 1200 to 1500 calories, every calorie may count with respect to getting a healthy balance of nutrients. It is possible to find products that satisfy your need for taste and health without unnecessary calories from sugar or fat.
Choose yogurt that contributes plenty of calcium and protein. Avoid choosing yogurt specifically as a source of fruit or fiber. I am not aware of any yogurt product that includes enough fruit to count as a serving of fruit. Also, yogurts with fruit on the bottom can contribute a lot of extra sugar and calories. For a healthier choice buy a plain yogurt and mix in fresh fruit. Your best bet for dietary fiber comes from eating fresh fruit or vegetables and whole grains not yogurt.
2. Look for a minimum of 6 grams of protein in a 6 oz. carton* of yogurt. For even more protein consider Greek style yogurt. This is a thick and creamy yogurt that has had much of the liquid whey strained off. As a result it can have as much as two times or more the protein of most American style yogurts. However, the calcium count may be lower.
3. Try to find yogurts with 20 grams of sugar or less. Some sugar is to be expected. Yogurt is made from milk, which has its own natural sugar, about 12 grams per cup. So there is nothing unusual about finding sugar in yogurt products. On the other hand, every 4 grams contributes about a tsp. of sugar so you are better off limiting any added sugars.
Unfortunately, there is no way to distinguish between natural sugar and what has been added when you check the total sugar count on the Nutrition Facts label. Some yogurts include a no sugar added statement on the label. Otherwise, I recommend scanning the ingredient list for unnecessary sources of sugar such as high fructose corn syrup, which has been implicated with weight gain and type II diabetes. (See Sources of Hidden Sugar: What You Need to Know)
Light, reduced calorie, and sugar free yogurts have sugar calories replaced with no calorie sweeteners such as NutraSweet (aspartame) or Splenda (sucralose). The jury is still out with respect to the safety and effectiveness of these sweeteners. I choose to err on the side of caution and so I avoid all artificial sweeteners.
4. Look for 20% or more of the daily value for calcium (20% = 200 mg). Twenty percent or more will give you a significant boost toward meeting your calcium need of 1000 to 1200 mg a day. (Women aged 19-50 need 1000 mg of calcium and ages 51+ need 1200 mg or more.)
5. Remember that fat free yogurt may not mean low in calories!
* Although individual yogurts vary in size, I have found 6 oz. to be one of the most commonly found on grocery store shelves in the Midwest and elsewhere. So my guidelines refer to a 6 oz. container.
Some of the brands with products that meet these guidelines include:
Fage Greek style yogurt
Cascade Fresh yogurt
Dannon yogurt
Brown Cow Farms
Stonyfield Farms
Oikos Greek style yogurt by Stonyfield Farms
Cultural Revolution
Not all of the yogurt products for each of these companies are low calorie. Nor are they necessarily a good source of protein or calcium. Read the labels! Let me know if you are aware of other nutritious yogurt products that might be available where you live. Thanks!
Tell next time, watch those calories and eat healthy food!
