Yogurt can be a healthy food as long as you understand the labels to know what's in them.
Figuring out which yogurt is healthier depends first on why you are eating it. You may be looking for a low-fat dessert option, a healthy choice for lunch or solution for a healthier digestive system. When you cruise the dairy isle at the supermarket and look at yogurt, you see choices like organic, probiotic, added omegas, fat free and myriad flavors from plain to a key lime pie. Reading the labels to see what's in the yogurt and understanding what's in each is critical in making the right choice.
Purist Yogurt
You may be suspicious of what's in some of the yogurts out there. According to the article "Yogurt Lowdown" at the Runner's World website, some yogurts have added sugars that make up more than 50 percent of their calories. Also look for the source of sugars, which could be from something healthy like fruit or unhealthy such as high-fructose corn syrup. Added sugars can also upset a sensitive stomach. According to Runner's World, "Nutritionists recommend picking yogurts with no more than 30 grams of sugar per six-ounce serving." "Thirty grams is where we can separate the decent stuff from the pure garbage," says Jayne Hurley, a senior nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit health advocacy group in Washington, D.C. Hurley also suggests steering away from yogurt that has the letters 'cr' on the label. She states this ingredient means the yogurt is one step away from ice cream. The best option for you as a purist, is to choose plain, organic low-fat or nonfat yogurt and add some fresh fruit and honey if you want to sweeten it up.
Vitamin-Packed Choice
If one of the reasons you are eating yogurt is to get those additional vitamins you may not be getting somewhere else, then pay attention to the ingredients. The labels will tell you what additional vitamins are in the yogurt such as folic acid, which is essential in avoiding birth defects in newborns. Another nutritional benefit manufacturers add to some yogurts are omega-3 fatty acids. "Since our bodies can't synthesize these essential fatty acids, we have to get them through food," Canadian Living says.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center website, omega-3 fatty acids play an essential role in brain function, growth and development. Furthermore the article states, "Research shows that omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and may help lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis."
Probiotic Yogurts
You may eat yogurt to promote a healthier digestive system. Some manufacturers kill the healthy bacteria in the yogurt when they use a heat treating process to give it a longer shelf life, according to Canadian Living. Read the ingredients on your yogurt and look for the words, "live" or "active" on the label. Studies suggest that the health benefits of yogurt probiotics can result in lowering the risk of colon polyps or vaginal yeast infections and enhance immunity, according to an article in the Health Castle website.
Milk Replacement
Yogurt can be taken as a milk replacement if you know what to look for on the list of ingredients. If you are eating three servings of yogurt a day at least for milk replacement, "look for a yogurt product which contains at least 15 percent of the daily value of calcium per 4-oz. serving if you do not eat any other calcium-rich foods," Health Castle suggests.
Look on the labels to see if the yogurt you are eating is fortified with vitamin D, like in milk. The recommended vitamin D allowance is 600 mg. for people 9 years and up, according to an article by the Scientific American.
Dessert Alternative
Yogurt is a good alternative to giving your children sugar-laden cookies or cake for dessert. Although many of the yogurt treats for kids on the market contain artificial flavors and dyes, you can find some that are on the healthier side. Follow these guidelines by Canadian Living magazine: "Choose yogurts that have less than 2 grams of fat per 100-gram serving." Also, "look for products with less than 16 grams in a 100-gram serving."
Tags: fatty acids, Canadian Living, omega-3 fatty, omega-3 fatty acids, some yogurts, than grams