All about yogurt

Yogurt is a versatile food - add some fruit for a healthy breakfast or snack, use it in place of sour cream in dips or on baked potatoes, or incorporate it into dessert. Here is more information about yogurt.

Yogurt is considered a milk/dairy food on Mypyramid because of the calcium. The cultures in yogurt help digest lactose (milk sugar), which may help those who suffer from lactose intolerance eat yogurt without symptoms. There is some evidence that the cultures also help keep healthy bacteria in your guy, but there is no solid proof of this. Those cultures may be listed on the label as L. acidolphilus, L. bulgaricus, (the L. stands for lactobacillus) and S. thermophilus.

Greek yogurt is strained differently than regular yogurt, resulting in more protein. Greek yogurt has about 17 grams of protein per 6 ounces, whereas regular plain yogurt has about 8 grams of protein in 8 ounces. Regular yogurt that has added sugar or fruit may only contain 3 or 4 grams of protein.

Greek yogurt does tend to have less calcium than regular yogurt. Greek yogurt is also more expensive, sometimes twice as much.

To choose a healthy yogurt, you must read the nutrition label. You should try to pick one that is a good source of protein and calcium without a lot of added fat, sugar, or artificial sweeteners.

Plain yogurt is better than flavored or sweetened yogurt, but if is it too tart or too plain, try mixing half sweetened/flavored with half plain. Some sugar sweetened yogurts can have up to 4 teaspoons of sugar. Some have artificial sweetener, which is safe is small amounts, but many of our foods have artificial sweetener, so it's something to limit.

Plain Greek yogurt works great as a veggie dip (in place of sour cream based dips, which have no nutrients) or as a topping on a baked potato. Plain regular yogurt works too, but the texture of Greek yogurt is more similar to sour cream. By using either plain or Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, you are getting more nutrients and less fat.

Some brands of yogurt claim that they help with regularity and digestive system health. What they don't mention is that you would have to have three servings a day to see that benefit. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has investigated these claims and has made recommendations to revise these statements.

Some yogurt now has added fiber in the form on inulin. Yogurt does not have fiber naturally. There is no good evidence that inulin is as good as naturally occurring fiber in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

To see what brands and types of yogurt may be best, you can read this article from the Nutrition Action Healthletter from 2008. I also have a more recent article on yogurt that I would be glad to fax if anyone is interested.