How to Choose a Healthy Yoghurt
With hundreds of yoghurts to choose from, finding the healthiest option can be hard. Which is the healthiest yoghurt Australia has to offer? Here are my top tips…
My top 5 tips for selecting a healthy yoghurt
1. Avoid fat-free/skim*: Instead, we recommend less than 4.5g fat/100g serve. Low-fat yoghurt also tends to have a slightly higher protein content because the extracted fat allows for more of the remaining nutrients within the same volume.
2. Reach for Greek/plain varieties: This tends to be a high protein yoghurt and will keep you fuller for longer. Anywhere from 5-10g protein/100g serve is generally a good target.
3. Look for ‘no added sugar’ on packs: As a general guide aim for less than 10g sugar/100g serving for unflavoured/plain yoghurt. If you’re one for the sweetened yoghurts, a drizzle of honey is in no way a deal-breaker!
4. Go for probiotics: Natural and Greek yoghurts also tend to be great sources of probiotics – the little bugs that keep your gut happy! Labelling such as “live cultures, acidophilus, lactobacilli, thermophilous, bifidobacterium” sounds fancy, but all mean probiotics.
5. Compare by 100g if you’re buying a large tub. To find the lowest sugar or highest protein option, always compare products by looking at the 100g numbers. If you’re buying portion-sized tubs, then you might want to compare using ‘per serving’.
Are Deli-style yoghurts healthy?
You know the yoghurts they sell at cafes that boast that they are 94% fat-free? They are actually more of a dessert than a yoghurt with 5-7% fat. For some perspective, normal full-fat yoghurt has about 3-4% fat. These options are often very high in sugar as well.
Why I don’t recommend diet yoghurt / low fat yoghurt…
Fat is incredibly satiating. So ‘fat-free’ yoghurt can leave you feel hungry. Because fat makes yoghurt creamy, to get that same consistency, diet yoghurt often have additives like emulsifiers and gelatin.
Diet yoghurts often tend to be added sugar to make them tastier and to compensate for the lack of fat. The end result – a less than satisfying and not so healthy yoghurt.
Is coconut yoghurt a healthy option?
This one really deserves its own blog post. Click here to read my verdict on whether coconut yoghurt is healthier than dairy yoghurt.
Which is the healthiest yoghurt Australia has to offer? What yoghurt do I recommend?
My top pick is the Jalna range of yoghurt, with probiotics.
I personally love the Biodynamic yoghurt from the Jalna range as well as the full-fat Greek Yoghurt.
For families, I think the YoPro yoghurt is a great option as it’s portion-sized, has less sugar than other competitors but still tastes good and it’s high in protein.
Opt for a Greek Yoghurt. If you need sweetness, simply add honey or maple syrup or fresh fruit. That way you can control the sweetness and can get a more natural option whilst still going for Greek yoghurt.
If you want more guidance with healthy eating – check out Back to Basics. I take the guesswork out of planning, shopping and cooking to help make your life easier.
