What Different Yogurts Are Best For You??
So many commercials about there about yogurt. How do you know which one to buy!! How do you know what different yogurt are best for you?
Don’t even look at it!
Let’s first start with eliminating any yogurt, including Greek, that has high fructose corn syrup, glucose or sucrose in it. Your body does not need any of that.
Many major brands are working to eliminate these items as public demand has increased. However, what you may not realize is that the calcium is all but lost when combined with sugar.
It has been proven that sugar causes our bodies to excrete calcium, so when you combine the 2, you’re basically wasting the calcium and not much will be absorbed
Keep walking when you see….
Next, eliminate anything that claims, low-fat or fat-free and has unnatural ingredients added to it to make it taste good.
Such as the above stated, or modified food starch, corn starch: which is used as a stabilizer, thickener, and emulsifier. This gives yogurt an extra creamy texture. Gelatin also used as a thickener, and often made from animal bones (unless it’s marked Kosher).
Potassium sorbate is a preservative used to neutralize acids and prevent mold. This ingredient gives many yogurts an unnaturally long shelf life. It’s considered safe, but some people might be sensitive.
Aspartame an artificial sweetener. You’ll find this in yogurts labeled “lite” or light. Tricalcium phosphate a calcium supplement, usually made from bone ash. Food dyes, carmine is made from ground cochineal beetles but at least it’s natural, right? Numbered dies, such as Red No. 40 and others are chemically made and may have health risks that are not yet fully understood.
Gut Health?
What about those yogurts that claim to regulate our digestive system? These yogurts contain a laboratory-produced, commercially used probiotic called Bifidus Regularis, which is a bacteria directly extracted from animal intestines. It is added to yogurt and helps the consumer speed up digestive transit time.
There may be a benefit for some people after consuming these types of yogurts, but if you eat a well-balanced diet filled with fiber (fruits, vegetables, and grains), it is completely unnecessary.
A normal yogurt is filled with naturally occurring enzymes, so there’s no need for an artificial probiotic.
What should I buy?
Plain yogurt should only have two ingredients: milk and live yogurt cultures. Plain yogurt is packed with protein and is richer in calcium than milk.
Choose low-fat or non-fat yogurts that don’t contain any of the artificial ingredients. Stay away from fruit-flavored yogurts and instead add the flavorings of your choice to plain yogurt. A spoonful of preserves, honey or applesauce stirred into plain yogurt is all you need if you like the sweet flavor. That will save you the bad stuff and a little money!
If you like super-thick and creamy yogurts (which are creamy because of emulsifiers), choose naturally creamy Greek yogurt. It’s one of the creamiest because it’s strained. It is often roughly the same calories but it doubles your proteins and cuts the sugar. It is also roughly half the carbs if it is not sweetened.
But watch the fat content. If it is not low-fat or non-fat it could contain up to 16g of saturated fat! Greek is also highly versatile and can be used in recipes to replace mayo, sour cream, and other higher fat items required in dressings and sauces.
Make your own!
You can make your own easily at home or turn it into Greek by straining plain yogurt through a cheesecloth.
In Summary of What Yogurt is best for you
Read the labels. There are many marketing tricks out there and you don’t want to fall for the hype. As in anything you buy, the fewer ingredients the better. And if you do not know what an ingredient is that is a sign to walk away!
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Happy eating!
