Yogurt: debunked. Are you buying the right kind?

You might be surprised....most of us think of yogurt as a very healthy food. While this is not untrue, the kind of yogurt you are buying will determine whether or not you are eating a nutritious, health-promoting food, or essentially a “junk” food.

We have been lucky in recent years to have had many health professionals endorse yogurt as a bone-building, healthy food that we can consume without guilt. With all the mixed messages in the media surrounding the foods we eat, this is comforting news. There is concern, however, because there are dozens of yogurts for sale in the grocery stores and unfortunately, all are not equal.

I did some browsing around one of my local grocery aisles recently. I must admit, my choice for yogurt in recent years has been nothing but plain, organic 2% (or 3.5%) yogurt. Not very exciting, I realize. With yogurt being such a popularly consumed food, I thought it was appropriate to see exactly what most people were buying (and considering “health food”). What a shock!

I frequently talk about probiotics. These are the friendly bacteria that lie throughout the gastro-intestinal tract, and have numerous health benefits, as they help support the immune system and fight off bad bacteria, as well as parasites and yeast. Most people nowadays know that yogurt should be a source of probiotics, as they have to add bacterial culture to milk in order to make yogurt.


In my search of “other” yogurts, I was shocked at the ingredients I came across:

-glucose (sugar)
-fructose (sugar)
-corn syrup (sugar)
-burnt sugar syrup (sugar)
-aspartame (“sugar”)
-sucralose (“sugar”)
-gelatin (animal derivative)
-potassium sorbate (artificial preservative)
-malic acid (artificial preservative)

I see a pattern here. Loads of sugar, very little (real) fruit, and artificial sweeteners, which are known neuro-toxins. If I can kindly offer some nutritional advice to all the yogurt eaters out there:

1) do not buy non-fat yogurt. Fat is important to absorb the much-needed calcium and other nutrients in yogurt. Choose 2% whenever possible.

2) buy plain yogurt and add your own honey or maple syrup, rather than overly sugared commercial yogurts. Dried fruit can be a great, nutritious way to sweeten yogurt as well.

3) do NOT choose low-cal or low-sugar yogurts, as these usually contain artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose or splenda. While these substances could quite easily justify an entire blog in itself, know that there is leading evidence that these are potent neuro-toxins and may increase risk of degenerative neurological (brain) diseases.

4) if possible, buy organic yogurt. Yes, it will cost more, but the benefits to your health are numerous, as organic dairy farms do not use pesticides, growth hormones or antibiotics on their cows.

So, is yogurt good for you? Yes. Can yogurt be considered a true junk food? Yes. I think I'll stick with what I've got!

Email me with any specific yogurt-related questions, or pass this on to a friend!