I know what you're thinking…yogurt is supposed to be one of the healthy choices, right?
Yogurt is rich in calcium, high in protein, relatively low in calories, and comes in convenient packaging for on-the-go meals and snacks.
One of the greatest benefits of yogurt is its live, active probiotics. “As the health of your gut goes, so goes the health of your body.”
Probiotics provide your gut with the flora necessary to keep your intestinal tract running well and your immune system robust.
But alas . . . not all yogurts are created equal! In fact, you may be eating more than you bargained for in your favorite brand of yogurt.
In reviewing the top five selling yogurt brands in the US, we found some not-so-healthy ingredients stirred in with all those other good things.
These extra components cheat you of the very health you seek when you grab a yogurt.
Unhealthy ingredients
1. Sugar is at the top of the list, not only because it’s the most common additive, but also because it usually shows up in second or third place in a yogurt’s list of ingredients. Sometimes, the sugar is camouflaged as “evaporated cane juice.”One six-ounce brand of yogurt contains 25 grams of sugar—equivalent to 6.25 teaspoons of sugar! Yikes!
2. Artificial sweeteners also abound in some yogurts. Yoplait recently dumped aspartame for sucralose (aka Splenda). But many people experience severe intestinal distress from sucralose and other artificial sweeteners as well. These sweeteners are not healthy! They are hundreds of times sweeter than sugar and, contrary to popular belief, they raise blood sugar and make people fat.
3. Fructose and high fructose corn syrup are other forms of sweeteners found in many yogurts. Fructose is processed by the liver and converted to fat in the body. Also, these corn products in the US are GMO.
4. Artificial and “natural” flavors find their way into many brands of yogurt. These terms cloak the 50 to 100 ingredients that they may contain. Beware, the word “natural” is not a regulated term.
5. Food dyes including red # 40, blue # 1 are added to color your yogurt. These dyes especially affect some children detrimentally.
6. Other assorted chemicals, additives, and fillers are often added to speed up or replace natural processes. Some of these ingredients include: modified corn starch, modified food starch, gelatin, locust bean gum, malic acid, potassium sorbate, sodium citrate, and others.
Let’s face it, reading labels can be confusing enough and even more so when manufacturers get tricky or even deceptive in their descriptions.
What’s the solution? Plain and simple – Greek yogurt!
My favorite is Fage Greek yogurt.
Here are the ingredients in Fage Total: milk and cream with live active cultures. That’s it! No sugar added, no HFC, no food dye, chemicals, fillers, or other unknowns. This is real yogurt, high in protein and low in carbs!
With plain Greek yogurt you’re getting bona fide cultured yogurt to which you can add real fruit and sweeten with honey, or stevia if you like. You know exactly what you’re eating, pure, simple and healthy!
Yours In Health,
Danette
P.S. Please share this important information with your friends and I welcome your comments below.
