Yogurt is one of the most versatile fermented foods around. You can eat it as a snack, use it in drinks or dips, cook with it — and more. Plus, it contains protein, calcium, and live and active cultures, all of which add to its nutritional value.
But choosing a healthy yogurt is slightly more complex than just deciding between flavors. Today, grocery aisles overflow with Greek, Icelandic, and Australian styles, as well as nondairy and other options. We spoke with nutritionists and other experts to break down the health differences between every yogurt you see at the supermarket.
Plenty has been written about the benefits of yogurt. Some of them may surprise you.
Probiotics and Gut Health
Because it’s made using fermentation, all yogurt (dairy and nondairy) contains probiotics. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t consider yogurt “official” unless it uses the probiotic strains S. thermophilus and L. bulgaricus. These and other friendly bacteria may help maintain or restore the healthy microorganisms in your digestive tract, and play a key role in your body’s immune response.
While probiotics labeling can be confusing, you can always look for the “Live & Active Cultures” seal from the International Dairy Foods Association, which indicates that dairy-based yogurts contain at least 100 million cultures or more per gram (g). In general, says Lauren Peña, RDN, manager of nutrition and sustainability with the Dairy Council of Arizona, you’ll find this seal near a yogurt’s ingredients list. However, she adds that the Live & Active Cultures seal is voluntary, so not all yogurts will feature it, even if they do contain the cultures.
Nondairy yogurts are fermented as well, so they also contain live cultures. But the specific kinds and amounts may differ from dairy-based products.
Weight Loss
Making yogurt a regular part of your diet may also help with maintaining a healthy weight. According to the most recent data available, eating yogurt was associated with a lower body weight, less weight gain over time, and a smaller waist circumference compared with non–yogurt eaters.
Reduced Risk of Gum Disease
There may be more to tending to your gums than just flossing. The most recent study to show this found that people who ate yogurt at least once a week were 18 percent less likely to develop gum disease. The researchers behind this study theorized that yogurt’s probiotic content was responsible for this result, but further research is needed to confirm this.
Lower Blood Pressure
Dairy-based yogurt delivers up to 45 percent of the calcium you need in a day, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. It’s also a good source of potassium, which has been shown to help ease tension inside blood vessels. Since both calcium and potassium are involved in blood pressure regulation, this may explain why fermented milk products like yogurt may help lower high blood pressure.
Various factors go into choosing a healthy yogurt. Besides looking for evidence of live and active cultures, consider checking fat content and added sugars.
Fat Content
There’s been significant debate in recent years about whether low-fat or full-fat dairy is better for health. Peña points out that the Healthy U.S.-Style Dietary Pattern in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 continues to recommend three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods for people ages nine and older. “However, emerging research indicates that consuming whole-fat dairy foods is not linked to a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, and in some cases is linked to a lower risk,” she says. “More research is needed to continue to further understand the unique dairy matrix and its relationship to whole-fat dairy and saturated fat.”
For now, many public health organizations, such as the American Heart Association, advise sticking with fat-free or low-fat yogurt. Look for yogurt labeled as fat-free, 1 percent, or 2 percent fat.
Amount of Added Sugars
The other major nutrient category to check on yogurt labels? Added sugars. Yogurt contains around 4 g of natural sugar per 100 g (about a 3.5-ounce serving), most of which (3.35 g) is lactose, per USDA data. But many food brands add extra sugar to boost flavor. Some contain more added sugars per serving than ice cream.
“This is why it is so important to check for the added sugars total on the Nutrition Facts panel,” says Peña. She recommends scanning the yogurt container to check this line item before purchasing. “Five percent or less of the Daily Value on the panel is a low source of added sugars,” she says.
You can also read ingredients lists to see what types of sweeteners a yogurt uses. Choices like refined sugar (sucrose), honey, and corn syrup all add calories and carbohydrates, while nonnutritive sweeteners like aspartame, stevia, and acesulfame potassium do not. On the other hand, if you’d like to sweeten yogurt naturally on your own, you can do so with fresh fruit, Peña says, adding not only sweetness but extra nutrients and antioxidants, too.
Traditional Yogurt
Traditional yogurt is made by introducing “live cultures,” aka bacteria, to milk so they can convert the lactose, or sugars, into lactic acid, explains Janette Marsac, RDN, LCSW, a New York City-based registered dietitian nutritionist. It’s unstrained, and can be made from skim, low-fat, or whole milk. Since it’s not strained of excess liquid, traditional yogurt tends to have a milkier, thinner texture than strained yogurts like Greek or Icelandic versions.
Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is made by straining the traditional kind to remove whey, which makes it thicker and leaves a higher concentration of some nutrients. It typically has twice as much protein (around 15 g) as regular yogurt, says Carrie Lam, MD, with the Lam Clinic of Integrative Medicine in Tustin, California. However, Greek yogurt is lower in calcium than traditional yogurt. Per 8 ounces (oz), it supplies 27 percent of the Daily Value, versus traditional yogurt’s 45 percent.
Greek yogurt also strains the majority of lactose from the cow’s milk, leaving a thick, creamy texture behind that’s easier to digest than some other kinds. Greek yogurt can be made from nonfat, low-fat, or whole milk.
Icelandic Yogurt
Also known as skyr, this traditional Icelandic fermented dairy product straddles the line between cheese and yogurt. It’s strained more than Greek yogurt, so it’s thicker and even more protein-packed, with around 20 g per cup, and little added fat or sugar. Traditionally, skyr is made with skim milk.
Its taste is often described as milder than Greek yogurt, and it has naturally low levels of sugar and lactose, says Diana Gariglio-Clelland, RD, CDCES, a Washington state–based registered dietitian with Next Luxury. You can find Icelandic yogurt in the United States marketed under brands such as Siggi’s and Icelandic Provisions.
Australian Yogurt
This unstrained yogurt tends to be creamy and rich, like a high-protein dessert. It’s made with skim milk and cream (or sometimes simply whole milk), and is cooked slower and longer than other yogurts. The brand Wallaby says that Australian yogurt’s smooth texture and mild taste are the result of a slow culturing process.
Noosa Yoghurt, another brand made (and spelled) in the Australian style, contains 150 calories per 4.5 oz, depending on the flavor. Because these tend to be sweeter and have less protein, they’re a good option for a healthier dessert.
French Yogurt
This style is made by a technique known as “pot set,” in which whole milk and live cultures are combined in individual pots and left to ferment for up to eight hours. French yogurt is not strained, so it retains some of its sweetness (and lactose), but is thicker than other unstrained yogurts, like Australian. French yogurt pots tend to be slightly smaller than other varieties, and so may have the advantage of built-in portion control. Several flavors from Oui by Yoplait, for instance, are 170 calories per 5-oz pot.
Much like dairy yogurt, nondairy yogurt is made by adding live and active cultures to various plant “milks.” While these vegan yogurts may sound inherently healthy, nutritional profiles can vary widely, depending on the base used and sweeteners added.
Soy
Among nondairy yogurts, soy stands out for its protein content. In one analysis of six different plant-based yogurt-like products, soy yogurt was the only one that had a protein content comparable to dairy (4.6 g per 100 g serving).
Coconut
Coconut yogurt contains beneficial cultures, but since it begins with coconut milk, it’s quite high in fat, especially the saturated variety. One cup of coconut yogurt contains 11.5 g of saturated fat, compared with 2.45 g in the same amount of traditional yogurt. A diet high in saturated fat is a suspected contributor to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk, so coconut yogurt may be best as an occasional, not regular, choice.
Cashew
Made with cashew milk, cashew yogurt’s nut base offers some unique advantages. According to a recent study, cashew milk yogurt contained high levels of phenolics and flavonoids, enhancing its antioxidant potential. That said, cashew yogurt tends to be relatively low in protein and calcium, compared to dairy yogurt. One cup contains just 5 g of protein and 2 percent of the Daily Value of calcium.
Almond
Like cashew yogurt, this nut-based version packs antioxidants and even a hint of fiber. But it’s no powerhouse of protein or calcium. A 5.3-oz tub of Kite Hill’s plain almond milk yogurt, for example, has just 4 g of protein. And one study revealed that almond milk yogurts provided only a median of 10 percent of the Daily Value of calcium.
Hemp
You can add hemp to the list of yogurts that provide significant protein. One 5.3-oz tub contains 10 g of this macronutrient. Another bonus: Hemp is a complete protein, meaning it contains all the essential amino acids the body must get from food. However, unless it’s fortified, hemp yogurt provides very little calcium — only 2 percent of the Daily Value.
Yogurt may have benefits for gut health, weight loss, gum disease, and blood pressure.
You can choose a healthy yogurt by looking for live and active cultures and assessing fat content and added sugars.
Various styles of yogurts include traditional, Greek, Icelandic, Australian, and French.
Plant-based yogurts may be a healthy choice, but differ nutritionally from dairy yogurt.
