We all know that yogurt should belong to meals labeled as “healthy”. Yogurt is widely used in the Mediterranean region and it still surprises me how versatile it is in its uses and applications. You can add it to vegetables, rice, fruit or eat it basic.
Yogurt, in its natural, organic state is indeed a very healthy thing to eat, it being rich in protein, calcium, riboflavin and vitamins B12 and D, as well as live active cultures that boost the immunity. Introducing it into your kid’s diet is also a wise decision because yogurt is called a “grow food”.
What is unwise, however, is that many parents disregard the fact that canned yogurt, and especially “fun food” yogurt for kids is not at all the yogurt everyone’s talking about.
Individually, yogurt and fruit are as healthy as it gets, but take a look at the label, and you’ll understand why so many doctors warn parents against purchasing yogurt cups for the kids. Yes, corn syrup and sugar. These are the culprits. Plus, of course, artificial flavorings and coloring. These are enough to get your child addicted to the sugar high, and the added flavor makes yogurt cups oh so tasty! For a responsible parent yogurts like that (even if they have fruit in them) are a big no-no.
Solution? Regular plain yogurt, no sugar added, natural and healthy. So how do you choose the best yogurt? This article can be your guide. Use these 4 tips t0 learn how to purchase the healthiest yogurt for your child.
- Check the “Nutritional Facts” and “Ingredients” section. Look for yogurts that are plain, i.e. only contain live active cultures and milk. Turns out that the longer the ingredient list, the fewer chances you have of actually holding a good yogurt (what you do get is more calories and less nutrition). Be sure to read the protein and sugar values on the nutrition panel. The higher the protein and the lower the sugar content, the more actual yogurt you’re getting in the container.
- Calcium content is a very important factor. The best yogurts provide 35 to 40 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for calcium in an 8-ounce container. Once the calcium gets below 30 percent of the DV, it’s a good bet that the container is filled with a lot of less-nutritious filler.
- Watch out for this phrase: “heat treated after culturing”. Reading this on the label is a deal breaker, because heat treated yogurt doesn’t even have a right to be called yogurt. Once all the healthy stuff is pasteurized, it might as well be called pudding. Pasteurization deactivates the lactose and kills the live cultures, thereby obliterating two health benefits of yogurt. It prolongs the shelf life, but spoils its nutrition and health-food value. Lactose-intolerant persons who can tolerate yogurt containing live and active cultures may not be able to digest yogurt that has been heat treated.
- Some other yogurt terms to watch for:
- Whole milk yogurt contains approximately 7 grams of milk fat per 8-ounce serving.
- Lowfat yogurt contains between 1 and 4 grams (0.5% to 2 %) of milk fat per 8-ounce serving.
- Nonfat yogurt contains less than 1/2 gram (less than 0.5%) of milk fat per 8-ounce serving.
- In Swiss or custard-style yogurt, fruit and yogurt are mixed together. To insure firmness, a stabilizer, such as gelatin, may be added. This is also called “blended yogurt.” Swiss yogurt is fermented in vats and then transferred to cups. This process breaks the gel, so that artificial binders and stabilizers must be added.
- Fruit-added or plain yogurt has a runnier consistency. The whey, the clear liquid at the top, should be stirred into the solids.
- Yogurt also comes in liquid form, called “kefir,” which may contain added sweeteners such as corn syrup.