Choosing Healthy Yogurt: A Guide to Low Sugar & Natural Options

While yogurt is generally a healthy option, there are a lot of unhealthy yogurts on the shelves. Look for the ones containing the lowest amounts of sugar or sweeteners, with no added preservatives, flavorings or colors.

Watch Out for Added Sugar

• Check the label to see if there is added sugar. This can be disguised in artificial sweetener such as high-fructose corn syrup, fructose, sucralose, acesulfame K or aspartame. Look for a sugar content of less than 0.5g per serving.

Organic Yogurt

• Many fruit-flavored yogurts contain added flavoring and color, too. Buying organic yogurt will ensure no artificial flavorings have been added. However, organic yogurt may still contain high amounts of sugar.

Full-Fat Yogurt

• Full-fat yogurt is not necessarily a bad option unless you are trying to lose weight. Look for ones containing "live" bacteria such as Lactobacillius acidophilus and bifidus to help promote friendly bacteria in the gut.

Sheep or Goat Yogurt

• Many people who are lactose intolerant can often eat sheep or goat yogurt. Even if you do tolerate cow's milk, both sheep and goat yogurt are easier on the digestive system.