Ask a Dietitian

If you leave milk at 110° for a day you will get yogurt, a velvety curd created in cow’s milk (and most other milks) when friendly bacteria invade and cause fermentation and coagulation. In the modern production of yogurt, manufacturers leave nothing to chance. The essential live bacterial cultures of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus are deliberately added to milk during the manufacturing process. The first commercial yogurt was founded in 1916 by Isaac Carasso of Barcelona – Danone yogurt.

With protein, calcium, magnesium, riboflavin, vitamins B-6, B-12 and more, plain low fat yogurt is as nutritious as skim milk. For people who are lactose intolerant and can’t drink milk, but still want the calcium, they can eat yogurt because the lactose is digested by the bacteria for them. On the downside, milk is fortified with vitamin D and yogurt isn’t, except for a new yogurt called Source by Yoplait which is fortified with both vitamin A and D.

Mixing plain no fat or low fat yogurt with fresh fruit is still your best option, but most people don’t have the time. There is now a section in our grocery stores devoted to yogurt. Several styles fill the shelves including plain or original, custard, fruit, fruit-on-the-bottom, fresh flavors, Swiss Style, low fat, non-fat, yogurt drinks and yogurt tubes.
When choosing a yogurt find one that contains no more than 2 grams of saturated fat or a total of 3 grams of fat (a maximum of about 1.7% M.F.) and at least 18% of a day’s calcium in a 175g container. A full fat yogurt can have up to 5 grams of saturated fat. I also recommend finding one without aspartame.

Yogurt in a Tube:
No spoon required
Easy to grab on the fly
Delicious as a frozen treat
More protein and calcium than ice cream
Too high in saturated fat, okay as a treat
Good Choice: None meet the criteria

Drinkable Yogurt:
Not as much calcium as yogurt because it contains added water
A bit too much saturated fat. Still beats a soft drink or fruit punch hands down!
Good Choice: Danone’s Petit Danone drinkable yogurt

Low-Fat and Fat-Free Yogurt:
Great option, lots of calcium
Some fat-free versions have more sugar added
Try low-fat rather than fat-free for a more creamy texture
Good Choices:
Jersey Farm no fat natural and fruit flavoured
Astro no fat plain, 1% natural, naturally flavoured
Biobest, 2% natural
Danone Silhouette and Delisle Selection
Liberty Svelte
Six Grains stirred
Yoplait Basket stirred, 1.5% plain, Source

Soy Yogurt:
Some are cultured with bacteria
Very little saturated fat
Doesn’t have as much calcium, magnesium, protein, or B-vitamins as milk
Taste is quite different from milk
Try Nancy’s blackberry, Olympic or Jersey Farm

Lower Calorie Yogurt:
Diet means it contains artificial sweeteners such as aspartame instead of sugar
Can cut the calories by 1/3
It’s hard to say with certainty that aspartame is safe
Now a new yogurt sweetened with Splenda by Yoplait called Source

Fruit Yogurt:
May not contain any fruit – just fruit flavour like Astro Naturally Light Blueberries and Cream or Raspberries and Cream which are “naturally flavoured”.

You can also find frozen yogurt and fat-free frozen yogurt in the freezer section. The milk used in frozen yogurt is usually 90% fat free, but the fat-free on the label is referring to the milk portion only, not the cookie chunks or cheese cake that was added. It is true that frozen yogurts contain much less fat than ice creams, but don’t let that lead you to spooning up too much of a good thing. Frozen yogurt still contains calories, many of them from sugar. Frozen yogurt does not have the same health benefits as its fresh counterparts because the healthy bacteria are killed in the freezing process.

The Bottom Line: Yogurt is a healthy and convenient snack that can be eaten every day as a great source of calcium. Find one that is low in fat and aspartame-free

Snack ideas: Use it in fruit smoothies, as dessert topping or on French toast with sliced strawberries. I personally love it in fruit parfaits where I layer it with fresh fruit and granola.