Why you should avoid sugary, flavored or fruit yogurts

This is something that we have commented on many occasions, especially every time we have the opportunity to tell you about the yogurt: «The most healthy yogurt when it comes to adding to our diet and daily diet is natural yogurt». That is to say, yogurt that only contains milk and natural ferments (beneficial bacteria), no sugar or sweeteners have been added, and it basically contains the naturally occurring sugars.

The reason is more than obvious: any other yogurt, whatever it may be and no matter how healthy it is, contains an exaggerated amount of sugars, converting a food into a nutritious and appropriate first moment, into a food product that we should not consume .

And although it is something that we have always told you, a new study recently published in the United Kingdom has come to confirm what we already knew, and what most serious nutritionists defend: most yogurts that are currently sold in supermarkets have an often exaggerated amount of sugars.

Specifically, in the study the research analyzed the sugar content of around 900 yogurts and assimilated. While only 9% of them are low in sugars, the vast majority "are extremely sugary."

And what is even more worrying: Infant yogurts provide an incredibly high amount of sugars. In fact, only two of the 100 dairy products analyzed targeting exclusively the infant consumer were low in sugar. That is, only 2 of these 100 infant yogurts possessed less than 5 grams of sugar per 100 grams of product (the minimum recommendation of the World Health Organization and the British Health System itself).

How to know how much sugar a yogurt has when you go to buy it

What do we have to look at on the label of a yogurt to know how much sugar it has?

In the case for example of a baby yogurt or a dairy product typepetit Suisse, a small four year old has already taken more sugar than recommended for a whole day (and still has all day to eat, so at the end of the day will have finished consuming more of the recommended sugar). Especially if we take into account the recommended amount of sugar per day: 19 grams per day for children between 4 to 6 years, and 24 grams for 7 to 10 years.

Beware of yogurts with a healthier image (such as organic, organic or soy)

Researchers have been surprised to see how yoghurts that apparently had a more "healthy" image, such as yogurt derived from soy, or organic or organic yogurt, even had more sugar than the equivalent amount of a conventional cola drink.

Thus, an organic or organic yogurt contained 13.1 grams of sugar per 100 grams, more than twice the minimum amount recommended by the WHO and the NHS (British Health System, for its acronym in English).

As Annabelle Horti, co-author of the study and researcher in nutrition, commented, "Sugar is often used as a sweetener to counteract the natural acidity of lactic acid produced by the crops present in yogurt. These microorganisms are what make yogurt good for our digestive system and tend to be present in large quantities in organic yogurt. They are likely to carry more added sugar to neutralize that acidity. "

The same would happen with fruit yoghurts or cereals, which in theory should be healthier. But only in theory, since they also contain a relatively high amount of sugars. Specifically, 11.9 grams of sugars per 100 grams of product.

The best yogurts? Natural yogurt and Greek

In this sense, researchers have highlighted what would be the yogurts that comply with a more adequate amount of sugars in its composition: natural yogurt and Greek yogurt(Which is probably surprising if we consider that it is a variety of yogurt with a higher fat content, and so curiously insulted for this reason).

For example, both plain yogurt and Greek yogurt contain about 5 grams of sugar per 100 grams of product. Yes, as long as the Greek yogurt is also natural (that is, not flavored, flavored or sweetened).

Therefore, it is most appropriate to opt precisely for these two yogurts, if what you want is to consume a food of this type in the dessert or snack. And if you want a fruit yogurt or cereal? Well the best thing is to use homemade fruit from home, or healthy cereals that you can have in the pantry, as it could be the case of the oats.

Can I eat a yogurt past date?

We discover if it poses a health risk or not eat an expired yogurt.

This article is published for informational purposes only. You can not and should not replace the consultation with a Nutritionist. We advise you to consult your trusted Nutritionist. ThemesMilk

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