Community Corner

What's Really in Your Yogurt and Milk Products?

by Ian Lee, HealthCastle.com

With more and more new dairy products added to store shelves every year, it can be difficult to understand the differences between brands – and which items best fit your family’s needs.

Here are HealthCastle.com's top items for consumers to watch for:

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  • Check the calcium content: New smaller yogurt sizes may not offer the 20% DV required to qualify as a good source of calcium. And although most non-dairy beverages are called "milk," they are naturally low in calcium. Some, but not all, have been fortified to offer a similar amount of calcium to cow's milk, but check the label to be sure.
     
  • Sugar is called by many names: And there can be a lot of it! Fructose, evaporated cane juice, honey, and maple syrup all mean sugar – and some yogurt brands contain as much sugar per serving as a can of soda (7 teaspoons!). Sweetened versions of milks (like vanilla or chocolate flavors) usually add about 4 teaspoons of sugar per serving.
     
  • Light/Fat-free products use artificial ingredients: Most light yogurt brands use sucralose, but some use two or even three different artificial sweeteners. Since non-dairy milks are low in fat to begin with, light or fat-free versions save only 30 to 40 calories and use water and thickeners such as carrageenan to dilute the calorie level.
     
  • Unexpected ingredients in baby and kids’ yogurt: Yogurt for babies should be plain unflavored whole milk yogurt. Some brands offer this option, but they (and others) also offer flavored versions with two teaspoons of sugar per serving. Shockingly, many kids’ fruit-flavored yogurts contain no real fruit!
     
  • Surprise saturated fat: Most plant-sourced milk is low in saturated fat, as is low-fat cow's milk. The surprise? Despite being low in calories, coconut milk contains 5 g of saturated fat.


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