Is your YOGURT healthy or does it compare to a Twinkie? Put yours to the test!

Today my friend showed me her plain Fage yogurt with honey and asked me what I thought. Here goes…

Many yogurts have more sugar than “a Twinkie (18 grams) or in 4 oreo cookies (18 grams)” as stated on Cornucopia. The plain Fage with honey had 27 grams of sugar!

Most people assume yogurt is a healthy snack or nutritious breakfast. Cornucopia put together a very informational “Yogurt Buyer’s Guide”. Let’s break it down…

Criteria

• Organic: If your yogurt is not organic, it is likely the cows have been fed genetically modified feed and they have been pumped with hormones and antibiotics. If it is organic, you are safe from GMOs, hormones and antibiotics.
• Thickeners: Try to prevent carrageenan, guar gum and pectin. For non-dairy eaters, that may be more difficult so limit the intake of these thickeners.
• Sweeteners: Avoid artificial ingredients such as aspartame, sucralose and saccharin. Natural sweeteners such as honey and maple syrup are preferred; cane sugar and agave are next best. Shy away from corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup.
• Added Coloring and Flavors: You do not want artificial coloring and flavors. You even want to be mindful of “natural” coloring and flavors because they are often produced by a chemical process.
• Synthetic Nutrients: This is a hot topic. We are not quite sure if it is beneficial to add in nutrients that are not in their natural state. There might be consequences of doing this. The fewer ingredients the better!
• Milk Protein Concentrate: It is best to have the yogurt strained traditionally as oppose to adding in milk or whey protein concentrate.
• Preservatives: Minimize these. The ones that are more acceptable are citric acid or lemon/lime concentrate.

Solution

• Always buy plain and unsweetened.
• Check the labels!
• Top with fresh fruit, raw honey, maple syrup, nuts, chia seeds or granola that is low in sugar. This will prevent you from crashing after a sugar rush and it will provide nutrition.

What does your yogurt score? Click the link and find your brand and possible replacements.
http://www.cornucopia.org/yogurt-scorecard/

I know this information is frustrating but sugar and chemicals are causing us to be a sick and overweight nation. These are the facts. Do better because now you know!