Is yogurt healthy or unhealthy?

mom2mini
mom2mini Posts: 19 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi ya'll! Sorry for such a silly question, but it has been killing me!
I hear people say I shouldn't eat yogurt because it is fattening (along with all the other dairy) but others say it is a great snack to get add some extra protein into your diet.
Thoughts?
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Replies

  • Lyerin
    Lyerin Posts: 818 Member
    It depends. I know that isn't a great answer, but it's true. Personally, I like eating yogurt, particularly greek yogurt, as a snack. It fits within my daily plan and is a tasty, low-cal snack for me. There are some folks who don't eat dairy or who believe that dairy as a whole is not good for you.

    Basically, eat it if it fits within your daily plan.
  • lukeevans85
    lukeevans85 Posts: 108 Member
    Greek yogurt has a lot of nutrition. The non-greek yogurts are packed full of sugar (if you don't buy plain)...I can't stand the taste of them anymore. Unfortunately a lot of greek yogurt is packed full of sugar too so you have to be cautious and find a good one that you like. I like Chobani, Fage, Zoi, and Greek Gods.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Unless you have problems digesting dairy, yogurt is generally considered healthy. Many do have a lot of added sugar or artificial sweeteners, but then it is the additives that may be unhealthy and not the yogurt itself. You can always buy plain and sweeten it yourself with fruit or a little natural sugar (honey, agave, molasses, etc.) if desired.
  • bkibbs
    bkibbs Posts: 106 Member
    Yogurt has never been a stay-away for me...I just make sure I buy the fat free kind. Yoplait and Dannon both have a decent amount of flavors and they're all in the 80-110 cal range.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Plain yogurt is very healthy. If you get it with added sugar, then it's less healthy than without. There are many benefits to eating yogurt, including helping your food digest properly.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    It depends. I know that isn't a great answer, but it's true. Personally, I like eating yogurt, particularly greek yogurt, as a snack. It fits within my daily plan and is a tasty, low-cal snack for me. There are some folks who don't eat dairy or who believe that dairy as a whole is not good for you.

    Basically, eat it if it fits within your daily plan.

    Agree.

    Everyone has different definitions of healthy or not. For me, yogurt is a good, satisfying snack. I don't buy low-fat or fat-free, because I (personally) don't like the added sugar, salt, or chemicals.

    Some people think dairy is bad. Some don't.

    Eat it if it works for you!
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Plain greek yogurt = good. Some yogurts are just a sugar bomb though and won't fill you up. So it depends.
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
    It can be either. Stuff like Yoplait that has added sugar and only like 2-3 grams of protein for 100+ calories isn't really all that healthy, IMO. Not saying it's bad, but there's not really any nutritional value. I eat Kroger carb master yogurt and plain Greek yogurt, both of which have little added sugar and are high in protein. Kroger has 8 grams per 60 calories, and 1cup Chobani has 140 calories and 23 grams of protein. I recently tried an apple pie parfait thingy (sorry, can't remember the brand), that had some vanilla yogurt, apple chunks, and maybe 1T granola topping and it only had 3g protein and 120ish calories. Not really worth it to me, but the flavor was super amazing, so now I mix baked apple chunks with some Kroger vanilla yogurt and sometimes a little granola :D
  • DonniesGirl69
    DonniesGirl69 Posts: 644 Member
    Plain Greek yogurt is a wonderful source of protein...personally I get the non-fat, but there is 2% fat as well. You can add fresh fruit if you want it sweet or it's a fantastic replacement for sour cream on tacos or chili.

    What most people think of when they think of yogurt (Yoplait, Dannon, Activia) with fruit on the bottom is generally loaded with sugar and doesn't have a lot of protein. My opinion is that it's not particularly healthy.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I get plenty of dairy, I LOVE cheese! I don't think it's bad!
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
    Calorie surpluses are fattening. Yogurt, nor anything else, in a calorie deficit, is not.

    Threads like this make me realize there really is no hope.
  • shanster23
    shanster23 Posts: 144 Member
    Depends what brand you get, as others have said!
    Personally, I love a little yoghurt with a handful of granola mixed through.
    Yoghurt + granola is to me as chocolate is to chocaholics!
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    Fattening? It has fat in it. That's not exactly the same thing.

    Healthiest yogurt choice is Greek yogurt- it has low sugar and high protein. I highly recommend the fruit or honey versions of Chobani and Fage. You can't go wrong with either. It's a little adjustment from the Dannon/Yoplait sugar packets often passing as yogurt :smile: but definitely tasty and worth it.
  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
    Both. Just read the label. Some yogurts are nothing more than a sugar-packed dessert. Other yogurts have very high protein, little fat and lots of good bacterias for your digestion system. There are a lot of imposter yogurts that try to play themselves off as healthy, so watch out for those.
  • RobinvdM
    RobinvdM Posts: 634 Member
    I eat 12-16 oz of yogurt daily. Greek, yogurt. Multi flavored. I can't imagine it being BAD for you. It has probiotics that make your digestive track happier, it has protein, and tastes like dessert.
  • tunezter
    tunezter Posts: 7
    I'm a big fan of the Kroger CarbMaster yogurt. It's great for diabetics...only 60 calories, 4g of carbs and 8g of protein...throw in 2 Tbsp of GrapeNuts and you have a tasty, crunchy and healthy snack for 110 cals.
  • racheljonel
    racheljonel Posts: 400 Member
    Dannon has a light fruit flavored greek yogurt for 80 calories and not a ton of sugar that is pretty good.
  • NJSunshine13
    NJSunshine13 Posts: 116
    My nutritionist said stick with the Greek yogurt because it has more protein and less sugar than others. If she says I can eat it, then it can't be bad.
  • Rogiefreida
    Rogiefreida Posts: 567 Member
    My personal take on yogurt is that it's not so bad for you. Yes, there are some that are sugar bombs. I usually eat 3-4 servings of yogurt a week. I have tried repeatedly to get on the greek yogurt train and the only thing I can use it for is a sub for sour cream. I usually stick to Yoplait light (90ish calories) and there are several varieties that don't have too much added sugar. I usually eat them because my tummy likes the probiotics, and I find that they are sweet enough to satisfy my sweet tooth without doing major damage to my diet. It works for me, but it may not work for others.

    ETA: It's been my experience that greek yogurts (except for plain), have a lot of sugar in them as well, sometimes more than non-greek yogurt.
  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
    Calorie surpluses are fattening. Yogurt, nor anything else, in a calorie deficit, is not.

    Threads like this make me realize there really is no hope.

    stop being negative. this OP trying to learn and make healthier choices. it's not their fault they didn't grow up with nutritionists for parents who gave them a perfect diet plan to follow for life. advertising is what's wrong with this picture. the clever marketers are trying to trick people into eating foods that they call healthy but are really just junk. sites like this where we can share information about food give me hope! perfect nutrition is a journey and there is always new information out there to be evaluated. we all need to continue educating ourselves and stop giving useless advice.

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