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Is yogurt healthy or unhealthy?

Posts: 19 Member
edited December 2024 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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  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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!
  • 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.
  • 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
  • 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.
  • Posts: 35,719 Member
    I get plenty of dairy, I LOVE cheese! I don't think it's bad!
  • 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.
  • 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!
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Posts: 400 Member
    Dannon has a light fruit flavored greek yogurt for 80 calories and not a ton of sugar that is pretty good.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Posts: 3,566 Member
    IMHO, the two most overused words in the dieter's vocabulary are "healthy" and "unhealthy". What kind of "health" are you looking at? Is a "healthy" food something that is low in calories? Low in sodium? Fat? Carbohydrates? Does it have vitamins and minerals? Fiber? What? What do you want?

    Yogurt has great health benefits. Is it worth getting rid of from your diet in order to lose weight or see an improvement in your overall health? Absolutely not; especially greek yogurt. A healthy diet is about having a good balance.

    There is no one food that is "fattening". Overeating is "fattening".
  • Posts: 400 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.

    both chobani and fage have average of 20 grams of sugar per serving....30 with the honey one. that is a TON of sugar.
  • Posts: 4,741 Member
    It's old milk, all curdled, yuk. would you eat old green steak?

    I think not. So unhealthy!
  • Posts: 2,394 Member
    Read the label.

    Seriously, nothing intrinsically good or bad about yogurt. There are so many varieties that you can no doubt find one that will blow your numbers for the day and not be satisfying, or you could find one that fits nicely.

    For me, fat free plain Chobani is hard to beat as a high protein/calcium snack a couple of times a week.
  • Posts: 3,566 Member
    both chobani and fage have average of 20 grams of sugar per serving....30 with the honey one. that is a TON of sugar.

    I ate a chobani every single day for 4 months and still lost 40lbs. If 6oz of greek yogurt unravels your diet, you have bigger problems.
  • Posts: 2,394 Member
    It's old milk, all curdled, yuk. would you eat old green steak?

    I think not. So unhealthy!

    Not sure about the "green" part, but great steak is aged.
  • Posts: 644 Member

    both chobani and fage have average of 20 grams of sugar per serving....30 with the honey one. that is a TON of sugar.

    Again....it depends on the KIND of yogurt you purchase.


    Fage 0% Fat Total Greek Yogurt
    Serving Size: 1 Container 6oz (170g)
    Servings per Container 1 Calories 100
    Calories from fat 0
    Total fat 0g
    % DV Total fat 0%
    Saturated fat 0g
    % DV Saturated fat 0%
    Trans fat 0g
    Cholesterol 0mg
    % DV Cholesterol 0%
    Sodium 65mg
    % DV Sodium 3%
    Total carbohydrates 7g
    % DV carbohydrates 2%
    Dietary fiber 0g
    % DV fiber 0%
    Sugars* 7g
    Protein 18g
    % DV Protein 36%
    Vitamin A 0%
    Vitamin C 0%
    Calcium 20%
    Iron 0%
  • What a great question! Greek yogurt is an excellent way to go with a toss-in of fruit. Definitely watch the sugar; but when people freak out about fat, they forget a few things: 1) As much as too much fat is a bad thing, TOO LITTLE CALCIUM is not good either! 2) You do need some fat in your diet, it helps you eat less and feel full longer. Honestly, I eat Greek yogurt quite frequently! I love it with raspberries, blackberries or peaches and with some slivered almonds tossed in too. :-)

    Hope this helps!
  • Posts: 14,776 Member
    I had a pumpkin-pie-flavored Yoplait for a snack yesterday. It had too much sugar and too little protein in it. I mean, it wasn't even Greek yogurt! Terrible, terrible. I've ruined my whole week!

    Honestly though, take a look at the labels, decide what kind you like, and see if it fits in your personal diet. If we all stopped eating things because someone, somewhere said they were bad for us we'd be learning to subsist on oxygen alone (in moderation, of course!)
  • Posts: 400 Member

    I ate a chobani every single day for 4 months and still lost 40lbs. If 6oz of greek yogurt unravels your diet, you have bigger problems.

    that is great for you and you are right...just don't think it should be passed off as "low sugar" when it is obviously not at all low sugar.
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