Fermented dairy doesn’t exactly sound like a good thing–but yogurt is an excellent source of calcium, iodine, B2, B12, B5, zinc, potassium, protein and phosphorus. It also contains live bacteria that help fortify your immune system and prevent yeast infections in women. Additionally, yogurt help protect against ulcers, reduce the risks of colorectal cancer and prevent bad breath according to The World’s Healthiest Foods.
There’s a huge variety of yogurt and “yogurt” available at your local supermarket–most of what’s sold is more nutritious than ice cream or pudding, but a lot of brands don’t give you all the nutritional benefits of yogurt. Things to consider when choosing a yogurt include whether it has active cultures, the sweeteners used, the fat content, and the calcium count. There’s a LOT of information to consider when reading a yogurt label, what is best for one person’s diet (low in fat) is not necessarily what’s best for another’s diet (high in calcium). Based on extensive research, Enviro-Girl concludes some of the best overall yogurt brands include:
Dannon
Stonyfield Farm
Greek Gods (super thick Greek-style yogurt)
Brown Cow Farm
Horizon
Alta Dena
Astro (found in Canada)
Wallaby
Cascade Fresh
Trader Joe’s Organic
Some of the worst “yogurt” on the market include SnackWell, Columbo, Jell-O, Light n’ Lively, and Yoplait.
At the end of the day, however, Enviro-Girl is all about TASTE. She likes her Stonyfield vanilla yogurt with some fresh berries mixed in–dessert in a dish that makes her feel virtuous and content! What yogurt do you stock in your fridge, reader?
We are Stonyfield Farm yogurt fans — strawberry for Pete and the girls and either vanilla or plain for me. I like my yogurt with either fruit or granola stirred in. Yum!
I like Redhill Farm goat milk plain yogurt with a little drizzle of honey and berries.
The boys won’t eat but Morgan likes Nancy’s black cherry Fruit Top yogurt.
Argh! I’ll have to switch from Yoplait… but they have such yummy flavors!
My favorite afternoon snack is yogurt and Honey-Nut Cheerios. It looks gross, but is SO GOOD.
(Silly question… but is there soy yogurt?)
Criss: Yes, it is possible to buy soy yogurt, but I don’t know anything about the flavor.
I’m on a Dannon Activa kick, the flavors are very fresh and the “active” part of “Activa” seems to be working for me.
I like that Choban brand of Greek yogurt too, it’s expensive but has been on sale at Giant for several weeks.
I was a major Stonyfield fan but I think their recipe has changed recently? Maybe it’s just my taste buds.
I’m using Activia and like the fruit tastes; I sprinkle in some granola for crunch. They just came up with one with cereal in it for more fiber.
I don’t have any brand loyalty, I tend to get what ever is on sale. I hate the taste of “lite” yogurt, and since I’m kinda thin I don’t mind the fat content. So I usually buy the large tub of plain whole milk yogurt, and I mix it with my fav flavors of either vanilla, or banana. (In the summer, its lemon) I daily make a parfait and take it to work with me – delicious!