Healthiest Yogurt
The plain, sugar free yogurt as seen in our list of Sugar Free Yogurt Brands is the healthiest yogurt variety available. The only two ingredients in this healthy yogurt are milk and active cultures. When more ingredients are added to yogurt, the health benefits of the yogurt decrease and the potential health risks from other ingredients like added sugars increase. Plain sugar free yogurt will provide lots of protein, calcium and other nutrients and it contains only ingredients that are great for your body.
Also Read: Fat Free Sugar Free Yogurt
While sugar free yogurt is the healthiest yogurt on the market, there are certain varieties of sugar free yogurt that stand above the others. The yogurt can be made with whole fat milk, low fat milk, or fat free milk. For the least amount of calories and fat, you should look for sugar free yogurt made with fat free milk. Another factor that you should look for to find the absolute healthiest yogurt is yogurt brands that include Vitamin D. The Vitamin D will help your body absorb the calcium that is found in yogurt.
To make sure that your yogurt is the healthiest, you should check to see that the product contains live, active cultures. These cultures are called probiotics and are considered “good bacteria”. Probiotics in yogurt helppromote a healty digestive system and provide a great health benefit. Some yogurts are pasteurized or will state that they have been heat processed. Avoid those varieties and stick with the yogurts with active culture.
Even though plain, sugar-free yogurt is the healthiest yogurt on the market, many people prefer flavored or sweetened yogurts. If you would rather have sweetened or flavored yogurt to snack on or use in recipes, there are a couple of different ways you can maintain the yogurt’s health benefits and get the flavor you want. You could purchase yogurt that is sweetened and flavored with natural and healthy products. On the other hand,you can purchase plain sugar-free yogurt and add healthy ingredients to get the finished product you want.
Healthiest Flavored Yogurts on the Market Today
Here are some of the healthiest yogurts that are naturally sweetened and flavored.
1 – Stonyfield Organic Fat Free Yogurt
Stonyfield Organic Yogurt is one of the healthiest brands of yogurt available. The company strives to offer healthy and organic foods that are natural and real. Each flavor of yogurt is sweetened with naturally milled organic sugar – a no-calorie sweetener that is produced in nature.
Each variety of yogurt also contains natural flavors such as organic strawberry juice. cherry juice, and pomegranate juice.
As of 2012, Stonyfield Organic Fat-Free Yogurt is available in French Vanilla, Plain, Strawberry, Black Cherry, Lemon, Peach, Pomegranate Berry, Key Lime, Blueberry, Pomegranate Raspberry Acai, chocolate Underground and Raspberry flavors.
Stonyfield is one of our Favorite healthy yogurt brands.
2 – Cascade Fresh Fat Free Yogurt
Cascade Fresh also offers very healthy flavored yogurt varieties. Each flavor is both sweetened and flavored with natural fruit juice. The yogurt only contains all-natural ingredients and real fruit. It has no refund sugars, no artificial sweeteners, and no preservatives.
As of 2012, Cascade Fresh Fat-Free Yogurt is available in Apricot Mango, Blueberry, Boysenberry, Cherry Vanilla, Green Apple Pie, Key Lime, Lemon Chiffon, Marion berry. Orange Cream, Peach, Plain, Raspberry, Strawberry, and Vanilla flavors.
3 – Naancy’s All Natural Nonfat Yogurt
Nancy’s All Natural Nonfat Yogurt is another one of the healthiest yogurts available today.The varieties of yogurt are sweetened and flavored with natural fruit and natural sweeteners.
The Vanilla Nonfat Yogurt, for example, is sweetened with organic agave nectar. The other flavors are packaged with natural fruit sweetened with organic honey or maple syrup and come with plain fat-free yogurt.
As of 2012, Nancy’s all Natural Nonfat Yogurt is available in Blackberry Fruit on Top, Peach Fruit on Top, Blueberry Fruit on Top, Raspberry Fruit on Top,Cherry on Top, Strawberry Fruit on Top, and Vanilla flavors.
Making Your Own Healthy Flavored Yogurt
Making your own healthy flavored yogurt is a great way to get the flavor you want while being able to control the sweetener used and the amount that is added. Start with one of the plain sugar-free yogurts on our list, and add one of the following to get a delicious and healthy flavored yogurt:
- •Add fresh fruit – One way to jazz up plain yogurt is simply to add fresh fruit. You can eat your yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, peaches, or any other fruit you enjoy.
- •Add frozen fruit – If you want to prepare your yogurt ahead of time, you can place healthy frozen fruit in the bottom of an air-tight container and then add your plain sugar-free yogurt on top. Leave the yogurt in the refrigerator for several hours until you need it. Stir the mixture before eating, and the plain yogurt will be naturally flavored with the juice of the thawed fruit.
- •Add honey – For a natural sweetener, you can add organic honey to your yogurt to your preferred level of sweetness. Plain yogurt flavored with honey and fruit is also a good mixture.
- •Add your preferred artificial sweetener – If you use an artificial sweetener like Splenda, Truvia, or Stevia, you can add it to your sugar-free yogurt and have much more control of the amount of sugar added than if you had bought sweetened yogurt. Try adding a touch of sweetener, vanilla extract, and fresh fruit for a great snack.
- •Add Sugar Free Fat Free Pudding Mix – Another way to add flavor to your plain yogurt is to add sugar free fat free pudding mix in whatever flavor you like. You can add as much or as little as you wish, but typically 2 grams of pudding mix for every ounce of yogurt is a good ratio.
- •Add cocoa powder – You can also add cocoa powder to your plain sugar-free yogurt to make chocolate yogurt. For each cup of yogurt, you can add a couple teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and sugar or sweetener to taste.
- •Add crushed pineapple and shredded coconut – Crushed pineapple and shredded coconut added to plain sugar-free yogurt makes a great, tropical treat.
- •Add coffee and chocolate – You can also try adding a tablespoon of both chocolate syrup and strong coffee to your plain yogurt to achieve a mocha yogurt that is much healthier than you can find in stores.
As you can see, there are many ways to add flavor to plain yogurt while keeping the nutritional value of the yogurt intact. Try any mixture of spices or flavors that you like, and enjoy your sugar free yogurt any way you wish!