4 easy rules for choosing yogurt for your child
From European brands to Greek style and everything in between, finding a good yogurt can be a challenge, if not a confusing prospect!
I’ve broken the task down to four simple rules:
1. Keep it short on sugar
In general, yogurt can be a healthy addition to your child’s diet, showcasing calcium, protein, probiotics, and more. However, many yogurts fall under a “health halo,” or the perception of a food as healthy, but when you take a closer look at the ingredients, they are far from angelic. This belief in the health quality of a product may result in eating more of it under the assumption that it is good for you. In the case of yogurt, day-glow colors and candy mix-ins often signify additional (and unhealthy) sugar.
For a yogurt to be an added benefit to your diet, you want to find one that is short on added sugar. Yogurt is naturally made from milk, which contains lactose — the natural milk sugar. You can’t get away from this (nor do you need to), but you can watch how much added sugar there is. Look at the ingredients label for words like sucrose, dextrose, glucose and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as indicators of added sugar.
For the most part, a healthy yogurt for your child will be a plain yogurt or a flavored yogurt (without fruit), such as vanilla flavored yogurt. When choosing fruited yogurt, look for the lowest sugar content per serving, recognizing that natural milk sugar (lactose) will be lumped in together with refined (added) sugar.
2. Less is more
I’m referring to ingredients, because you want to know what’s in your yogurt. For instance, you may be choosing a low sugar yogurt, but when you read the ingredients, you find added artificial sweeteners or a host of ingredients you can’t pronounce. The fewer ingredients there are, the more natural and wholesome the yogurt will be.
3. Are there active cultures?
An added benefit of eating yogurt is the potential effect on your child’s digestive health. This is due to the inclusion of live, active cultures, which increase the presence of good bacteria in the gut and help regulate elimination, in addition to other health benefits. Look for the seal on the package indicating the presence of live, active cultures in your yogurt.
4. Must taste great!
With all the health benefits of yogurt including calcium for bone health, probiotics for digestive health, and protein for appetite regulation and growth, none of these matter if your child won’t eat yogurt! While you want to find a healthy yogurt you can serve and feel good about, you also want to find a type that your child willingly eats. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of yogurt!
Reviewed by Dr. Sara Connolly, September 2020
Takeaways
- Plain and flavored yogurts tend to have the lowest amounts of sugar.
- Select yogurt for its health benefits, such as the presence of live, active probiotic cultures.
- Make sure your child will actually eat yogurt, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different types.
Is it okay to add probiotics to other foods instead of yogurt? And I never thought of checking the sugar content either, but will be doing that.
Yes, you can add probiotics to other foods. Be sure to double check with your pediatrician before doing adding a probiotic to your child’s daily regimen, though. And don’t forget kefir and other foods that are natural sources of probiotics.
I’ve been shocked how much sugar is in yogurt, even ones geared for kids! I think the lowest I’ve seen is 12g per serving. Greek seems to be better in terms of good protein with less sugar, but it’s crazy how some brands of yogurt can have up to 35g of sugar in one little container!
True! There’s also a new style of “yogurt” made by Siggi’s, which has a low sugar, high protein content.
I always buy the Stoneyfield Organic Yotoddler yogurt. I just assumed it was healthy, but now I am going to double check the amount of sugar. I should definitely pay more attention.
It’s always good practice to take a peek at the label–sometimes you’ll be surprised! Branding and marketing can mislead parents to think things are healthier than they really are. That being said, it’s all about striking a balance, day in and day out.