Yogurt is widely viewed as a “healthy” food, but the truth is that there are a lot of yogurt products on the market today that actually don’t come with that much nutrition. That’s right, many modern yogurts are filled with excess sugar, artificial flavorings, and other chemicals that can cause more harm to human health than the other ingredients can do good. Fortunately, there are plenty of healthy yogurts to be found on the other side of the spectrum. The best ones are those that are naturally good sources of calcium and other nutrients while being relatively low in sugar and sodium. With this in mind, the top three healthiest yogurts are Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt, Siggi’s Plain Skyr Yogurt, and Wallaby Organic Plain Yogurt. Read on to find out what you need to know about choosing the healthiest yogurt.
Plain yogurts (at least those that are naturally "plain") come with the lowest amount of calories and fat. But for those who do want added flavor, Chobani, Siggi's and Wallaby Organic all provide plenty of naturally flavored options.
Siggi’s Skyr Yogurt is made in the style of a traditional Icelandic cultured dairy product called “skyr” that is essentially a strained yogurt with a naturally mild, tangy flavor. Siggi’s was actually founded by an Icelandic man who moved to the United States in the early 2000s and was shocked by how unhealthy most grocery store yogurts were.
In addition to not being as processed or having the additives that other yogurts do, traditional Greek yogurts like those from Chobani are very high in protein. In fact, Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt has twice the amount of protein found in the average supermarket yogurt.
Just like other products labeled organic, yogurt that bears this title must be made from entirely certified organic ingredients. In the case of organic natural plain yogurts like that from Wallaby, this means that organic milk was used for the yogurt-making process. Still, it’s worth pointing out that the yogurts from Siggi’s and Chobani are still made from natural, very minimally processed ingredients despite not (yet) being certified organic.
Yes! Probiotics are bacteria cultures that help protect the digestive system, and there are higher levels of them in all three of these yogurts because they are not killed off or neutralized by artificial flavors and other chemical ingredients. In fact, Siggi’s Plain Skyr Yogurt, Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt and Wallaby Organic Plain Yogurt each contain five active cultures.
The less sodium the better, but most yogurts contain an average of 179mg per serving. Compare that to Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt and Siggi’s Plain Skyr Yogurt which both have 55mg per serving. Wallaby Organic Plain Yogurt meanwhile has 65mg of sodium per serving, still well under the average set by less healthy yogurts.
While each lactose intolerant person will need to decide for themselves because there are different sensitivity levels, the good news is that the live cultures in these yogurts help to greatly decrease the amount of lactose (the bacteria feed on lactose) found in most other dairy products.
In addition to being good sources of protein and having probiotics, all three of these yogurts contain decent amounts of calcium. Wallaby Organic Plain Yogurt also happens to contain a small amount of vitamin A. Those who want more vitamins can add fruit or granola to their yogurt or opt for one of the many naturally flavored versions by Chobani, Siggi’s or Wallaby Organic.