The Dairy Aisle Dilemma That’s Driving Everyone Crazy
Walking down the yogurt aisle today feels like navigating a nutritional minefield. With a dizzying number of options available, it can be difficult to determine which yogurt brands lead in nutrients and taste. What used to be a simple choice between vanilla and strawberry has exploded into dozens of brands, each claiming to be the healthiest option on the shelf.
“For every healthy yogurt product on supermarket shelves, others aren’t much healthier than ice cream,” warns nutrition expert Kim Yawitz. This shocking reality means that product you think is fueling your body with protein and probiotics might actually be sabotaging your health goals. The worst part? Some of these sugar bombs are marketed specifically to health-conscious consumers who believe they’re making smart choices.
The Sugar Trap That’s Fooling Health-Conscious Consumers
A single-serving container of Yoplait Original Strawberry yogurt contains 13 grams of added sugar—a whopping 36 percent of the suggested daily limit for men. This means you could be consuming nearly half your recommended daily sugar intake before you’ve even finished breakfast. What’s particularly deceiving is how these sugary yogurts disguise themselves with health claims and colorful packaging featuring fresh fruit.
For women, the limit should be 25 grams of added sugar and men should eat no more than 36 grams, the AHA says. But a single serving of yogurt can easily contain a dozen grams of added sugar or more, Linsenmeyer explains, which is already about half of a woman’s daily limit. The sneaky part is that many people don’t realize they’re starting their day with what’s essentially dessert disguised as health food.
Yoplait Whips – The Dessert Masquerading as Breakfast
What makes Yoplait Whips particularly disappointing is its poor nutritional profile. With high sugar content (often 13-19 grams per small serving) and minimal protein (usually under 5 grams), it fails to provide the benefits typically associated with yogurt. The product is more like a dessert than a nutritious snack or breakfast option.
The airy texture might seem appealing at first, but that lightness comes at a cost – there’s barely any actual yogurt in there! Instead, you’re getting a concoction of thickeners, stabilizers, and artificial ingredients designed to mimic the texture of whipped yogurt. This is a prime example of how food manufacturers can take a nutritious base and transform it into something that barely resembles real food.
La Yogurt – The Hidden Sugar Bomb in International Markets
“Many of the yogurts and yogurt drinks marketed toward the Hispanic population are among the worst you can find on store shelves,” explains Sharon Puello, MA, RD, CDN, CDCES. “Terribly high in added sugars and low in protein, La Yogurt carries some of the highest amounts of added sugars across its flavors.”
But these little yogurts are hiding a little secret: lots of sugar. One standard serving has as much as 21 grams of sugar and 150 calories. But it is not just high in sugar; the sodium is more than you might want in a healthy yogurt, with 85 milligrams of sodium and 26 grams of carbs. The six grams of protein might keep you full for a short time, but the sugar high will burn off and leave you even hungrier than you were before you opened the yogurt.
Great Value Yogurt – When Cheap Becomes Costly to Your Health
With these yogurts, however, you get what you pay for, as they’re far from the most natural product. The Great Value Original Strawberry Lowfat Yogurt is full of added sugar, and each container has almost a third of your daily value, with 16 grams of added sugar per 170 grams. It also has a lengthy list of additives containing fructose, modified food starch, carrageenan, and gelatin.
Looking at Great Value’s peach-flavored low-fat yogurt label, we were a little bummed to see additives we don’t normally see in high-quality yogurts. According to Lisa Richards, minimal is the way to go when it comes to ingredients. And though we aren’t seeing artificial colors or flavors here, we’re still concerned about the use of bioengineered ingredients along with add-ins like carrageenan, modified food starch, and sodium citrate.
The Greek Gods – When Premium Pricing Doesn’t Mean Premium Nutrition
Beyond the sugar overload, The Greek Gods yogurt lacks the protein punch you’d expect from Greek yogurt. While true Greek yogurt should be protein-rich and tangy, this brand offers a watery, overly sweet product that barely resembles what it claims to be. The texture is often inconsistent, sometimes runny and other times oddly thick in an artificial way. For a product marketed as premium, it fails to deliver on the basic qualities that make Greek yogurt worth buying.
If you must pick up a tub of Greek Gods yogurt flavored varieties, be careful. The company advertises its products as sweetened with honey, and while honey is present on the ingredients list, there’s also plenty of cane sugar that raises sugar totals well above the expert-recommended 10 grams per serving.
YoCrunch – Turning Nutrition Into Candy
Scheinman steers clear of the YoCrunch line of yogurts. “They add candy and cookies as toppers to yogurt, turning a highly nutritious food into a dessert,” she said. “There’s little protein and a lot of added sugar in this brand, which takes away from all the great health benefits of yogurt. These yogurts could be part of a healthy diet if used as dessert, but most people I’ve worked with use them instead of a healthier yogurt option for breakfast or snacks.”
Real M&Ms on top of yogurt may sound delish, but it is hardly a good-for-you choice for many people. Not only does YoCrunch’s LowFat Vanilla with M&M have 15 grams of added sugar (more than what kiddos should be consuming in an entire day per the American Academy of Pediatrics), but it is made with artificial ingredients too. If you enjoy this yogurt, treat it as what it is—a dessert.
Noosa – The Beautiful Package Hiding Ugly Numbers
Although delicious, Noosa yogurts are often high in sugar ― the blueberry flavor, for example, has 31 grams of sugar, 18 gram of which are added sugar. While Noosa markets itself as an Australian-style premium yogurt with an indulgent taste, that indulgence comes at a significant nutritional cost.
Australian yogurt is unstrained and often thicker and creamier than American yogurt, though the texture varies by brand. We love Noosa’s coffee flavor for a more luxurious bite to your morning (or a delicious dessert!). It offers real coffee extract in every spoonful, so you get the gut benefits of yogurt and the pick-me-up perks of your cup of Joe. Just note that this option is higher in sugar than we’d typically recommend.
Fage Total – The Gold Standard Greek Yogurt
If you’re looking for a high-quality yogurt, Fage is an excellent brand to try out. Coming in both flavored and plain varieties, each packs a good amount of protein at about 13 grams in a single cup of the blueberry flavor, and 17 grams in a ¾ cup serving of the plain. As for additives, there aren’t many, given that the even the Fage flavored varieties feature only cornstarch and pectin as opposed to gums, artificial colors, and the like.
Made without any preservatives or artificial sweeteners or flavors, Fage Greek yogurt is a favorite of registered dietitian Karina Tolentino. She especially loves the 2% Total Split Cup with the fruit separated out on one side (the strawberry flavor is a great option), so you don’t have to add all of it. “It has a smooth and creamy taste that is not tart, gives 12 grams of protein, and is not high in sugar,” she said.
Chobani – The Mainstream Champion
Nutritionally, Chobani hits all the right notes. It offers impressive protein content (usually 14-16 grams per serving) while keeping sugar levels reasonable. The ingredient list is refreshingly simple – you won’t find a long list of additives and artificial ingredients here. Chobani consistently ranks at or near the top in both expert ratings and consumer preferences. Their plain Greek yogurt serves as a versatile base for both sweet and savory uses, while their flavored options satisfy without going overboard on sweetness. If you’ve been disappointed by other yogurts, giving Chobani a try might change your mind about what yogurt can be.
Lauren Harris-Pincus, M.S., R.D.N., author of The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club loves the simple ingredients, smooth texture and versatility of Chobani’s Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt. It also packs live active cultures for a probiotic punch. Abby Langer R.D., owner of Abby Langer Nutrition and author of Good Food, Bad Diet, backs Chobani’s Less Sugar Low-Fat Greek Yogurt because you can enjoy a fun flavor, like Madagascar Vanilla Cinnamon, but it’s low in sugar, high in protein, and doesn’t taste artificial—”just delicious,” she says.
Oikos Triple Zero – The Perfect Balance
“Oikos Triple Zero Yogurt is my favorite yogurt,” says Kelsey Kunik, RDN, owner of Graciously Nourished. “With 15 grams of protein and zero added sweeteners and fat, you can easily add fruit or granola and nut butter for a delicious, balanced low-sugar snack. The texture is thick and creamy, unlike some other low-sugar Greek yogurt brands, and while it includes stevia, it doesn’t have a bitter aftertaste.”
Oikos Triple Zero Vanilla is considered one of the healthiest Greek yogurts due to its balanced nutritional profile. It contains 15 grams of protein per serving, making it an excellent source for muscle maintenance and satiety. This yogurt is fat-free and contains zero added sugars, which helps in managing calorie intake without compromising on flavor. Additionally, it includes three key ingredients: chicory root fiber, stevia and natural flavors, contributing to its healthy status. With its high protein content and absence of added sugars and fats, Oikos Triple Zero Vanilla stands out as a top choice among the healthiest Greek yogurt options and is a great choice to pair with the healthiest granola.
Siggi’s – The Icelandic Innovation
Dan Gallagher, a registered dietitian with Aegle Nutrition, said Siggi’s skyr, with a whopping 18 grams of protein and 0 grams of added sugar in the plain option (and just 7 grams of added sugar in the flavored ones) can be a great pick if you’re trying to lose weight. That’s true of even the higher-fat options. “It has a high protein content and low caloric content,” he said. “Icelandic yogurt also tends to contain far less sugar than many Greek yogurts, which means it will be filling and help curb appetite for longer.”
Harris-Pincus also touts Siggi’s flavors, such as the 2% coconut, as having some of the lowest added sugar among flavored yogurts. It can be a little tangy for those who are used to super-sweet yogurts, Langer adds, but it is a great pick for someone craving a flavored yogurt with less sugar.
