Are Plant-Based Yogurts Healthy?

There are more dairy-free yogurts at the store each week, and I’m not sure if I should make the switch. Are plant-based yogurts healthy?
Like most packaged foods (think: protein bars), plant-based yogurts vary wildly in terms of their ingredient lists and nutrition facts. Overall, they are not inherently healthier than dairy yogurts, but there are nutritious options if you’re avoiding animal products.

This is definitely an important question, since plant-based yogurts are really taking off. Have been picking up steam for a while, and now mainstream brands are getting in on the dairy-free action. Chobani recently launched a non-dairy line, and Dannon is expected to release a dairy-free version of its Oikos Greek Yogurt shortly.

RELATED: Cottage Cheese vs. Greek Yogurt: Which Is Healthier?
So, what do you need to know to figure out which are healthy options and which to avoid?

Are Plant-Based Yogurts Healthy?
First of all, I love Greek yogurt. It’s a protein-rich, low-sugar breakfast food (or snack) that contains gut-boosting probiotics and is made from just one whole-food ingredient. Of course, there are a million versions that are terrible thanks to added sugar, flavors, and industrial milk (I always recommend buying organic and grass-fed when possible).

I also love that people are getting more interested in eating plant-based foods, because as an overall rule, the more plants in your diet, the better. (In terms of your own health and the good of the planet.)

RELATED: The Essential Guide to Plant-Based Protein
The trouble is that while whole plant foods like nuts are incredibly nutritious, that doesn’t always translate when they’re processed into packaged foods.

plant-based yogurts

Let’s look at some of the nutrition facts. An easy place to start is to compare Chobani’s dairy and non-dairy Greek-style yogurts. A serving of plain Chobani Greek contains 15g of protein and just 4g of sugar (which is all natural sugar from the milk), plus a significant amount of calcium and vitamin A. A serving of plain Non-Dairy Chobani contains 1g of protein and 7g of added sugar, plus a decent serving of iron. with a little fruit and some nut butter would be a much better choice.

But there are also better options. Forager Project’s Cashewgurt (made with cashew milk, obviously, and a little coconut cream) is available in a plain unsweetened flavor that has 3g of protein and just 1g of sugar. Even better: Greek-style yogurts from almond milk, and its unsweetened plain contains 11g of protein and just 2g of natural sugar from almonds. It’s also a great source of calcium and iron.

RELATED: The Crazy-Easy Way to Make Cashew Milk With Just Two Ingredients
Unfortunately there’s no hard and fast rule I can give you on whether to skip or opt for plant-based yogurts.

Keep in mind that plain Greek yogurt often wins on nutrition facts, but if you’re a vegan or are just trying to eat more plant-based foods, you’re going to have to flip over the container and read the label carefully. Look for low sugar, as much protein as possible, and a short (and not sweet) ingredient list.

And one important rule applies to both dairy and non-dairy yogurts: The flavored ones are generally all sugar bombs. Stick to “plain” and add your own flavor by sprinkling on whole berries, nuts, and seeds)
Berries are very common in Slavic countries. There is a huge amount of drinks and dishes that are prepared with the addition of fragrant fruits.

Common berries include cranberry, currant, viburnum, cranberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, gooseberry, blueberry, strawberry, strawberry and others.

Most of the above plants live in temperate latitudes, which has led to their widespread distribution in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and other countries of the former Soviet Union.

It is difficult to overestimate the health benefits of such fruits. Today we will tell you what effect the use of different berries has on the body.

Such information will help to choose the right diet in the summer months. Of course, it should contain a large number of delicious, fragrant fruits.

Useful properties of blueberries known to mankind for many years. These fruits taste great. 

Even with long-term storage, most of the nutrients remain in it. Everyone has long known that this product helps to normalize the work of the visual system.

This berry is rich in B vitamins, such as panthenol acid, thiamine, nicotinic acid, pyridoxine. Blueberries contain a large amount of ascorbic acid, ie vitamin C.

The product nourishes the body with such minerals as calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, sodium, iron.

Blueberries contain anthocyanins.

Nutritionists say that berries help cleanse the intestines of toxins, toxins and salts of heavy metals.