This popular breakfast treat – though often believed to be healthy – is actually not always that good for you, experts reveal.
While yogurt can be a fantastic addition to your diet and very healthy, flavoured yoghurts ater often packed with sugars, says registered dietitian Julia Zumpano.
Some options are significantly healthier than others.
While you might expect to encounter high sugar levels in sweets like cookies and cakes, there are also hidden sugars lurking in seemingly healthy breakfast choices like yogurt.
Many flavoured yogurts are loaded with added sugars, notes nutrition expert Kylene Bogden at Livestrong.
This is often because manufacturers add extra sweeteners to make packaged foods more palatable.
Flavoured yogurts also frequently contain artificial food dyes, says Bogden.
While these dyes might make your yogurt look more appealing, they don’t contribute any nutritional benefits.
In fact, preliminary research suggests that these dyes could potentially be harmful to your health.
On the bright side, yogurt can be a nutritious choice for your breakfast if you opt for plain, low-fat varieties.
Plain Greek yogurt is low in saturated fat and high in protein, are particularly excellent choices.
In particular, it boasts about twice the protein content of regular yogurt and has been associated with benefits such as healthier blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
But if you’re not fond of plain yoghurt, you can try mix some fresh fruit to add some flavour.