Hit your macros: How to choose yogurt, which meets your macronutrient goals?

Did you know that well-known yogurt is a very ancient food? Actually, the first traces of it have been found between 10 000 and 5 000 BCE in the Neolithic period, a time when our nomadic cousins were just about to start agriculture, and slowly began a sedentary lifestyle.
Nowadays, yogurt is an important part of healthy diet, and it accompanies breakfast for not the only one Brits. In order to satisfy consumer taste buds, food industry produce wide range of yogurt products, which differ in flavors, nutrients and sizes. Especially, when it comes to nutrients, we might need some guidance, to not only based our choose on the package or fancy flavor, but also on the nutritional body. To make it easier, make yourself familiar with recent nutritional review on the most common yogurt products available on the market.

Few words about Yogurt

Yogurt is usually made from raw cow by exchange heating and cooling, in the process called homogenization. A crucial step in yogurt production is adding beneficial for gut health bacteria culture to initiate fermentation. The most common culture used for that process, are both Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. Fermentation gives yogurt unique flavor and probiotic properties, which may help treat or prevent constipation, infections, and even aid weight loss!
You can treat yogurt as healthy and protein boosting snack, and enjoy on its own. For cold breakfast, option adding some oats, chia seeds or fruit might serve good start of the day. Yogurt might be a good low-calorie swap for cream, in sauces and soups, however you should try to not overheat it, because you might destroy probiotic bacteria.

Types of yogurt

Currently on the market we have wide range of yogurt types to choose from. We can guide our choice based on nutritional value and choose between low-fat, fat-free or whole yogurts; as well as between yogurt types, like greek, natural and skyr.

What are the differences?

Traditional yogurt: the most common type, made from whole, skimmed or 2% fat milk; characterized by smooth, creamy texture, rich in probiotic bacteria.

Greek yogurt: produced from concentrated either whole or skimmed milk, has thicker texture and higher protein content of min. 5.6g of protein per 100g.

Skyr yogurt: Icelandic type of yogurt, with thick texture, but milder flavor than the Greek one; usually made from skimmed milk, what explains it naturally low fat content.

Additionally, if you are worry about lactose intolerance, you swap traditional yogurt for lactose free version, and consume it safely. This is because the process of fermentation reduces the lactose content.

Find yogurt which satisfy your macros

Today, we have wide range of yogurt and yogurt-based products, available on the market. Having so much choices, can be very overwhelming, when it comes to choose right product, which will meet your nutritional needs, especially if you are on the diet; or if you have fitness goals. Then, marcos from your food do matters.
Therefore, to make your life easier and choices more informed, I screened some of the most popular natural yogurts, currently available on the UK food market.
So, let's have a look:

Natural Yogurts

Low Fat and 0% Fat Natural Yogurts



Greek Natural Yogurts


Low Fat and 0% Fat Natural Greek Yogurts

Skyr Yogurts


Fromage Frais
Finally, which yogurt type to hit right macros ... 

Find out more about Yogurt

Kefir or yogurt: Which is better? Medical News Today. Article is available here.
Yogurt in Nutrition. Initiative for a balanced diet. Article is available here.

Product review was done based on products available online, on Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Lidl websites in Northern Ireland, UK in February 2020.


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