As a large part of our immune system is housed in our gastrointestinal tract, eating probiotic foods such as yoghurt may help maintain a healthy microbial balance, which can prevent disease and promote health.
Yoghurt contains numerous vitamins and minerals needed for energy and immunity and for healthy blood, nerves, muscles, skin, bones and teeth. It’s also complete protein, which means that it provides all the essential amino acids our bodies can’t make. So even without the added health benefits of probiotics, it’s a great food to enjoy every day.
With so many brands of yoghurt available these days, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to compare products to ensure you’re choosing the healthiest, so I’ve done the legwork for you and checked out about 20 products you’ll find at the supermarket. I haven’t looked at flavoured yoghurts, which are generally high in sugar – just natural, Greek and Greek-style products with no added sugar or sweetener.
A healthy yoghurt:
- Is high in protein and calcium
- Contains live cultures, ideally over 300 million colony forming units (cfu)
- Has no added sugar or sweetener
- Has no added flavours, preservatives, emulsifiers or thickeners
- Is low in saturated fat and sodium
- Contains no trans fat
- May contain inulin, which is a prebiotic that helps nourish beneficial bacteria and improve calcium absorption and bone mineralisation [1], but not so great for people with irritable bowel as it can cause intestinal discomfort in sensitive people.
| Brand | Live cultures per 100g | Energy (kj/100g) | Protein (g/100g) | Saturated fat (g/100g) | Sugar (g/100g) | Sodium (mg/100g) | Calcium (mg/100g) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalna Fat Free Natural Yoghourt | >300 million cfu of L. Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and L. Casei | 220 | 5.3 | 0.1 | 5.5 | 90 | 170 | Good number of colony forming units. Low energy and saturated fat and quite high in calcium. No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. |
| Pauls All Natural Yoghurt Tub Set | 100 million cfu including L. Acidophilus | 227 | 5.3 | 0.1 | 6.9 | 64 | 183 | No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. Low energy and saturated fat and a good source of calcium. |
| Tasmanian Tamar Valley Dairy No Fat Natural Yoghurt | Doesn’t specify which bacteria or provide count | 231 | 6.6 | 0.1 | 6.7 | 71 | 199 | No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. High in calcium and protein. Low in energy and saturated fat |
| Chobani Greek Yoghurt Plain Fat Free | Contains S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, L. Bulgaricus, Bifidus, L. Casei but doesn’t provide count | 251 | 10.2 | 0 | 3.8 | 47 | 114 | High protein, low energy, sodium and natural sugar and no saturated fat but lower in calcium than other brands. No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. |
| Barambah Organics Low Fat Natural Yoghurt | Made with five live cultures (S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, L. Bulgaricus, Bifidus, L. Casei) but doesn’t provide count | 280 | 6.3 | 0.1 | 5.7 | 70 | 210 | No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. Low energy, saturated fat, sodium and sugar and particularly high in calcium. Extra points for being organic. |
| Yoplait Yoplus Natural Yoghurt | Contains S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and L. Casei but doesn’t provide count | 298 | 5.4 | 1.3 | 7.8 | 68 | 194 | No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. A good source of calcium, low energy and low saturated fat. Natural sugar content higher than most other brands. |
| Chobani Greek Yoghurt Plain Low Fat | Contains S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, L. Bulgaricus, Bifidus, L. Casei but doesn’t provide count | 315 | 9.8 | 1.3 | 3.8 | 47 | 112 | No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. High protein, low fat, sodium and natural sugar but lower in calcium than other brands. |
| Jalna with A2 Low Fat Natural Creamy Yoghurt | >300 million cfu of L. Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and L. Casei | 322 | 5.1 | 1.3 | 5.6 | 76 | 130 | Good number of colony forming units. No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. Good choice for people who suffer stomach discomfort caused by the A1 protein in dairy milk. |
| Five:am Natural Organic Yoghurt | Contains live Acidophilus and Bifidus cultures but doesn’t provide count | 322 | 4.8 | 2.7 | 6 | 57 | 144 | No added flavours, preservatives, emulsifiers or thickeners. Quite low in energy and saturated fat for a yoghurt made from whole milk. Low sodium. Reasonable amount of calcium. Lower in protein than most brands because it’s made with whole milk. Organic. |
| Vaalia Natural Probiotic Yoghurt | 100 million cfu of L. Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus GG | 348 | 6 | 1.2 | 7.4 | 89 | 200 | Contains inulin, which is a dietary fibre that acts as a prebiotic. High in calcium, a good source of protein and low in saturated fat. |
| Jalna Pot Set BioDynamic organic whole milk Yoghourt | >300 million cfu of L. Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and L. Casei | 350 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 120 | 120 | Good number of colony forming units. No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. Higher sodium, lower protein and less calcium than most brands but energy, saturated fat and natural sugar content all reasonable. Biodynamic is a method of organic farming so the grass the cows ate was healthy and not sprayed with artificial chemicals. |
| Black Swan Naturally Sweet Greek Style Breakfast Yoghurt | Contains L. Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and L. Casei but doesn’t provide count | 406 | 7.5 | 2.1 | 5 | 170 | 190 | Contains prebiotic inulin, which nourishes good bacteria in the gut. High in calcium and protein and low fat but too high in sodium and contains three thickeners (hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate derived from corn, pectin derived from fruit and agar derived from seaweed). |
| Farmers Union Light Greek Style Natural Yoghurt | Contains S. Thermophilus and L. Bulgaricusbut does not provide count | 417 | 5.6 | 3.2 | 8.4 | 72 | 196 | No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. High natural sugar content. High calcium. |
| Black Swan Low Fat Greek Style natural yoghurt | Cultures not specified | 420 | 6.9 | 1.6 | 8 | 130 | 210 | Contains prebiotic inulin and high in protein and calcium but not recommended due to the trans fat, thickeners, high sodium and natural sugar content and lack of cultures info. |
| Jalna Pot Set Greek Yoghourt Low Fat | >300 million cfu of L. Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and L. Casei | 423 | 5.7 | 1.9 | 6.7 | 92 | 180 | Good number of colony forming units. No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. Contains 2.6% more (natural) sugar and higher in energy than the Jalna Biodynamic Whole Milk Yoghurt but lower in fat and higher in calcium. |
| Bornhoffen Natural Yoghurt | Contains S. Thermophilus and L. Bulgaricusbut does not provide count | 425 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 9 | 80 | 206 | No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. High in calcium. Contains more natural sugar than other brands. |
| Jalna Pot Set Greek Yoghourt Natural | >300 million cfu of L. Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and L. Casei | 540 | 3.8 | 7.1 | 4.8 | 78 | 130 | Good number of colony forming units. No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. Low in protein but high in energy and saturated fat. |
| Farmers Union Greek Style Natural Yoghurt | Contains S. Thermophilus and L. Bulgaricusbut does not provide count | 557 | 4.7 | 6.4 | 6.9 | 62 | 166 | No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. Quite low in protein but high in energy and saturated fat. |
| Select Greek Style Yoghurt Natural | Contains cultures but does not provide count | 565 | 5 | 6.9 and 0.4g trans | 5.7 | 52 | 160 | No added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners. Not recommended as it’s high in energy and saturated fat and contains unhealthy trans fat, which increases our risk of heart disease. |
And the winners are…
For children under 2: Jalna Pot Set BioDynamic Organic Whole Milk Yoghourt for being made with organic whole milk and containing a healthy population of probiotics.
For children and adolescents: Barambah Organics Low Fat Natural Yoghurt for having the highest calcium content and five different cultures, or Vaalia Natural Probiotic Yoghurt which is also high in calcium and contains inulin – a dietary fibre that may increase calcium absorption and bone mineralisation [1].
For people wanting to lose weight: Jalna Fat Free Natural Yoghourt for being lowest in energy and containing a healthy number of friendly bacteria.
For people wanting to build muscle: Chobani Greek Yoghurt Plain Fat Free for being the highest in protein.
For people who suffer gastrointestinal discomfort: Jalna with A2 Low Fat Natural Creamy Yoghurt for being naturally free of the A1 protein and having >300 million colony forming units per 100g.
For people with high blood pressure: Barambah Organics Low Fat Natural Yoghurt for having the highest calcium content and being low in sodium, saturated fat and energy.
[1] Abrams S, Griffin I, Hawthorne K, Liang L, Gunn S, Darlington G, Ellis K (2005). “A combination of prebiotic short- and long-chain inulin-type fructans enhances calcium absorption and bone mineralization in young adolescents”. Am J Clin Nutr 82 (2): 471–6
Thanks – that is a really good post.
Thank you, this is good info although I was also looking for the best yoghurt that includes plant sterols for those trying to lower cholesterol…
Hi Annette, thanks for your comment. Unfortunately I don’t think there’s one on the market, but there is overseas so hopefully it won’t be long. In the meantime, I would choose a yoghurt low in saturated fat and high in probiotics such as Jalna Fat Free. Alternatively you could try kefir, some of which have around 25 billion live cultures per cup! Probiotics lower cholesterol levels in a few ways, such as helping to incorporate cholesterol into cells and adjusting the gut microbiome to favour cholesterol elimination. I like Babushka Kefir, but there are several brands available.