9 Best Yogurts for Losing Weight
Packed with protein, chock-full of calcium, and naturally loaded with probiotics, yogurt has all the makings of the best weight loss foods. However, there are some yogurt varieties that are better for you than others.
Flavored yogurts often house as much sugar and artificial ingredients as candy bars. We’re here to help you navigate the grocery store so that you can pick the most nutritious kind of yogurt your heart desires. We broke down these yogurts into nine different categories, showing you our top pick, as well as an option that would be better off as a secondary choice.
So, the next time you find yourself feeling flustered in the dairy section, refer to this handy guide for stocking up on the best yogurt brands that won’t hinder your weight loss goals.
If you like vanilla yogurt…
Eat This: Siggi’s Icelandic Style Strained Non-Fat Yogurt, Vanilla
Siggi’s Icelandic-style flavored yogurt will not cost you an entire day’s worth of added sugar like some yogurt brand’s flavored varieties will. This yogurt also has a great carb to protein ratio, with only 12 grams of carbs and a whopping 15 grams of protein.
Not That: Yoplait Original: French Vanilla
Not just great-tasting, Siggi’s has one of the lowest sugar counts out of all the vanilla yogurts on the market. The Icelandic yogurt is strained like Greek varieties, which also ups the protein content. However, Yoplait’s French vanilla yogurt has about three times as much sugar as protein. At 19 grams per container, you’re looking at as much sugar that’s in a ½ cup of Ben & Jerry’s Vanilla ice cream.
If you enjoy peach flavored yogurt…
Eat This: Two Good, Peach Greek Lowfat Yogurt
Have you heard of Two Good? It’s a relatively new product and it’s pretty tasty. The best part about this company is that their flavored yogurts only cost you two grams of sugar. The low sugar count is attributable to the lack of cane and table sugar and, instead, the inclusion of Stevia. The absence of sugar also cuts both calories and carbs, so what you’re left with is a flavorful, protein-packed Greek yogurt.
Not That: Dannon Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt, Peach
“Fruit on the Bottom” often means “sugar on the top.” This variety has 22 grams of the sweet stuff and the majority of the sugar is added rather than naturally coming from the peach.
If you like indulgent yogurts…
Eat This: Yo Crunch Low-Fat Yogurt, Vanilla with Chips Ahoy® Cookie Pieces
Are you surprised we’re suggesting you nosh on Yo Crunch’s low-fat vanilla yogurt with Chips Ahoy cookie crumbles? Don’t be, because, while the sugar content is rather high, this yogurt is impressively low cal for a cookie-strewn treat. While it does have a bit more sugar than we’d ideally like to see it’s relatively low when you compare it to the competition. Save 140 calories and nearly 6 grams of fat by picking YoCrunch over Chobani.
Not That: Chobani Greek Yogurt Flip, Almond Coco Loco
While the majority of the extra calories and fat in Chobani’s breakfast treat come from the almonds, the chunks of chocolate and coconut flavored yogurt are loaded with sugar. It doesn’t really matter which option you choose, these chocolate and candy-filled yogurts should only be once and awhile treats—not daily snacks.
If you like chocolate flavored yogurt…
Eat This: Chobani Greek Yogurt, Vanilla Chocolate & Cream
If you’re on the prowl for something chocolatey and creamy, Chobani’s Vanilla Chocolate & Cream Greek yogurt may just be the best option for you. The fat and protein will help to keep you full as you also satisfy that sweet fix. Makes it worth the 15 grams of sugar, yes?
Not That: Yoplait Whips!, Chocolate Mousse
How Yoplait packs so many calories and sugar in such a small container, we may never know. A half cup of chocolate soft serve actually has less sugar than this yogurt, and wouldn’t you rather just have that? We know we would.
If you want a soy-based yogurt…
Eat This: Silk Dairy-Free Soy Yogurt, Strawberry
This dairy-free soy yogurt only packs 14 grams of sugar!
Not That: Stonyfield Organic Dairy-Free Soy Yogurt, Strawberry
Stonyfield’s soy yogurt is not bad for you by any means, but in comparison with Silk’s soy-based yogurt, it packs a lot more added sugar in an equivalent number of ounces.
If you want an almond milk-based yogurt…
Eat This: Kite Hill, Almond Milk Greek Yogurt, Black Cherry
This yogurt is chock-full of healthy fats and protein! It’s impressive for a nut milk-based yogurt to pack 10 grams of protein into one 5.3-ounce cup.
Not That: Almond Dream, Almond Milk Non-Dairy Yogurt, Coconut
This is a solid almond milk-based yogurt option, however, where it lacks in comparison with its competitor Kite Hill is in the protein department. A 6-ounce container only packs one gram of protein, significantly less than the Kite Hill counterpart.
RELATED: The easy guide to cutting back on sugar is finally here.
If you need a lactose-free yogurt…
Eat This: Green Valley Creamery, Organic Vanilla Yogurt
This lactose-free yogurt does, in fact, contain dairy in it, so those who follow a vegan lifestyle should steer clear of this yogurt! However, there isn’t a trace of lactose in this yogurt, so if that’s your only dietary restriction, you’re in luck. There are only 13 grams of sugar in the vanilla variety, which isn’t too high for flavored yogurt. Not to mention, Green Valley Creamery’s products are all USDA organic certified and certified humane raised and handled.
RELATED: The easy guide to cutting back on sugar is finally here.
Not That: Yoplait Lactose-Free, Vanilla
While Yoplait’s Lactose-Free Vanilla yogurt lacks milk’s naturally-occurring sugar that upsets a lot of people’s stomachs, it brings a lot of added sugar to the table—nearly 20 grams to be exact. Packed with more sugar and less protein than in Green Valley Creamery’s yogurt, make Yoplait your second option.
If you prefer plain yogurt…
Eat This: Fage Total 2% Greek Yogurt, Plain
Not just creamier and more delicious than the nonfat variety, the little bit of milkfat in 2% Fage allows your body to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in the yogurt. Plus, you can’t get a much purer ingredient list than this: milk, cream, and cultures.
Not That: Greek Gods Non-Fat Greek Yogurt, Plain
Greek Gods, on the other hand? A plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt with more sugar than protein? No thank you.
If you’re cutting back on fat…
Eat This! Chobani Greek Yogurt, Blueberry
You can’t go wrong with non-fat blueberry flavored yogurt, especially when most of the sugar from this yogurt comes from real blueberries.
Not That: Yoplait, Greek 100 Whips! Strawberry Cheesecake
To be clear, there’s nothing unhealthy about this yogurt nutritionally. When compared with Chobani’s flavored, non-fat yogurt though, you’ll find that there are considerably more ingredients in Yoplait’s 100 Whips product and, instead of real fruit at the forefront of the ingredients list like in Chobani, fruit puree falls pretty low on the list. Gelatin and an artificial sweetener called sucralose both rank higher than the fruit puree in this yogurt.
