We trust yogurt and never stop praising it, as a healthy food with a special aura gained from its richness in protein, which has recently made it a particularly popular choice among people taking obesity drugs and looking for a filling snack rich in protein and low in calories.
In addition to its reputation for containing beneficial bacteria to improve digestion, a feature that has coincided with a global obsession with gut health; over the past 25 years, yogurt consumption in the United States alone has grown by 142%, and its sales are expected to rise even more, as the US Food and Drug Administration gave yogurt a major boost last March, allowing major food companies to advertise claims about its association with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
But Yasmin Tayag, science writer and editor of The Atlantic, reveals a surprising finding: “A lot of the yogurt we eat isn’t healthy at all. Among the low-fat and regular varieties in the dairy aisle of any store, there’s a thin line between yogurt and ice cream, and many yogurt containers have become desserts.”
The spread of “dessert” yogurt on a large scale
Tayag noted that Danone (global sales of dairy, water and baby food products amounted to about €28 billion in 2023) promotes flavored yogurt cups with the same amount of sugar as five Oreo cookies, with additions of Snickers and M&Ms.
One of Target's best-selling yogurts comes with chunks of cookie dough, along with versions with a mix of mint chocolate chip and cookies and cream, all of which look and feel like ice cream.
Although yogurt is just fermented milk, it contains the nutrients found in milk, such as protein and calcium, as well as vitamins and organic acids produced by certain types of beneficial bacteria, says Tayag. But the levels of sugar, fat, protein, calcium, calories, flavors and added sugars in supermarket yogurt are increasing widely, according to a study published in 2016.
To sell us something like ice cream, “like the squeezable cotton candy yogurt pouches, the maple and honey yogurt cups and the crazy amount of sugar, which several brands offer.”
Blurring the line between yogurt and ice cream
In 2018, a Harvard PhD student published research on the relationship between dairy products and chronic diseases, which included participants with diabetes. He reached an interesting conclusion that narrowed the gap between ice cream and yogurt in terms of health: “Eating half a cup of ice cream per day was associated with a lower risk of heart disease.”
But “yogurt would still be better than ice cream in general,” if only because it's made from fermented milk, says Tayag; “but even that advantage is being debated.”
Low-fat, sugar-free yogurt isn't always what it seems; even yogurts that don't look like dessert can have added sugar. For example, a cup of blueberry yogurt may be a good breakfast option, but it actually contains 14 grams of sugar.
Although Tayag explains that “not all additives are harmful, as some varieties contain more protein than the content of 3 eggs.”
Don't be fooled by the word “yogurt” written on the package.
The usual health benefits “don’t apply” to all products that contain “the word yogurt,” says Elena Comelli, an assistant professor of nutrition at the University of Toronto.
Not all yogurt contains probiotics (bacteria associated with gut health), and especially if it's been heat-treated, it will contain little to no probiotics.
So Comely advises looking on the label for something that explicitly states that the product contains “live and active cultures,” noting that the number of live, beneficial bacteria in a product decreases the longer it is stored, and that the effects of probiotics—if they are found in yogurt—will only be noticeable if it is consumed regularly.
“Unlike the ‘plain, sour version of plain yogurt,’ which is packed with protein and probiotics, that we’re supposed to be eating, most yogurt in the grocery store is flavored,” says registered dietitian Cassie Bjork, RD, “which means it’s loaded with sugar and artificial sweeteners, which are additives that feed the bad bacteria in your gut, essentially negating any benefits of the probiotics.”
The danger of the effect of the healthy food halo on our eating behavior
Food manufacturers still play a big role in defining what we should consider healthy, by drawing our attention to a specific aspect of food that makes it seem better than it actually is, using words like natural, organic, gluten-free, sugar-free, or fat-free—a tactic known as the “health halo.”
It’s sometimes said that there’s a “French trick” that makes yogurt—not milk, ricotta, or cream—ideal for weight loss. “Regular yogurt consumption is associated with better blood pressure and diabetes control, stronger immunity, and weight management,” says Penny Etherton, a professor of nutrition at Pennsylvania State University. So, “it’s no wonder that yogurt sales—regardless of what’s in it—continue to grow,” says Tayag.
“Yogurt seems to have pulled off a marketing miracle, as a fast-selling dessert, hiding behind a health halo,” adds Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University.
Putting a healthy spin on food is a comforting thing that helps time-pressed people believe they are making good food choices. Yogurt makes them feel good about what they are eating, especially when it is delicious. Not only that, but they eat whatever toppings are attached to it.
So, yogurt embodies a paradoxical approach to eating, the belief that you can improve your health without giving up fast food.
But the bottom line is that yogurt studded with M&Ms won't make you healthier, so if you decide to eat it, enjoy it as just another dessert.
