Healthy Yogurt Guide

Written by:

Suzanne Weaver-Goss

08/16/2023

Updated: 09/28/2023

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For this version of the healthiest yogurt guide, we revisited our favorite brands to make sure they still qualified as Best Stuff (and sadly discovered that some of them no longer exist–RIP Wallaby Purely Unsweetened!). We also discovered several new brands–including some vegan ones–that are making the healthiest yogurt on the market.

And of course there is no shortage of Sneaky Stuff yogurt brands–although we are pleased to note that many of the worst sugar offenders have cut back dramatically on their sweeteners.

All in, this guide covers 26 different yogurts–from Greek to almond-based, from drinkable “smoothies” to squeezy tubes. Let’s get to it!

Cheat Sheet: The Four Healthiest Yogurt Brands

  1. Lavva / 2. Alexandre / 3. Harmless Harvest / 4. Bellwether Farms

Is yogurt healthy?

First things first: Do you know what makes yogurt, yogurt? Yogurt is a cultured or fermented milk product that is soured and thickened by adding specific lactic acid-producing cultures to milk. (Fun fact: Sour cream is cream with a different group of cultures added).

Yogurt has been touted as a health food for as long as I can remember. Pediatricians often recommend yogurt as a good source of calcium for babies and kids.

Indeed, if done right, yogurt can be full of probiotics, calcium, protein, and other healthful nutrients. However, dairy food in general is problematic for the environment. Moreover, yogurt can pack lots of sugar and other questionable ingredients. As with most products, you have to know how to read a label when perusing the yogurt aisle in your grocery store!

If you choose to avoid dairy, there are some healthy vegan alternatives but also some not so healthy vegan options. You’ll learn about these below.

Is vegan yogurt healthy?

In general, I try to follow a semi-vegan diet, but I’m also committed to not eating food-like substances.

I find it problematic when the “food” in question is imitating products made from animals (be it dairy or meat) and has some unrecognizable ingredients. Plant-based yogurt options can have gums and thickeners added to give them the right consistency. Because lactose in dairy is naturally sweet, yogurt made from milk often requires less added sugar than vegan yogurts do.

That said, some of the healthiest yogurt brands out there now are plant-based. Two of them even made our Best Stuff list!

Maia likes these silicone molds to make a healthier yogurt squeezy. You can use a high quality plain yogurt and just mix with fruit-sweetened jam. They are also delicious frozen!

Does all yogurt contain probiotics?

While doing the research for this guide, I came across tons of articles that claimed that if yogurt is pasteurized, it won’t contain any live/active cultures. This is technically true, but doesn’t apply to any yogurt you’ll find in the United States, because the cultures are always added AFTER the milk is pasteurized.

I couldn’t find a single brand of yogurt that didn’t contain at least two live cultures. Many contain as many as five or six, which is obviously even better.

All yogurt will have Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles. The healthiest yogurt might have Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidus, and other strains.

The big deal with probiotics is that they help maintain the balance of bacteria needed to boost the immune system and promote a healthy digestive tract.

Related: Probiotic Supplement Shopping Guide

Is the healthiest yogurt Greek yogurt?

Greek-style yogurt is everywhere these days, and some of you probably think it’s much tastier than regular yogurt. But is it the healthiest yogurt? In a word: yes.

To make yogurt “Greek,” the whey is strained off (whey is the milk’s watery component after the milk has curdled). This is why Greek yogurt is denser and richer.

Here are the key differences between Greek and regular yogurt:

  • Protein: Greek yogurt has almost double the protein of regular yogurt.
  • Fat: Unless you’re eating the nonfat varieties, Greek yogurt has about three times the saturated fat of regular yogurt.
  • Sodium: Greek yogurt contains about half the sodium of regular yogurt.
  • Carbohydrates/Sugars: Greek yogurt contains roughly half the carbohydrates (sugar) of regular yogurt. This is because much of the lactose is strained off, and lactose is where the sweetness comes from. Of course, adding sweeteners to either one will increase the carbohydrate count.

Is kefir healthier than yogurt?

Kefir is more than just “drinkable” yogurt; it has as many as three times as many probiotics as yogurt does, and up to 20 different kinds of cultures added. Of course, flavored kefir is full of sugar, so stick to plain.

One to try: Maple Hill Creamery Plain Kefir

Is the healthiest yogurt low-fat?

When buying yogurt, you will have to choose between full-fat yogurt, low-fat yogurt, or nonfat yogurt. This is a personal choice and also depends on your philosophy on eating dairy fat.

Personally, I try to limit how much dairy I eat, and I find that I’m able to eat much less if I go for the full-fat version. When it comes to yogurt in particular, the full-fat is tastier and richer, and sometimes as little as a couple of tablespoons can be a satisfying snack!

I also find that low-fat and nonfat yogurts need sweetness to be satisfying, whereas I can enjoy plain whole milk yogurt. That said, low-fat and nonfat yogurt can be a perfectly healthful part of your diet, too.

For kids, I do think whole milk yogurt is the best way to go, unless your pediatrician tells you otherwise.

Bottom line: The healthiest yogurt will be…

  1. Organic. Our milk guide explores the importance of choosing organic dairy in detail. Suffice it to say that organic yogurt will have a higher nutrient value and no pesticide residue. Even if you’re choosing a plant-based yogurt, we recommend choosing an organic variety.
  2. 100% grass-fed. If you’re choosing a dairy yogurt, look for ones that come from grass-fed cows. Grass-fed cows produce yogurt richer in omega-3 fats and CLA (a cancer-fighting fatty acid).
  3. Unsweetened. Cow milk contains some amount of naturally-occurring sugar from lactose, but most yogurts–including vegan–contain a TON of added sugar. The healthiest yogurt is either unsweetened or lightly sweetened with real fruit.
  4. Come from A2 milk. A2 milk contains only the A2 beta-casein protein. It has been shown to cause considerably fewer gastrointestinal symptoms in sensitive individuals than milk with the the A1 beta-casein protein found in conventional cow’s milk.
  5. Greek-style. Regular yogurt can certainly be good for you, but Greek is the healthiest yogurt, as it is lower in carbs and higher in protein.
  6. Contain at least three active strains of cultures. When it comes to probiotics, more is better!
  7. Be free of additives. Look for things like gellan gum, xantham gum, and “natural flavors.” The healthiest yogurt will just contain dairy or nut milk and probiotic cultures.

What follows are the yogurt brands that meet these criteria–plus those that definitely do not.

Best Stuff: Healthiest Yogurt Brands

Alexandre Family Farm A2 100% Grass-Fed Yogurt

You can’t get better than this in a non-Greek dairy yogurt. It’s made with 100% grass-fed, A2 milk, and comes in a variety of fat levels. In addition, Alexandre’s milk is non-homogenized, and minimally processed. The vanilla flavored yogurt does contain organic cane sugar (an added 8 grams).

Bellwether Farms A2 Organic Whole Milk Yogurt

Bellwether only makes whole milk plain yogurt. They have an A2, organic grass-fed cow’s milk option as well as an A2 sheep’s milk option. Both are Best Stuff.

Harmless Harvest Unsweetened Plain Organic Cultured Coconut

This is one of the healthiest yogurt brands in the vegan category. It’s composed of just a few simple ingredients in the plain flavor: Organic coconut milk (made with hand-scooped coconut meat), organic tapioca starch, and live cultures. The unsweetened version contains only 1 gram of sugar (0 grams of added sugar). When you buy the flavored versions, organic fruit and organic sugar is added, and you end up with 8 grams of added sugar.

Lavva Dairy Free Pili Nut Yogurt

This vegan yogurt is made of coconut, pili nut (a low carb, nutrient-dense nut), and cassava. I like that they’ve created a thick, creamy texture without added gums or sugar. They also add prebiotic-rich plantains as food for their probiotics, so each cup of yogurt ends up with 50 billion probiotics. For those who enjoy fruit flavored yogurt, know that Lavva is the only vegan option with no added sugar in the fruit flavors. I feel that Llava is the very healthiest yogurt you can find without dairy.

Good Stuff: Healthy Yogurt Brands

The yogurts listed here didn’t make our Best Stuff category because they are not made with A1 milk. That said, we buy all of these brands regularly and do still consider them very healthful.

Cocojune Organic Coconut Yogurt

Cocojune has a lot of fans—you guys asked about this brand more than any other vegan yogurt. The ingredients here are organic, and include coconuts, spring water, cassava root, and cultures. The plain flavor comes in at only 2 grams of sugar, and is therefore the healthiest. I did love the Mixed Berry flavor, which is sweetened with agave (and contains a total of 7 grams of sugar). Other flavors, like Lemon Elderflower, contain cane sugar. 

GT’s CocoYo Living Coconut Yogurt

The ingredients of the plain are simply raw young coconut, raw young coconut water, and probiotic cultures. We love that this one comes in glass. Cocoyo’s fruit flavors are sweetened with fruit juice and stevia (so less than 5 grams of sugar per serving). 

Maple Hill Organic Plain or Maple Yogurts (Greek or Regular)

I love Maple Hill Creamery for using milk that’s not homogenized, organic, and from cows that are 100% grass-fed. I’ll give them even more points for all the extra strains of probiotics they throw in their super yogurts (ten strains!). Your best bet is to buy the plain variety and add some fresh fruit or fruit puree.

Unfortunately, Maple Hill’s vanilla varieties of yogurt contain a lot of cane sugar, so I wouldn’t recommend them.

You can choose from Greek or regular (I’d go with Greek), but Maple Hill only comes in full-fat varieties.

Rogers Farmstead Organic Plain Whole Milk Yogurt

Although you may not be able to find this brand of yogurt near you, I couldn’t resist including it in because it’s from Vermont!

The maple version is sweetened with only maple syrup. The cows at Rogers are grass-fed but supplemented with grains grown on their farm.

Seven Stars Farm Organic Yogurt

We love this brand for clean, simple, organic ingredients, including maple syrup (instead of cane sugar) in all of their flavored yogurts. In addition to its organic certification, Seven Stars Farm is also certified biodynamic. 

Stonyfield Organic Plain Yogurt (Greek or regular)

The healthiest yogurt in the Stonyfield line is the grass-fed plain. We’d choose the Greek whole milk variety. Note that Stonyfield’s baby and kids lines of yogurts have much less sugar than the flavored yogurts in the regular line (4-9 grams versus 11 grams per serving). We don’t consider any of these flavored versions Good Stuff, but the worst offender is the “family” line.

Wallaby Organic Yogurt

Even though Wallaby’s dairy comes from cows that aren’t 100% grass-fed, they are “pastured-based” and organic. I do not recommend most Wallaby’s flavored yogurts because they have around 20 grams of sugar. The exception here is Wallaby’s line of No Sugar Added Greek (vanilla and strawberry), which only have 5 grams of sugar from fruit. 

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Okay Stuff: Sort of Healthy Yogurt Brands

Forager Organic Dairy-Free Cashewmilk Yogurt

The base for this “yogurt” is cashew milk. I have concerns about the “vegan cultured dextrose,” which is made from skim milk. Even though this yogurt is organic, Forager uses white sugar in all of the fruit varieties.

Kite Hill Plain Unsweetened Almond Milk Yogurt

I’m calling this Good Stuff because of its very low sugar content (just 5 grams per serving), even though it does contain some additives like locust bean gum and agar, and nothing is organic. I recommend that anyone with digestive issues, as well as all infants, avoid food with additives like locust bean and xantham gum.

Note that the flavored varieties contain three times as much sugar as the plain, and should be avoided.

Siggi’s Yogurt

Because they aren’t organic, Siggi’s plain yogurt is only Okay Stuff. (By the way, “Icelandic style” is strained even more than Greek yogurt, meaning it’s even thicker). Siggi’s does use milk from grass-fed cows, and their yogurts don’t contain “natural flavors” or additive gums of any kids. Siggi’s flavored drinkable yogurts have much less sugar than all other brands.

So Delicious Coconutmilk Yogurt Alternative

The base for this yogurt is organic coconut milk. As with all vegan yogurts, So Delicious uses processed ingredients, including rice starch and dipotassium phosphate. Both substances are approved and safe but they are nonetheless highly processed foods. Avoid the flavored varieties of So Delicious as they all contain processed sugar.

Stonyfield YoBaby flavored yogurts

I kept moving these from Sneaky Stuff to Okay Stuff and then back again! YoBaby yogurts do pack 9 grams of sugar per serving (cane sugar). That said, this is probably the healthiest yogurt marketed specifically to babies. The best idea is of course to buy plain yogurt, mix in some pure fruit jam, and feed that to your kid. My advice is to treat YoBaby as a treat rather than a breakfast food.

Stonyfield Organic Kids Squeezers

These are the best of the Stonyfield kids’ yogurts, with 6 grams of sugar per serving (although my grandkids often want two tubes). I’m not wild about the “natural flavors” that are included in most Stonyfield flavored yogurts (along with things like gellan gum).

Stonyfield Organic Whole Milk Yogurt Pouches

I’m torn on these, because 12 grams of sugar really is too much for something I’m calling even Okay Stuff. However, I like that these include fruit purees instead of fruit juice concentrates, and they also contain healthy fish oils. They also pack probiotics and 20% of your child’s daily calcium needs, so overall I don’t consider this a totally horrible snack.

Bad Stuff: The Least Healthy Yogurt Brands

Dannon Yogurt

Dannon now sells a whole milk variety being marketed to moms who don’t want nonfat dairy for their kids. Despite being advertised as “made with whole milk and all natural, non-GMO ingredients,” this yogurt contains weird additives, like modified food starch. It also contains 15 grams of sugar (about 4 teaspoons) per serving. And all milk is “natural”—this term tells us nothing about the growth hormones in the milk or herbicides and pesticides on the cows’ feed. Dannon’s smoothies for kids are really gross, with modified food starch, whey mineral complex, agar, and of course lots of plain old white sugar! Finally, eating Dannon’s Light & Fit yogurt will make you neither light nor fit; while it has a moderate 7 grams of sugar, it’s packed with modified food starch, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, maltodextrin, potassium sorbate, and a bunch of other gross stuff.

YoPlait 

This probably will come as no surprise, but YoPlait is not a health food! Not only does the kids’ variety contain white sugar, but it also has the bare minimum probiotic strains for this to even be called a yogurt. With 11 grams of sugar per serving, modified corn starch, potassium sorbate (a synthetic preservative), and artificial sweeteners (sucralose) in some varieties, YoPlait yogurt is classic Bad Stuff.

Sneaky Stuff: Secretly Unhealthy Yogurt Brands

Yogurt is widely marketed as “healthy” food, yet the majority of manufacturers add so much sugar that most yogurt is sometimes sweeter than ice cream. True yogurt should just contain milk and cultures, yet many brands market themselves as “gluten-free” and “vegetarian friendly.” This is meaningless, obviously, as no yogurt is going to contain gluten or meats!

Chobani Greek Yogurt

It seems mainstream brands like Chobani are really listening and now using non-GMO ingredients and milk not treated with hormones like rBST. This is great, but I find it a little sneaky that Chobani’s container of plain yogurt says “made with whole milk” on the front, and yet the first two ingredients are “non-fat milk, cream…” Why not just use whole milk? I imagine that it’s cheaper because they already make nonfat yogurt. Also, Chobani’s flavored yogurts contain as many as 20 grams of sugar per serving.

Fage Total Yogurt

This Greek-style yogurt is sold everywhere, including health food stores like Whole Foods. But this really isn’t a health food. Fage yogurts aren’t organic and every flavor except plain has sugar. The fruit flavors use fruit juice concentrates, so there probably isn’t much whole fruit in those versions. I know Maia does send her kids to school sometimes with the little Fage cups with honey, which is the only not-terrible one.

Kite Hill Greek Style Plant-Based Yogurt

Greek yogurt in usually healthier, but in this case it’s worse than the regular Kite Hill yogurt. It contains soy protein isolate, a hexane-extracted ingredient that is stripped of most of the nutrients during processing. This yogurt also contains gums and fillers.

Liberte flavored yogurts

These yogurts are undeniably tasty, but with 21 grams of sugar per serving, I have to call them out as sneaky. They also contain “natural flavors,” which I don’t love. Liberte’s plain organic version is fine, although it doesn’t specify which cultures are used.

Noosa Finest Yoghurt

This one is confusing to me. Noosa yogurts are sold in every health food store, but this yogurt isn’t organic and has a whopping 28 grams of sugar per serving. They even add white sugar to their honey-flavored yogurt.

Oiko’s Blended Greek Yogurt

Oiko’s is Dannon’s version of a Greek yogurt, and it’s totally sneaky thanks to lots of sugar. I also don’t like that this brand is the only one to not list any of the cultures in the yogurt, and instead just says it contains “live and active cultures.” I I assume this is because they only include the minimum required to qualify as yogurt.

Stonyfield Organic O’Soy soy yogurt  

With 22 grams of sugar, Stonyfield’s O’Soy vegan yogurt is the least healthy non-dairy yogurt option. Soy milk itself is controversial, so I see no reason for this product to be offered in natural food stores–there are better plant-based yogurts!

Stonyfield Organic Probiotic Smoothie

Stonyfield has drastically reduced the sugar in their drinkable yogurts. They are down to 9 grams and contain fruit and veggie purees. If you want to give your kid a drinkable yogurt, this would be the best bet, although kefir is even better—see above.


Healthiest Yogurt FAQ

The most healthy yogurt is made of organic milk from grass-fed, A2 cows. It will also be unsweetened and free of additives and fillers.

The four brands of yogurt that we believe are healthiest are Llava (vegan), Alexandre (cow), Harmless Harvest (vegan), and Bellwether Farms (cow or sheep).

Organic yogurt will have a higher nutrient value and no pesticide residue. Even if you’re choosing a plant-based yogurt, we recommend choosing an organic variety.

Greek yogurt is healthier than regular yogurt, provided it does not contain added sugar. Greek yogurt has roughly double the protein, half the sodium, and half the carbs of regular yogurt.

Our top Greek yogurt pick Maple Hill plain. It’s not homogenized, organic, and from cows that are 100% grass-fed.

Whew! I know this is a lot of info. Tell me: are there brands you love that I didn’t recommend above? What are your favorite yogurts?

To your health,

Suzanne, Certified Holistic Health Coach

P.S.  Are you interested in making your own yogurt? We have made our own in past years with success, but as I’ve gotten busier with grandkids and this business, I find I just don’t have the time! If you are interested in making your own yogurt, here is the recipe we’ve used.

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Leave a Reply

  1. Donnelly Avatar
    Donnelly

    I find Culina to be one of the best tasting organic vegan yogurts. I think it might qualify as a good stuff, and it’s available on the east coast. .

  2. Christina Avatar
    Christina

    What about a probiotic vitamin? Any thoughts on them?

  3. patricia a cesare Avatar
    patricia a cesare

    Hello, thank you for the thorough yogurt review.
    One suggestion: perhaps you could change the photo of Stonyfield Yogurt that proceeds the article. Especially since this is a not so good one! Thanks for listening. 🙂

  4. Melissa Avatar
    Melissa

    How about Lifeway? Please I hope I can a response from Suzanne, Maia

  5. Rachel Avatar
    Rachel

    I started giving my toddler the plain unsweetened forager yogurt and she loves it! When I saw this, I got nervous. However, I see that this was published in 2017. Thankfully it looks like they tweaked their ingredients. When I looked at their label I did not see vegan cultured dextrose. Here is the updated ingredient list: cashewmilk, filtered water, tapioca startch, pectin, coconut cream, locust bean gum, agar, live active cultures. (S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, Bifidus, L. lactis, L. plantarum) . Do you feel that this is still okay stuff?

    Thank you so much for what you do!

  6. Daniella Avatar

    Have you looked at Co Yo Yogurt?

  7. C Avatar
    C

    YoBaby has one flavor variety pack that has no added sugar!!! It’s the mango / banana. So that’s definitely going to be in our rotation. (I assume because banana and mango are so sweet, they didn’t think they needed to add sugar to make it taste what people thing is sweet enough for babies).

    Unfortunately, because of reading the label on that flavor, I had thought they were ALL like that, so was buying the blueberry apple and am now annoyed to find out it has added cane sugar!

  8. Amanda Avatar
    Amanda

    Would you consider doing an update? My daughter started refusing plain Greek yogurt. Would have loved the Wallaby purely unsweetened but it is discontinued!! Any other naturally flavored options you have found?

  9. Lucy Avatar
    Lucy

    What are your thoughts on plastic packaging for yogurts? I’ve read that yogurt is put into plastic containers after its been heated to 100+ degrees F, which seems very worrisome to me. I’ve been eating Nounos, which comes in glass – but is not organic.

  10. Janell Avatar
    Janell

    What about Happy Baby Organics?

    1. Stefanie Avatar
      Stefanie

      Maia I’d like to hear your opinion on Happy Baby as well!

  11. Pat Avatar
    Pat

    Hi! Where does the new Dannon light n fit with Zero artificial sweeteners rank?

    1. Maia James Avatar
      Maia James

      I would still avoid this, if only because it’s not organic.

  12. ester Avatar
    ester

    Hi, How about the yogurt oui by Yoplait ? they have different flavors with fruit on the bottom and also plain.

  13. Anjana Avatar
    Anjana

    Hello, Love all your posts. What about pectin in Stonyfield yobaby plain yogurt? Should I be concerned as I give this to my one year old almost daily. Thanks

  14. Daniella Avatar
    Daniella

    I have recently gone vegan and appreciate the Kite Hill recommendation but also found Forager’s creamy Dairy-free Cashewgurts, it looks pretty good but would love your opinion. Thanks!

    1. Suzanne Weaver-Goss Avatar
      Suzanne Weaver-Goss

      Yes, it looks pretty good to me too. However,these vegan products often contain preservatives. In this product it is cultured dextrose, a food substance that is manufactured and according to my research possibly fermented with a dairy based culture. Some ethical vegans don’t like it for that reason. It depends on what your reasons for eating vegan are. If it’s for health and you’re avoiding dairy then you are achieving that. If you avoid processed food substances, then vegan yogurts are challenging because they usually contain some preservatives. If you’re an ethical vegan then you need to research if this ingredient is not developed from dairy.

      1. Daniella Avatar
        Daniella

        Hi Suzanne,

        Thanks for the info. I was just wondering where you saw cultured dextrose or if its under another name? These are the only ingredients I see under plain:
        Cashewmilk (Filtered Water, Ground Cashews*), Cassava Root*, Locust Bean Gum*, Live Active Cultures (S. Thermpohilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Lactis, L. Plantarum).
        *Organic

        Thanks!

  15. Candice Avatar
    Candice

    Hello!! Thank you for this post! I recently stumbled upon Silk’s dairy-free almond milk yogurt, more sodium than Kite hill but the ingredients look better to me, what do you think?!

    Candice

    1. Suzanne Weaver-Goss Avatar
      Suzanne Weaver-Goss

      I have a problem with these yogurts because they have so much sugar. One small yogurt has 17 grams of sugar! That’s more than 4 teaspoons of white sugar. Yogurt from dairy has no added sugar, assuming you’re opting for plain. Milk naturally has some sugar (lactose just like breast milk). Almonds and probiotics would not be tasty so they have to add lots of sugar to make it taste good. It sounds healthy because it’s plant based and not dairy which I agree dairy has problems but to make yogurt out of almonds and then add a lot of sugar is not a healthy food.

  16. Erin Avatar
    Erin

    For some reason I have been really into yogurt (and cream cheese!) for the past year so this guide was really appreciated. However I am trying to get away from dairy for personal reasons so I appreciate your sensitivity to your vegan viewers and that you included non dairy choices. I definitely understand where you are coming from about wanting to eat little processed food-I’m trying to do that too!- but vegan yogurt is something I’m open to as a ‘treat’ so thanks again for understanding everyone’s diet is different.

    1. Suzanne Weaver-Goss Avatar
      Suzanne Weaver-Goss

      I support a vegan diet. I find better options than buying processed food. Experiment with making creamy dishes for treats with avocado, coconut milk, and fruit. Yogurt is traditionally made with dairy. If you’re looking for probiotics you can eat pickled vegetables, sauerkraut, kombucha etc. Someone above posted a vegan option called CoYo that looks interesting.

  17. Azalais Coombes Avatar
    Azalais Coombes

    What about Greek Gods Yogurt it’s my fav and I buy it all the time at my local Sprouts.

    1. Suzanne Weaver-Goss Avatar
      Suzanne Weaver-Goss

      Look for organic plain yogurt! Add fruit at home.

  18. Tiffany Avatar
    Tiffany

    Non of these yogurts are sold in Canada. I would love to know what yogurt is best to feed my 1 year old,Canadian brands sold.

    1. Suzanne Weaver-Goss Avatar
      Suzanne Weaver-Goss

      Look for organic plain yogurt! Add fruit at home.

  19. Ryan Avatar

    Hi, thanks for the comprehensive write-up! One yogurt we recently found and really like is CoYo, here are the ingredients: Coconut Cream (Coconut Extract, Water), Tapioca, Pectin and Probiotic Cultures.

    Worth checking out!
    Ryan

    1. Suzanne Weaver-Goss Avatar
      Suzanne Weaver-Goss

      Looks great for a non-dairy version! Thanks! I will try have to try that one.

  20. Whitney Avatar
    Whitney

    Organic Valley is a brand that was not mentioned.

  21. Debbie Avatar
    Debbie

    I’ve recently found some delicious locally made infused honey, would that be a healthy sweetener to add to plain yogurt? Thanks 🙂

    1. Suzanne Weaver-Goss Avatar
      Suzanne Weaver-Goss

      Yes, I always think that honey or maple syrup is better than cane sugar. Especially when it is local. We are huge proponents of eating local when possible.

  22. Mia Avatar
    Mia

    I love trimona, which is from jersey (brown) cows.

    I lived on Greek yogurt when I had gestational diabetes, for all the nutritional reasons you outlined. However, I have recently learned of the negative environmental impact of the quantities of Greek yogurt byproduct made in the US right now. I’ve switched to regular yogurt since I don’t have those specific health concerns.

    1. Suzanne Weaver-Goss Avatar
      Suzanne Weaver-Goss

      Yes, and there are definitely environmental impacts from eating dairy. We didn’t focus on that in this guide but I am always glad when our readers bring that up.

  23. Rachel Avatar
    Rachel

    This is so great! But I’d love to see Straus products on here. We visited their organic dairy farm in Petaluma. Lovely people and super happy, friendly, grass-fed cows.

    1. Suzanne Weaver-Goss Avatar
      Suzanne Weaver-Goss

      Yes Rachel, Straus looks great. The guide is not exhaustive. This one is great especially for those who live out west. I haven’t seen it in the east. Again, I would go with the plain because it doesn’t contain sugar.

  24. Joanna Avatar
    Joanna

    Hello. Witch yogurt is good for one year old ? Thaks.

    1. Suzanne Weaver-Goss Avatar
      Suzanne Weaver-Goss

      I would avoid any yogurt with added sugar. I would choose a plain organic whole fat yogurt and add fruit if you want.

  25. Joanna Avatar
    Joanna

    Do Witch yogurt for one year old?

  26. Courtney Avatar
    Courtney

    Hi, love your site! I was wondering about Annie’s Organic Summer Strawberry Whole Milk Yogurt Tubes? Thank you for all you all do!

    1. Suzanne Weaver-Goss Avatar
      Suzanne Weaver-Goss

      Hi Courtney,

      The tubes are organic which is great if you are eating dairy. However, the second ingredient is sugar. That is a dessert with probiotics which is better than ice cream but not a meal replacement. Having said that, there are only 6 grams of sugar which is about a teaspoon and 1/2 of sugar. Personally, I try to not eat any sugar, it is so addicting! For children, fresh or dried fruit is sweet and much healthier and can be added to plain yogurt.

  27. sumiyah Avatar
    sumiyah

    this wasn’t done correctly as noosa has a bigger serving size than all other yogurts so of course sugar content will be higher, and you didn’t factor in the naturally occurring sugar in yogurt and even that differs between greek, whole milk, and non fat yogurt. as well as what the sweetener of choice is, beet sugar, cane, honey, maple syrup, fruit, etc. yes they are all sugar, but that’s about the only thing in common between the sweeteners as some actually have nutritional value or are just better than others

    1. Maia James Avatar
      Maia James

      Yes, we addressed all of these issues in the video–serving size, differences between sweeteners, and naturally occurring sugar.

  28. Lina Avatar
    Lina

    What about Nancy’s yogurt? I buy the organic, plain whole milk one. That’s the only brand I have bought for years now, because I remember running across an article saying it was the best. I don’t remember the source now though!

    1. Suzanne Weaver-Goss Avatar
      Suzanne Weaver-Goss

      Yes, Nancy’s plain is fine. It’s organic!

  29. Loren Levine Avatar
    Loren Levine

    thank you so much for this important info. i spend way too much time trying to read all the “sneaky” ingredients in the store.

  30. KelleyAnnie Avatar

    I LOVE Fage because it’s waaaay thicker than any other Greek yogurt out there but it’s not organic ? I also think the Wallaby whole milk vanilla is the best yogurt I have ever eaten ?