Vegan yogurt: 3 reasons why it is not as healthy as you think

With veganism in vogue, plant-based diets and products have gained popularity. Marketing offers them as healthy products full of advantages, but the reality can be very different. An example of this is vegan yogurt, whose varieties and flavors have grown in supermarkets in recent years, but there are three reasons why it is not as healthy as you think, despite what the marketing says.

A vegan or dairy-free yogurt does not use cow’s milk in its preparation, but rather a vegetable substitute such as almond, oat, coconut or soy milk, so its texture or flavor may be different from traditional yogurts .

They usually have more added sugar

“Often, sugars are added to change the texture or make the yogurt taste more similar to of a dairy product,” explained Shena Jaramillo, to The Beet. The nutrition specialist warns that it is necessary to check the label to choose a vegan yogurt with no added sugar or with small amounts of added sugar.

May contain more saturated fats

Some products Plant-based foods also contain saturated fats, as does coconut milk. The danger of saturated fats is that they can influence high blood cholesterol levels which can influence heart disease and hypertension. If you are going to consume a dairy-free yogurt and you are concerned about its amount of saturated fat, prefer those made with almond milk.

Be careful with its caloric content

Among vegan yogurts, the calorie content can vary quite a bit depending on the vegetable protein they contain. For example, those made from soy are usually higher in calories than those made from almond milk. Then check the label to know how many calories you will be consuming.

What you should look for in a vegan yogurt

The Nutrition specialists suggest reading the nutritional labels of all foods, but in the case of vegan yogurt, it is advisable to look for really healthy options that contain:

– Less than 10 grams of added sugar or none.

– At least 5 grams of protein, and if you want to reinforce its nutritional value, add some nuts before consuming them.

– Probiotics. The probiotics that dairy yogurts contain are one of their advantages, but you can also find them in some vegan options.

– Low level of saturated fats, because coconut fat, for example, is just as harmful to the health of the heart than that of animal origin. Look for vegan yogurts based on oats, almonds or cashews.