2709: Inside the Food Label: Dairy-Free Yogurt by Danielle Omar of Food Confidence on Nutrition Advice

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: This is Optimal Health Daily. Inside the Food Label, Dairy-Free Yogurt by Danielle Omar of FoodConfidence.com and I'm Dr. Neal, your very own personal narrator.

[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Happy Saturday and welcome back to another weekend edition of Optimal Health Daily.

[00:00:16] [SPEAKER_00]: This is where I read you from some of the best health and fitness blogs on the web, kind of like an ongoing audiobook,

[00:00:23] [SPEAKER_00]: and always with a bit of my commentary at the end.

[00:00:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Alright, with that, let's get right to the post as we optimize your life.

[00:00:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Inside the Food Label, Dairy-Free Yogurt by Danielle Omar of FoodConfidence.com.

[00:00:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Yogurt, specifically Greek yogurt, is one of the many foods I try to eat each day for immune support and gut health.

[00:00:50] [SPEAKER_00]: I blend it into smoothies, top it with fresh berries at breakfast, and use it to make sauces and dips.

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER_00]: And the cool thing about yogurt these days is that there are lots of different types of dairy-free yogurts to choose from

[00:01:02] [SPEAKER_00]: if you're avoiding ingredients like milk, milk fat, milk powders and way.

[00:01:08] [SPEAKER_00]: But having said that, not all dairy-free yogurts are created equal. Some are loaded with added sugars and poor quality ingredients,

[00:01:15] [SPEAKER_00]: just like some dairy-containing yogurts. I recommend reading the Food Label before making a decision

[00:01:21] [SPEAKER_00]: and keeping an eye out for a few sneaky ingredients to ensure you're getting the highest quality product.

[00:01:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Here are a few things to keep in mind when buying dairy-free yogurts.

[00:01:32] [SPEAKER_00]: One, lactose-free and non-dairy don't mean dairy-free.

[00:01:38] [SPEAKER_00]: If you're avoiding dairy for any reason, whether you're allergic, sensitive, intolerant or vegan,

[00:01:44] [SPEAKER_00]: the most important thing you'll want to keep an eye out for when buying yogurt is hidden dairy ingredients.

[00:01:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Some seemingly dairy-free yogurts are lactose-free, but not completely dairy-free,

[00:01:56] [SPEAKER_00]: and they may still contain dairy ingredients like milk, milk fat, casin, and way.

[00:02:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Some examples of the dairy ingredients you might find in lactose-free yogurts include skim or whole milk,

[00:02:09] [SPEAKER_00]: cultured milk, pasteurized milk or cream, milk protein, way protein, and casin or casinate.

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_00]: On the other hand, if a food label states that a product is dairy-free,

[00:02:21] [SPEAKER_00]: this means it's free of all dairy-containing ingredients. So when in doubt, look for yogurts labeled as

[00:02:27] [SPEAKER_00]: dairy-free and avoid those labeled as non-dairy. It's very possible that a product labeled as non-dairy

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00]: may also be dairy-free, but it's best to avoid taking that chance if you're strictly avoiding dairy products.

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Yogurts labeled as plant-based are also safe dairy-free choices in many cases, but again,

[00:02:48] [SPEAKER_00]: I recommend reading the food label. Many plant-based dairy-free yogurts are made from dairy alternatives,

[00:02:54] [SPEAKER_00]: like almond, oat, rice, coconut, cashew, soy, flax, and pea protein.

[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Two, what about yogurts with qualified health claims? Recently the Food and Drug Administration

[00:03:07] [SPEAKER_00]: or FDA announced that dairy yogurts could display qualified health claims to support the relationship

[00:03:14] [SPEAKER_00]: between regular yogurt consumption and a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER_00]: This claim is based on years of scientific evidence, showing that consuming two or more

[00:03:25] [SPEAKER_00]: cups of yogurt weekly may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. While this is pretty exciting,

[00:03:31] [SPEAKER_00]: it's still important to do a little research when buying yogurt. Currently qualified health

[00:03:36] [SPEAKER_00]: claims only apply to dairy-containing yogurt, not dairy-free yogurts.

[00:03:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Also, dairy yogurts can use this claim regardless of sugar content. The FDA encourages brands

[00:03:49] [SPEAKER_00]: to use careful consideration before displaying this claim on high sugar products.

[00:03:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Three, some dairy-free yogurts contain more nutrients than others.

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_00]: As for dairy alternatives like cashew, soy, and rice, it's worth noting that some dairy-free

[00:04:06] [SPEAKER_00]: milk alternatives like almond and oat are more nutrient-rich than others.

[00:04:11] [SPEAKER_00]: A recent study found that almond and oat-based yogurts were the most nutrient-dense of all

[00:04:17] [SPEAKER_00]: yogurts available, even dairy yogurts. Next in line, we're low and non-fat dairy, full-fat dairy,

[00:04:24] [SPEAKER_00]: cashew, and coconut yogurts. The dairy-free yogurts studied also contain more fiber, less total

[00:04:30] [SPEAKER_00]: sugar, and less sodium than dairy-based yogurts. As for protein, dairy-based yogurts, especially

[00:04:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Greek yogurts, are still the best choice. The only exception is soy-based yogurts as many

[00:04:42] [SPEAKER_00]: soy-based milk alternatives contain comparable amounts of protein to dairy-milk.

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Some of the newer dairy-free yogurt options available contain added protein,

[00:04:52] [SPEAKER_00]: making them a protein-rich source as well. For example, Kite Hills plain unsweetened protein

[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_00]: almond milk yogurt contains 12 grams of plant protein in the form of soy-protein

[00:05:03] [SPEAKER_00]: isolate per 3-quarters cup. Silk also makes a protein-rich, Greek-style coconut milk yogurt alternative,

[00:05:11] [SPEAKER_00]: with 11 grams of protein per 3-quarters cup, but this one contains 11 grams of sugar per 3-quarters

[00:05:17] [SPEAKER_00]: cup. While on the topic of added sugars, for many dairy-free yogurts contain added sugars.

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_00]: There are lots of delicious dairy-free yogurts out there, but like their dairy-containing counterparts,

[00:05:31] [SPEAKER_00]: many are loaded with added sugars. And while this doesn't mean these yogurts are off-limits,

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_00]: it's best to keep the amount of added sugars in our diets as low as possible, especially

[00:05:41] [SPEAKER_00]: added sugars like high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, maltose, corn syrup and glucose.

[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Or artificial sweeteners like aspertame and sucralose. You won't find artificial sweeteners

[00:05:54] [SPEAKER_00]: in organic dairy-free yogurts, but many do still contain added sugars like cane sugar.

[00:06:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Whenever possible, aim for unsweetened dairy-free yogurts or yogurts without added sugars.

[00:06:07] [SPEAKER_00]: You can still sweeten up your morning yogurt bowl or parfay with fresh fruit,

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_00]: liquid stevia or a drizzle of real maple syrup. Rahani is another great addition to yogurt

[00:06:17] [SPEAKER_00]: when you need a little bit of sweetness. And five, went and doubt, read that food label.

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Finding the best dairy-free yogurt isn't an easy feat, even with the huge selection of

[00:06:29] [SPEAKER_00]: plant-based yogurts on the market today. Between claims such as dairy-free, lactose-free and non-dairy,

[00:06:36] [SPEAKER_00]: how will you know which products are truly free of dairy or which ones contain added sugars

[00:06:42] [SPEAKER_00]: and quality ingredients? When shopping around for a dairy-free yogurt, here's my advice,

[00:06:47] [SPEAKER_00]: read that food label. Look for hidden dairy ingredients like milk,

[00:06:53] [SPEAKER_00]: way or casing, opt for high protein, plant-based yogurts whenever possible and keep added sugars

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_00]: to a minimum. There are lots of delicious dairy-free yogurts out there and many are just as nutrient

[00:07:05] [SPEAKER_00]: dense as the ones that contain dairy. You just listen to the post titled Inside The Food Label,

[00:07:14] [SPEAKER_00]: dairy-free yogurt by Danielle O'Mar, a foodconfidence.com and I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:07:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Dr. Neil here for my commentary. I know food labels can be really confusing. I had to be taught

[00:07:28] [SPEAKER_00]: how to read a nutrition label, luckily my professor's taught me. So I really love today's

[00:07:34] [SPEAKER_00]: authors Danielle suggestion of reading food labels as often as you can. One trick that I found

[00:07:40] [SPEAKER_00]: super helpful when reading a food label is making sense of that percent-dairy-values column.

[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_00]: You'll see it's abbreviated as percent-dv. The trick is to remember these general rules for

[00:07:53] [SPEAKER_00]: that column specifically. If the percentage listed is less than 10 or less than 10%, then it's

[00:08:00] [SPEAKER_00]: a poor source of that specific nutrient. If the percent-dairy value is between 10 and 19%,

[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_00]: then it's a good source of that nutrient. If it's 20% or higher, then it's an excellent source

[00:08:14] [SPEAKER_00]: of that nutrient. So these little shortcuts can help us make sense of the food label and hopefully

[00:08:20] [SPEAKER_00]: not feel as intimidated by it. I'll write that'll do it for the Saturday episode. Thank you so

[00:08:26] [SPEAKER_00]: much for being here and listening every day. I hope you have a great rest of your Saturday

[00:08:30] [SPEAKER_00]: and I'll be back here tomorrow as usual where your optimal life awaits.