Yoghurts (Natural, Greek, Goat, Sheep and Coconut) which is best?
Posted on January 23rd, 2017
Yoghurt can be a great addition to one’s diet or it can be a terrible one. With so many different brands to choose from ranging from plain to any flavour that you can think of, how are you supposed to make quick educated decision?
Just a quick note – You do not need yoghurt in your diet to be healthy!!
I have put together a quick caparison on the popular brands that I see in our local supermarkets. Always try and stick to full fat options as they often do not contain any added sweeteners. Non-fat yoghurts can often contain some sort of sweetener (i.e. inulin). Even if they say natural they are generally not.
Goat/Sheep/Coconut Milk Yoghurts
Goat and sheep milk yoghurt is often better tolerated by those who are lactose/dairy intolerant however not always. Coconut milk yoghurt is definitely your best bet if you are very sensitive to lactose and/or dairy and still want to include yoghurt in your diet.
Serving Size 100g
| Protein (g) | Sugars (g) | Sodium (mg) | Ingredients | |
| Caprilac Goat Yoghurt | 4.2 | 6.3 | 103 | Full Cream Goat milk, Thickeners (modified corn starch, pectin), Live Cultures. |
| Meredith Dairy (Goat) | 4.2 | 4.0 | 53 | Pasteurised Goat Milk, Live Yoghurt Cultures. |
| Meredith Dairy (Sheep) | 5.6 | 4.0 | 45 | Pasteurised Sheep Milk, Live Yoghurt Cultures. |
| Nudie (Coconut) | 1.5 | 1.2 | 13 | Coconut, Water, Cornflour, Cultures. |
| Alpine (Coconut) | 1.9 | 2.9 | 20 | Coconut Milk, Cultures, Thickeners (1422, 440), Sugar. |
| Coyo (Coconut) | 2.0 | 2.0 | 31 | Coconut Milk 98%, Tapioca Starch, Live Vegan Cultures. |
| Cocobella (Coconut) | 0.9 | 3.2 | 12.8 | Coconut Milk, Coconut Water, Cornflour, Live Yoghurt Cultures. |
Best Brands
- Meredith Dairy
- Nudie
Overall Meredith Dairy was the only brand that didn’t contain corn starch, tapioca starch or corn flour as a thickener. If you can tolerate goat or sheep milk yoghurt stick to ‘Meredith Dairy’ as it contains a good amount of protein per serve and not too much sugar.
If you are dairy intolerant coconut milk yoghurt is still a healthy option, however it does lack in protein compared to goat and sheep milk yoghurt and it does contain some form of thickener which is technically a refined white flour. ‘Nudie’ has the lowest amount of sugar for coconut yoghurt.
Natural Yoghurts
The main differences between natural and Greek yoghurt is that Greek yoghurt often contains more fat, more protein, less sugars, less sodium and is often a thicker consistency. Natural yoghurts are still healthy but do contain a bit more sugar and sodium per 100g.
Some of the well-known brands such as ‘Yoplait’ don’t appear to have a natural or Greek Yoghurt.
Serving Size 100g
| Protein (g) | Sugars (g) | Sodium (mg) | Ingredients | |
| Coles (Pot Set) | 4.9 | 6.6 | 63 | Skim Milk, Cream (Milk), Milk Solids Non Fat, Cultures. |
| Farmers Union (Natural Pot Set) | 4.6 | 6.5 | 58 | Milk, Milk Solids, Yoghurt Cultures. |
| Five:AM | 4.8 | 6.0 | 57 | Organic Milk, Organic Milk Solids, Milk Solids, Live Cultures. |
| Gippsland (Organic) | 7.0 | 7.1 | 69 | Organic Milk, Milk Solids, Cream, Yogurt Cultures. |
| Jalna (Fat Free Natural) | 5.3 | 5.5 | 90 | Pasteurised Skim Milk, Non-Fat Milk Solids, Live Cultures. |
| Jalna (Whole Milk Biodynamic Organic) | 4.3 | 4.1 | 120 | Pasteurised Whole Milk, Milk Solids, Live Cultures. |
| Moo | 3.8 | 11.2 | 44 | Whole Milk, Sugar, Cream, Milk Solids, Pectin, Cultures. |
| Pauls | 5.4 | 6.7 | 76 | Milk, Milk Solids, Live Yoghurt Cultures. |
| Procal | 4.5 | 5.6 | 53 | Milk, Milk Solids, Cream, Live Cultures. |
| Queensland Yoghurt | 5.6 | 7.8 | 84 | Full Cream Milk, Skim Milk Powder, Cultures. |
| Tamar Valley | 6.2 | 6.2 | 67 | Skim Milk, Milk Solids, Cream, Live Cultures. |
| Vaalia | 6.0 | 7.4 | 89 | Milk, Skim Milk, Milk Solids, Inulin, Live Cultures. |
Best Brands
- Jalna (Whole Milk Biodynamic)
- Procal
These brands had relatively low sugar compared to the other brands and a decent amount of protein per serve. ‘Five:AM’ and ‘Tamar Valley’ are also quite good nutritionally however, have slightly more sugar.
Greek Yoghurts
Serving Size 100g
| Protein (g) | Sugars (g) | Sodium (mg) | Ingredients | |
| Black Swan | 8.3 | 5.6 | 89 | Milk, Milk Solids, Cultures. |
| Coles | 5.7 | 7.9 | 77 | Skim Milk, Cream (Milk), Milk Solids Non Fat, Cultures. |
| Chobani (Whole Milk) | 8.6 | 2.6 | 36.6 | Cultured Pasteurized Non-Fat Milk, Cream, Live and Active Cultures. |
| Evia | 9.6 | 2.3 | 41 | Full Cream Milk, Skim Milk Concentrate, Yoghurt Cultures. |
| Farmers Union | 4.7 | 7.2 | 65 | Milk, Milk Solids, Cream, Yoghurt Cultures. |
| Jalna | 3.8 | 4.8 | 78 | Pasteurised Whole Milk, Cream, Live Cultures. |
| Moo | 5.0 | 7.8 | 49 | Milk, Milk Solids, Cultures. |
| Pauls | 4.0 | 5.6 | 48 | Milk, Cream, Milk Solids, Cultures. |
| Procal | 6.8 | 4.4 | 44 | Milk, Milk Solids, Live Yoghurt Cultures. |
| Tamar Valley | 5.3 | 5.2 | 58 | Milk, Cream, Milk Solids, Live Cultures. |
| Woolworths Select | 5.0 | 5.7 | 52 | Skim Milk, Cream, Non-Fat Milk Solids, Live Yoghurt Cultures. |
Best Brands
- Evia (Natural Greek Stained Yoghurt)
- Chobani (Whole Milk)
They each have a good amount of protein per serve and low sugar compared to the other brands. ‘Procal’ came in close however, is slightly lower in protein and has a little more sugar per 100g.