In Babies and more We have talked several times about baby yogurts. While yogurt is a food that can bring health benefits, most of those on the market have a high sugar content, making them an unnecessary product and not recommended for babies.
Now, a study in England found that indeed sugar levels are too high in most commercial yogurts, making them not as healthy a product as we think.
Published in BMJ Open, the study analyzed the content of 921 yogurts, finding that most of them contain very high levels of sugars. Emphasis was placed on everything in the yogurts that are aimed at children, to know their nutritional value and the amount of sugar they contained.
Yogurts They were classified into eight categories to be analyzed: for children, alternatives to dairy, desserts, drinks, fruit, flavors, natural / Greek and organic. Products were obtained based on those available in the five largest supermarkets in the United Kingdom during November 2016.
The sugar content was very variable between each category and even within the products of the same classification. But nevertheless, except for natural and Greek yogurts, the average amount of sugar in all categories was much higher to the low sugar limit.
Only 9% of them actually rated as low in sugar (although the label claimed it was) and almost none of them were in the category of yogurts for children. With this, the worrying issue about the amount of added sugars that children consume without being really aware of it returns.
Usually, unlike juices and other high sugar products, We connect yogurts with healthy eating Because of the benefits they can bring to our body, however, this study proves that in most cases, they are not the ideal option.
In the yogurt category for children, the average sugar was 10.8 grams per 100 grams, which would be more than twice that found in natural or Greek yogurts, which contain on average 5 grams of sugar per 100.
Regarding fat content, in most of them the average was below or slightly above the recommended limit as low fat. As it was expected, Dessert yogurts had the highest sugar and fat content from among all categories.
The study concludes that Only two of the 101 yogurts of children tested (2%) actually comply with having a low sugar level.
Should we stop giving yogurt to our children?
The short answer is: yes and no. In the case of babies, it is recommended to avoid custard, "petit suisses", yogurts and "actimeles" until after twelve months of age, because in general, baby yogurts are not recommended. In the case of the elderly, we can offer them, but taking certain measures.
What we must do is Be smart consumers and learn to read the labeling of the products we buy to consume in our home. We know that shopping and avoiding products high in sugar or with added sugars is like an impossible mission, but it is something worthwhile for our health and that of our family.
How do we know that a food is high or not in sugar? Directly to the palate they explain it to us in a simple way, so that we learn to read the labels and can identify them:
- If in the list of ingredients we see that the sugar content is less than 0.5 grams per 100 grams, the food is considered 0% sugar. If it has more than 15%, then it is a high sugar food.
- In case the quantity of sugars is not indicated, we will proceed to read the list of ingredients, where we can identify the added sugars under any of the following names: high fructose corn syrup or syrup (the most common of all, after sugar; may also appear as HFCS or HFCS), agave or agave syrup, caramel, dextrose, molasses, syrup or maple syrup, fructose, sucrose, maltose, maltodextrin, syrup, cane honey, fruit juice concentrate, sucrose, cane juice, honey, among others.
Remember that not because a food indicates that organic, low in sugar, means that this is true. In supermarkets we can find food that even has the seal of health agencies despite not being really healthy. Let's just be careful, let's know the products we buy and offer our children, to avoid the consumption of yogurts with too high sugar levels.
