Sugar Free Yogurt – A Look At No Sugar Added Brands

Let’s be clear, the idea of sugar free yogurt is a myth. How can this be you may ask? Well, yogurt is derived from milk. Milk contains a natural sugar know as lactose. Yes, this is the same lactose that we hear so much about that causes many people problems with digestion. Yogurt will always reflect some degree of sugar in the nutrition facts because of the natural sugar contained in milk.

As a consumer of yogurt who may be seeking to minimize sugar intake, you should be looking to avoid added sugar since avoiding natural sugar is impossible at this point. We say this because we know of no manufacturer that is producing sugar free yogurt that lacks both natural sugar and added sugar. However, there are products that contain only natural sugar.

We can identify a yogurt that contains only natural sugar by reviewing the product label. Since there is natural and potentially added sugar in yogurt, the nutrition facts will always reflect a certain amount of sugar. However, the telltale sign of added sugar is in the ingredients. If the sugar content is natural sugar (lactose), the label ingredients will not reflect sugar as an ingredient. However, if sugar is added to the yogurt on top of the natural sugar, the ingredients will indicate sugar as an ingredient. For example, let’s take a look at the nutrition for Fage Total Split Cup Strawberry. The nutrition facts reflect 16 grams of sugar. If we dig further into the ingredients, they reflect sugar (cane sugar) as an added ingredient.

Ingredients – STRAINED YOGURT: Grade A Pasteurized Milk & Cream, Live Active Yogurt Cultures (L. Bulgaricus, S. Themophilus, L. Acidophilus, Bifdus, L. Casei).
STRAWBERRY FRUIT PREPARATION (20%): Strawberries, Cane Sugar, Water, Corn Starch, Contains 2% or Less of: Strawberry Juice Concentrate, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavors.

Now let’s look at Fage Total Plain yogurt. The nutrition facts and ingredients are indicated below. You will notice no added sugar in the ingredients, however, the nutrition facts reflect 8 grams of sugar.  This sugar is simply natural sugar and not added sugar.

Ingredients – Grade A Pasteurized Milk and Cream, Live Active Yogurt Cultures (L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casei).

Now that we have established how to determine what is natural sugar yogurt vs. what is natural plus added sugar yogurt, let’s take a look at a selection of natural sugar only yogurt products. You will find that most sugar free yogurt is the plain variety, which for many people is a bit boring. However, the sugar content is generally very low and likely not a even a concern for most people.