We've are often told to eat yogurts for their undeniable health benefits, but have you ever looked at the nutrition facts on the label? While many yogurts are high in protein and other good ingredients, they are also often high in sugar. Considering the harmful effects of consuming too much sugar, it’s scary to think something as simple as a pot of yogurt may not be that much healthier than a pack of caramels, and with sugar addiction at an all time high, it's good to know there are low sugar options out there.

Cutting down on your sugar intake can have so many health benefits - I found it to be literally the best dietary change I had ever made. I wrote a blog here about all of the amazing health benefits.

Fortunately low-sugar yogurts do exist that are made of natural ingredients, and are as tasty as their not-so-healthy counterparts. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it, so I tasted the latest delicious pots of dairy and here are my best low sugar yoghurt options for 2020.

1. YQ (Yoplait)

The YQ low-sugar yogurt that follows the Yoplait “smarter, not sweeter” philosophy is made of ultra-filtered milk that’s big on protein but low in sugar. It’s also 99% lactose-free and rich in protein. Each 5.3oz serving of plain YQ yogurt totals just 1 gram of sugar, so that's only 0.6 grams of sugar per 100 grams of yogurt! The flavored varieties deliver 9 grams of sugar (or 6 grams of sugar/100 grams) which is about 40% less sugar than other fruity yogurts. The flavored YQs are available in eight yummy flavors, including blueberry, coconut, lime, peach, mango, and vanilla. The YQ yogurts do not contain any artificial preservatives, added color, or artificial flavors. It’s all-natural!

2. Two Good Yogurt (Danone)

Delicious Greek yogurt with only 2 grams of sugar per 5.3oz cup (1.3 grams of sugar/ 100 g)? Sounds too good to be true, right? Danone somehow made it happen, creating a tasty snack that has 80% less sugar the average yogurt. What’s more, the gluten-free Two Good Yogurt is an excellent source of protein and calcium and contains plenty of probiotics to maintain a healthy bacterial balance in the gut. It comes in five flavors (blueberry, peach, strawberry, mixed berry, and vanilla) and each cup has about 80 calories, so you won’t feel any guilt indulging in this little treat.

3. Skyr (Icelandic Provisions)

Icelandic Provisions create their traditional Icelandic dairy product using an original recipe to make the thick and tasty Scandinavian yogurt. Their skyr is packed with Calcium, taking nearly four cups of milk to produce just one cup of Icelandic yogurt. Icelandic Provisions plain skyr has only 3 grams of sugar, while the flavored varieties contain 9 grams of sugar. That means 2 grams of sugar for 100 grams of plain yogurt and 6 grams of sugar in 100 grams of flavored yogurt. If it’s flavored yogurt that you crave, you can choose between strawberry rhubarb, cherry black currant, mixed berry, chocolate coconut, or vanilla.

4. 4% No Added Sugar Yogurt (Siggi’s)

Siggi’s strained Icelandic-style yogurt is a thick and creamy treat that gets its sweetness from fruits alone. They use zero artificial flavors or ingredients. Each 4.4oz cup of skyr contains 4 or 5 grams of sugar (or 2.6-3.3 grams of sugar/100 grams of product) and a lot more protein. Siggi’s yogurts are all-natural, made of simple ingredients and come in different flavors, which include peach & mango, raspberry & apple, and banana & cinnamon. They contain no artificial sweeteners, colorings or preservatives. The delicious yogurts are also non-GMO verified.

5. Total Plain (Fage)

Fage’s rich and creamy yogurt made with only milk and live active cultures contain as little as 5 grams of sugar per 6oz serving (or 2.9 grams of sugar/100 grams of product). They use only 100% natural ingredients to create a nutritious snack that’s rich in protein and calcium but low in sugar. Fage have recently announced that their fruit varieties have 30% less sugar in them. We also feel like they managed to create the perfect low-sugar duo: Greek-style yogurt with fruit or honey. The split cups, just as the Total Plain products, are available in three milkfat varieties: 0%, 2%, and 5%.

6. Light & Fit Greek (Danone)

Danone’s Light & Fit Original Greek Yogurt is a delicious and convenient option for those that want to get their sweet intake for the day while also sticking to their healthy routine. The plain option contains only 9 grams of sugar per 8oz serving (or 4 grams of sugar/100 grams of yogurt), but there plenty of other varieties available. The flavored options contain 9 grams of sugar per 5.3oz cup, so they are still some of the best low-sugar yogurts out there. Some of the flavors that may pique your interest include Toasted Marshmallow, Caramel Apple Pie, and Toasted Coconut Vanilla. All Light & Fit products have 0% fat, are gluten-free, and diabetes-friendly.

7. Less Sugar Greek Yogurt (Chobani)

Chobani’s Less Sugar Greek Yogurt is a subtly sweet snack or breakfast made of nothing but natural ingredients and packed with protein. It has less sugar than the average yogurts, containing only 9 grams of the sweetener per 5.3oz cup. That's just 6 grams of sugar per 100 grams of yogurt. The fruit-on-the-bottom and Greek yogurt treats are offered in a wide range of creatively-named flavors to suit all taste buds. You can choose anything from Fino Lemon to Willamette Raspberry. It’s also worth noting that some sugar in the Less Sugar Greek Yogurt may also come from the fruit puree in the flavored varieties, so the actual amount of added sugar is low. Chobani’s yogurts have no artificial sweetener added either.

8. 100% Grass-fed Organic Yogurt (Maple Hill)

Maple Hill’s plain 100% Grass-fed Organic Yogurt is what they call “honest food” made with nothing but natural ingredients. As the first and only 100% grass-fed organic dairy milkshed, you can rest assure you are getting nothing but high-quality dairy products. Their plain, low-sugar organic yogurt is smooth and creamy as it should be and has only 9 grams of sugar per 5.3oz serving. So we are looking at just 6 grams of sugar per 100 grams of product. The yogurts are also available in three flavors - vanilla, strawberry, and blueberry – but they pack up to 18 grams of sugar per 5.3oz serving.

9. Organic Dairy-free Cashewgurt (Forager Project)

Forager’s Organic, Dairy-free Yogurt made of cashew is a wonderful option for vegans and those that for various reasons want or have to go dairy-free. While not exactly a yogurt but equally as tasty, this plant-based snack is still rich in probiotics. The cashewgurts are gluten-free, soy-free, GMO-free, and minimally processed to keep all the goodness in. They come in seven different flavors: unsweetened plain, coconut, wild blueberry, vanilla bean, strawberry, lemon, and cherry. The unsweetened cashewgurt has 1 gram of sugar per 5.3oz serving. That's only 0.6 grams of sugar per 100 grams of product. The flavored yogurts contain 7 to 12 grams of sugar per serving (or 4.6-8 grams of sugar/100 grams of product), but they’re still a good low-sugar option, nonetheless.

The bottom line

Cutting down on sugar can have plenty of health benefits. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends no more than 25g of sugar per day for a woman and 35g per day for a man, but with so many food products containing added sugar it can be hard to keep within those levels, solways read the labels to check the sugar content in any food, and use this handy guide to help you reach for the best tasting low sugar yoghurts.

Cutting down on sugar intake can give you more energy, clearer skin, improved sleep, less brain fog and less likelihood of getting some serious health complications inclusion cardiovascular diseases, stroke and Type 2 Diabetes.

If you would like to cut down on your sugar intake there are lots of blogs on this website with tips and advice and if you feel you might need a little more help quitting sugar you can sign up to my 21 Day Sugar Detox here.