What’s a reasonable amount of sugar for fruit yoghurt to have and how much can I assume the sugar content is from the fruit or an added form?
In yoghurt, sugar is found in many forms: from the yoghurt itself in the form of lactose, from added fruit in the form of fructose and sometimes (but not always) from refined sugar, mainly in the form of sucrose. Each of these sugars is broken down to glucose by the body and used for energy. If there is too much glucose, it’s converted into fat and stored for emergencies. The problem is that in our modern world there are few emergencies and the stored fat usually just stays there unused, causing us grief.
Given that sugar comes in many forms, refined and natural, the only way to determine if a product has added refined sugar is to look at the ingredient list. If it lists sugar, particularly if it’s towards the top of the ingredient list, then you know there’s a lot of it.
One hundred grams of low-fat natural yoghurt contains no added sugar but does contain 6g sugar from natural lactose. (The total amount of carbohydrates in 100g is 6.8g). By adding fruit, obviously there will be more sugar, this time from fructose.
If on the ingredient list there is no added sugar and the sugar content was 16g, you know that 6g is from lactose and the remainder (10g) from the fruit.
Personally, I prefer using a natural yoghurt and adding fresh fruit. That way you ensure that you’re not eating any other additives and the fruit is fresh.
Nutritionally, sugar gives you nothing other than a nice taste in your mouth and energy. If you are trying to lose weight, you have to find energy from more nutritionally valuable foods that contain essential vitamins and fibre. A natural yoghurt with fruit is a great example of a nutritionally valuable food. It contains vitamins and fibre from the fruit and minerals and protein in the yoghurt — and it tastes good.
While some sugar in the diet makes a pleasant treat and should be enjoyed, studies have shown that excessive consumption may lead to problems with the metabolism, digestive system and nervous system, causing depression, fatigue, a slow metabolism, colitis and Crohn’s disease. It may also interfere with the body’s ability to absorb calcium, leading to osteoporosis, and may accelerate the ageing process.
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