Regular yogurt consumers tend to choose healthier diets

Regular yogurt consumers tend to choose healthier diets

Regular yogurt consumers are less likely to consume junk food and more likely to stick to dietary guidelines.

Children

• Young children who regularly consume yogurt have a better diet quality and the overall nutrient content of their diets is higher.
• The diets of children who eat yogurt regularly are better overall – they consume more fruit, whole grains and milk (Figure 1) and less total and saturated fat.

Adults

• People who frequently consume yogurt have higher nutrient intakes than those who do not often eat yogurt – even when yogurt is not a source of these nutrients. Hence frequent yogurt consumers (at least one serving per day) have been found to have higher intakes of folic acid, copper, manganese and iron.
• Compared with low- or non-consumers, frequent yogurt consumers tend to follow dietary guidelines more closely.
• Yogurt consumers are more likely to consume a prudent diet with more fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish and seafood, and fewer fast foods such as French fries and fried foods, processed and red meats, pizza, snacks, softdrinks, alcohol and hard liquor.

References:

• Williams EB, Hooper B, Spiro A, et al. The contribution of yogurt to nutrient intakes across the life course. Nutrition Bulletin 2015;40:9–32

• Keast DR, Hill Gallant KM, Albertson AM, et al. Associations between yogurt, dairy, calcium, and vitamin D intake and obesity among U.S. children aged 8–18 years: NHANES, 2005–2008. Nutrients 2015;7:1577–93.

• Wajszczyk B, Charzewska J, Chwojnowska Z, et al. [Yogurt consumption and nutritional quality of daily diets in four years old children.] Żywienie Człowieka i Metabolizm [Human Nutrition and Metabolism] 2013;40:166–80.

• Rivera-Dommarco J, López-Olmedo N, Aburto-Soto T, et al. Consumo de productos lácteos en población mexicana. Resultados de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición 2012. México: Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, 2014.

• Zhu Y, Wang H, Hollis JH, et al. The associations between yogurt consumption, diet quality, and metabolic profiles in children in the USA. Eur J Nutr 2015;54:543–50.

• Panahi S, Fernandez MA, Marette A et al. Yogurt, diet quality and lifestyle factors. Eur J Clin Nutr 2017;71:573–9.