John Myers
Yogurt with fruit is considered a light, healthy meal. However, according to a recent study, many underestimate the high sugar content of fruit yogurt from the refrigerated section: A strawberry yogurt weighing 250 grams contains an average of eleven sugar cubes and is therefore considered a candy. A sugar cube weighs an average of around three grams. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults consume a maximum of 25 grams of sugar per day – i.e. with 250-gram strawberry yogurt, the daily sugar budget is already used up.
Fructose increases the risk of diseases
On the packaging of fruit yogurt, some manufacturers advertise that their product is made with “no added granulated sugar” or “no added sugar”. However, fruit sugar (fructose) is often used instead. Many consider fructose to be healthier than regular table sugar and other types of sugar. But fructose causes obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases more quickly.
Fructose is significantly sweeter, stimulates the appetite for sweets, and makes you less full. The body does not store fructose like normal sugar. The fructose molecules go straight from the small intestine to the liver, where they increase fat storage and promote inflammation. The more fructose you eat, the greater the risk of fatty liver.
Hidden sugar: Pay attention to labeling
If you want to do without sugar, you should take a close look at the list of ingredients in products such as fruit yogurt, and other foods. Sugar is often hidden behind other terms.
Measures against high sugar content
Consumer advocates are calling for consumers to be able to see the sugar content of food at a glance
- a traffic light sign required by law
- regulating advertising for high-sugar products that appeal to children
- a sugar tax
According to the will of the EU, manufacturers of fruit yogurt should change the recipes so that the products contain less sugar.
Prepare your own fruit yogurt
If you want to enjoy fruit yogurt with little sugar, you should prepare it yourself using natural yogurt and seasonal fruit. The taste is less sweet than that of industrially produced products, but you get used to it quickly. Do not eat more than one homemade fruit yogurt per day, because fresh fruit also contains fructose.
