MADRID, 8 April (EDITIONS) –
Are all yogurts equally healthy? Which ones to opt for? Are we really aware of all the possibilities that yogurts offer us? And the yogurt liquid, should we really throw it away or keep it? What is it for?
We chatted in Infosalus with Andrea Calderón, who is a professor of Nutrition at the European University of Madrid, as well as scientific secretary of the Spanish Society of Dietetics and Food Sciences (SEDCA), who in this article gives us a hand to know all the benefits of yogurt
He says that the term ‘yoghurt’ itself means ‘fermented milk’ and whose fermentation process has been produced by two types of lactic acid bacteria: Lactobacillus bulgaris and Streptococcus thermophilus.
As a curiosity, this expert maintains that an essential condition is that these bacteria are alive in the yogurt in a minimum quantity of 107 bacteria per gram or milliliter: “It is for this reason that it can be called ‘probiotic’, which means that it contains microorganisms alive in their content”.
Having said this, Calderón continues explaining that a natural yogurt will always be that, so it will always be a good alternative, whatever the brand, or whatever its price. However, it does warn that the problem comes when extra ingredients are added, usually sugar, giving rise to sweetened yogurts, or sweeteners or ‘sweetened yogurts’.
“An average yogurt contains between 3-4 grams of lactose, which is its naturally present sugar. Well, a sweetened yogurt contains per unit (125 grams), that is, between 15-16 grams of sugar. Let’s remember that the maximum recommended by the WHO revolves around 20-25 grams of added sugar per day, so a healthy product can become not so much if we choose it sugary. In the same way that a sweetened yogurt is not the best alternative either”, he remarks the SEDCA specialist.
Likewise, it points out that flavored or ‘fruit’ yoghurts are normally yoghurts with a lot of added sugar, and additives that give it the color, flavor of the fruit it pretends to contain.
For example, it says that a strawberry yogurt can have 0% strawberry to no more than 7-8% at best, and they add coloring to make it pink, flavoring to make it taste like strawberry, and of course sugar or sweeteners so that it tastes sweet: “They are not a good alternative. Natural always better and each one consciously adds their ‘toppings’: cut fruit, cinnamon, pure cocoa, nuts or seeds, among others.”
Meanwhile, this Nutrition expert specifies that skimmed yogurt is fat-free yogurt, which can be a good alternative to cut calories, although it is not necessary, since milk fat is not harmful, and also provides satiety and nutrients. “In addition, many yogurts that claim to be ‘0% fat’ are not necessarily better or less caloric, because they can remove the fat, but fill it with sugar,” warns Calderón.
And finally, he talks about Greek yogurt, a yogurt with added milk fat, so the caloric value will increase, but it’s not a bad option if we like it better like this, just because its caloric intake is higher.
Now, one thing that many people are not clear about is the differentiation between yogurt and dairy dessert. The scientific secretary of the SEDCA maintains at this point that any dairy product that uses different or additional bacteria to the two characteristics of yogurt mentioned above, can no longer be called ‘yogurt’, but rather ‘fermented milk’.
“If we look at the supposed ‘yogurts’ with Bífidus, we will see that the term ‘yogurt’ does not appear anywhere because they are fermented milk. The same happens with kefir, for example, being neither a better nor a worse alternative, just different options,” he clarifies. .
In the event that it indicates that it is a dairy dessert, Calderón specifies that it is normally related to low-quality processed products such as custard, chocolate ‘yogurts’, milk with a yogurt and chocolate texture or flavors. “In other words, they are not probiotics, and their nutritional quality is much worse: high in sugar, added fat, and with little nutrient value. To detect them, we must read the list of ingredients and we will verify what it really is,” he warns.
The yogurt liquid is called serum, and it is a gel formed by a liquid, since it is basically water, which contains nutrients, clarifies the SEDCA specialist. Specifically, she points out that it contains whey proteins such as beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin and serum albumin (high nutritional quality proteins that are extracted because they are widely used in protein and sports supplements). In addition, she says that it provides water-soluble vitamins of group B, and minerals such as calcium, potassium, and phosphorus.
“It has always been a custom to throw the liquid from the yogurt down the sink, or associate it with bad condition, but it is totally a myth. You should not throw the liquid from the yogurt because it has nutritional value of interest, so it is preferable to consume the yogurt whole with whey included. This whey can be consumed in any type since its composition will be the same, and although the quantity contained is low, it always adds nutritional value”, says Andrea Calderón.
The whey is formed in the process of elaboration of yogurts and cheeses, as it continues, since some milk proteins have coagulant capacity; hence, according to what he says, yogurt or cheese thickens and has a different texture than milk, which is completely liquid. “The protein forms clots in which they trap the aqueous or water part of the yoghurt/cheese, and when they break, it is released in the form of a yellowish liquid that is the whey of the yoghurt,” concludes the professor of Nutrition at the European University of Madrid, and scientific secretary of the Spanish Society of Dietetics and Food Sciences.
