Is Yeo Valley yoghurt healthy? We take a close look
We love yoghurts - we've written about everything from high protein yoghurts to probiotic yoghurts because we love to eat this creamy product any time of day.
But we have to admit, not all yoghurt is equal, and there are some brands out there which we think are better than most. We'd definitely put Yeo Valley pretty near the top of the list, because in our opinion the yoghurts from the brand are absolutely delicious.
Although there is no denying that Yeo Valley yoghurts are tasty, there is some debate as to how healthy they are. So we thought we'd take a close look at Yeo Valley yoghurts to see how healthy they actually are, let's get into it:
What varieties of Yeo Valley yoghurt are we looking at?
The most popular Yeo Valley yoghurts are the fruit varieties, with flavours like Strawberry and Blueberry being especially popular. So we’ll mostly be looking at the fruit varieties, but we’ll also take a look at the popular Natural variety too.
What are Yeo Valley yoghurts made from?
Like most yoghurts, Yeo Valley is made using cow’s milk. But all of the milk used to make Yeo Valley is organic, which is definitely noteworthy and definitely gives Yeo Valley yoghurts a different nutritional makeup compared to most other yoghurts on the market. This is because studies have shown that organic milk usually contains more nutrients compared to non-organic milk, with slightly higher levels of vitamin E, iron, and polyunsaturated fatty acids found in organic milk compared to non-organic milk.
What is the nutritional breakdown of Yeo Valley yoghrts?
We have to admit that because Yeo Valley is made using whole milk and has lots of flavour, we expected it to be very high in calories compared to other yoghurts. But this actually wasn't the case - the Strawberry variety of Yeo Valley only contained 98 calories per 100g, which might seem like a lot but is actually lower than many other popular strawberry yoghurts out there. For example, Strawberry Muller Corner contains 105 calories per 100g, and the Tesco Finest strawberry yoghurt (which has a similar creaminess and taste to the Yeo Valley strawberry variety) contains 109 calories per 100g.
We were similarly impressed by the relatively low fat content of the Strawberry Yeo Valley yoghurt, especially given how rich it is and that it's made with whole cow's milk. The Strawberry Yeo Valley only contains 4g of fat per 100g, which is 1.4g of fat less than the Tesco Finest Strawberry yoghurt (5.4g of fat per 100g).
Also, like most yoghurt, the Yeo Valley yoghurts are packed with Live Cultures. These include Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Streptococcus thermophilus. However, the main thing you need to watch out for with Yeo Valley yoghurts, especially the fruit varieties, is the sugar content. There is a lot of natural sugar from the fruit in the yoghurt, but people are often surprised to see that there is also added sugar in the recipe too. For example, the Strawberry variety of Yeo Valley yoghurt contains 10.7g of sugar per 100g, which is actually 1.4g more sugar than you'll find in the Tesco Finest Strawberry yoghurt.
What about other varieties of Yeo Valley yoghurt?
Although most of the fruit varieties of Yeo Valley yoghurt have similar nutritional breakdowns to the Strawberry variety, there are a few varieties of Yeo Valley yoghurt which differ quite a bit and might be a good option if you're looking for lower calories or sugar. For example, the Yeo Valley 0% Fat Vanilla yoghurt contains no fat and only 81 calories per 100g, but it's still very tasty. The only downside of the 0% vanilla variety is that it contains 14g of sugar per 100g, which is 3.3g more than Strawberry variety. If you want an option from Yeo Valley which is low in both sugar and calories then your best is definitely the 0% Fat Natural yoghurt from the range. This yoghurt has no added sugar only contains naturally occurring sugar from the milk used. This yoghurt contains just 56 calories per 100g, 6.6g of sugar per 100g, and no fat.
So, are Yeo Valley yoghurts healthy?
In short, we'd say that yes, Yeo Valley yoghurts are definitely healthy. They're made using organic cow's milk which tends to be higher in nutrients than normal cow's milk, and they contain zero artificial ingredients or sweeteners.
The one thing to watch out for with Yeo Valley yoghurts would be the sugar content, but all of the sugar comes from the fruit which is included in the yoghurt.
Let us know what you think of our guide and what you think of Yeo Valley yoghurts!
Finn H
Finn is the editor of You Well and has been writing about travel, health, and more for over 10 years.