Yogurt, the fermented milk product packed with protein, overflowing with calcium and probiotics has all the qualities of healthy foods. Not just great in taste, this dairy product made of natural ingredients is also impressively a low calorie food. Although, a single eight ounce cup of plain low-fat yogurt provides more than 400 milligrams of calcium that’s equivalent to half of your daily needs, it may not be healthy to eat it any time, in any way or any form.

Most people commonly mistake yogurt as healthy to eat food. Surprisingly, most yogurts are packed with additive sugar and high fructose corn syrup, making the probiotics and good bacteria harmful.

Frozen variety may seem low in calorie and fat, but the sugar content in it converts to fat when it enters the blood stream.

So, read the labels carefully. Which type of ingredients you choose is important. You may opt Greek yogurt for optimum health as it contains much of natural sugar. Check out the protein level. A yogurt that has low calories can be low in protein as well. You would probably be better off choosing one that has more calories but at least 12-15 grams of protein per serving. It will keep you stay full till your next meal.

Yogurt can be considered a healthy part of diet till the time it is eaten in moderation. The US Department of Agriculture’s Choose My plate website recommends three cups of dairy per day for anyone over the age of nine. One cup of dairy equals to one cup of yogurt.

The type of yogurt also counts here as some are more nutritious than others and the calories, protein, fat and sugar may vary. Avoid eating full-fat versions as they may provide a significant amount of fat, a large portion of which comes from unhealthy saturated fat. They are usually packed with granola. Non-fat yogurt is a better choice if you plan to have multiple serving per day.

If you’re going for a flavoured yogurt, the content of sugar is too high in it. A three-fourth cup serving of low-fat flavoured yogurt can have more than 32 grams of sugar while the same amount of low-fat plain yogurt has about 12 grams of sugar. When people opt for too many additions like honey, cereals, nuts or fruits to make yogurt extra-yum, they sabotage its health benefits making it too high in calories. Additions can be great but in modest quantity.

According to Ayurveda, yogurt shouldn’t be consumed at night. It develops mucus. Eat it during day time without adding sugar but if you can’t do without it at night, add little sugar or opt for buttermilk instead. Ayurveda does not advise to mix any sour fruit with curd as it can diminish digestive fire, change the intestinal flora, produce toxins and cause sinus, congestion, cold, cough and allergies. You may mix little bit of honey, cinnamon and raisins instead of sour berries. Chilled yogurt is also not recommended. Go for a room temperature natural unflavoured yogurt for more energy, optimum health and flatter belly.

Enjoy this dairy superstar in the healthiest possible way. Keep yogurt mistakes at bay. They may turn this fitness weapon into a secret disaster.