# data[].attributes.body
This is the article that I am going to include in my information spreads as it discusses the topic of whether plant based yoghurts are healthy or not.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Nutritious Life: Healthy Tips, Healthy Recipes, Exercise

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ask Keri: There are more dairy-free yogurts at the store each week, and I'm not sure if I should make the switch. Are plant-based yogurts healthy?

Keri Says: Like most packaged foods (think: protein bars), plant-based yogurts vary wildly in terms of their ingredient lists and nutrition facts. Overall, they are not inherently healthier than dairy yogurts, but there are nutritious options if you're avoiding animal products.

This is definitely an important question, since plant-based yogurts are really taking off. Indie brands like Forager Project and Kite Hill have been picking up steam for a while, and now mainstream brands are getting in on the dairy-free action. Chobani recently launched a non-dairy line, and Dannon is expected to release a dairy-free version of its Oikos Greek Yogurt shortly.
RELATED: Cottage Cheese vs. Greek Yogurt: Which Is Healthier?
So, what do you need to know to figure out which are healthy options and which to avoid?

Are Plant-Based Yogurts Healthy?

First of all, I love Greek yogurt. It's a protein-rich, low-sugar breakfast food (or snack) that contains gut-boosting probiotics and is made from just one whole-food ingredient. Of course, there are a million versions that are terrible thanks to added sugar, flavors, and industrial milk (I always recommend buying organic and grass-fed when possible).
RELATED: The Essential Guide to Plant-Based Protein
I also love that people are getting more interested in eating plant-based foods, because as an overall rule, the more plants in your diet, the better. (In terms of your own health and the good of the planet.)

The trouble is that while whole plant foods like nuts are incredibly nutritious, that doesn't always translate when they're processed into packaged foods.

Let's look at some of the nutrition facts. An easy place to start is to compare Chobani's dairy and non-dairy Greek-style yogurts. A serving of plain Chobani Greek contains 15g of protein and just 4g of sugar (which is all natural sugar from the milk), plus a significant amount of calcium and vitamin A. A serving of plain Non-Dairy Chobani contains 1g of protein and 7g of added sugar, plus a decent serving of iron. In terms of ingredients, the dairy is just cultured milk, while the non-dairy is cultured coconut, cane sugar, and a few other ingredients including natural flavors.
RELATED: The Crazy-Easy Way to Make Cashew Milk With Just Two Ingredients
In this scenario, the dairy option is obviously much healthier. In fact, even if you're a vegan, I wouldn't recommend eating this non-dairy yogurt, because lots of sugar and no protein means you'll crash soon after and be hungry again. Oatmeal with a little fruit and some nut butter would be a much better choice.

But there are also better options. Forager Project's Cashewgurt (made with cashew milk, obviously, and a little coconut cream) is available in a plain unsweetened flavor that has 3g of protein and just 1g of sugar. Even better: Kite Hill makes Greek-style yogurts from almond milk, and its unsweetened plain contains 11g of protein and just 2g of natural sugar from almonds. It's also a great source of calcium and iron.

The Bottom Line

Unfortunately there's no hard and fast rule I can give you on whether to skip or opt for plant-based yogurts.

Keep in mind that plain Greek yogurt often wins on nutrition facts, but if you're a vegan or are just trying to eat more plant-based foods, you're going to have to flip over the container and read the label carefully. Look for low sugar, as much protein as possible, and a short (and not sweet) ingredient list.

And one important rule applies to both dairy and non-dairy yogurts: The flavored ones are generally all sugar bombs. Stick to "plain" and add your own flavor by sprinkling on whole berries, nuts, and seeds)

(Photos: Shutterstock)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ask a Nutritionist: Are Plant-Based Yogurts Healthy?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Keri Says: Like most packaged foods (think: protein bars), plant-based yogurts vary wildly in terms of their ingredient lists and nutrition facts. Overall, they are not inherently healthier than dairy yogurts, but there are nutritious options if you're avoiding animal products. This is definitely an important question, since plant-based yogurts are really taking off.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Yogurt is produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Fermented foods are a powerful source of both vitamins and minerals, and they support a healthy gut by increasing the number of healthy bacterias. Yogurt has always been a part of my diet, and being able to make yogurt myself so easily is just awesome!

Home-made soy yogurt

5 reasons why you should start making plant- based yogurt at home
It tastes much better.
Store-bought non-dairy yogurts don't taste like the yogurts I used to know before I went vegan. Yogurts should be sour - that's what the lactic acid bacteria do - they make milk sour, whether it's dairy or non-dairy milk. So making non-dairy yogurt yourself may introduce you to a whole new taste experience.
It's healthier.
Home-made yogurt has a much higher content of active, live lactic acid bacteria, the good stuff in yogurt, known as probiotics. Those bacteria keep your intestines healthy, they release vitamins, minerals, and enzymes from your food, they destroy toxins, and they stimulate the immune system. Store-bought yogurts are often heated, a process in which healthy bacterias are killed or at least diminished.
It's eco-friendly
Store-bought yogurts come in plastic containers. As a family of four, we eat quite a lot of yogurt and subsequently our plastic waste was over the top. We still produce waste making yogurt at home, because we use store-bought soy milk. But it's much less than before!
It will save you money.
Store-bought soy yogurt costs at least twice as much as soy milk, sometimes even more. The investment in a yogurt maker will pay off very quickly. Starter cultures are in fact expensive, but you can use them up to ten times to make new yogurt. I used to spend 30 bucks on store-bought yogurt every week, and now I only pay about a third for the ingredients - that's a bargain!
You have control over the ingredients.
Have you ever read the ingredient list of store-bought soy yogurt? They are full of stabilizers, acidity regulators, flavors, and sugars. The ingredients for home-made plant-based yogurt are just plain soy milk (or coconut milk), a little bit of sugar to start the fermentation, and lactic acid bacterias.

2 reasons why you should switch to non-dairy yogurt

The dairy industry damages the environment

Though dairy yogurt doesn't seem to have the same harmful effect on your health like milk, it's still made from milk. To produce one single cup of yogurt 53 gallons of water are required, whereas it takes only 9 gallons of water pro to produce 1 cup of soy milk, not to mention the greenhouse gas emissions associated with dairy products. By ditching dairy, you can drastically reduce your carbon footprint and save precious water supplies. Read more about this on the One Green Planet homepage.

Mother Cows love their babies dearly

Cows have a very distinct mother instinct. They love their babies as much as any other mother loves her baby, human or not. Drinking cows milk comes at a high cost for mother cows. They are separated from their babies within 24 hours, and they are mooing and grieving for days. How cruel is that? A coconut or a soy plant does not feel any pain (hopefully) if you turn them into plant-based milk. Always remember, cows milk is made for baby cows, not for human beings.

Mother cows love their babies dearly

How to start

Making yogurt is not complicated. Of course, it takes a little bit of practice, but it's totally worth it - once you started, you won't stop. All you need is a yogurt maker, non-dairy milk (ideally soy or coconut) and a starter culture.

Choose a Yogurt Maker

There are different methods to make yogurt at home, a few of them involving measuring the water temperature and keeping it at 38 Degrees. What a fuss! The best and easiest way is to use a yogurt maker, taking care of the temperature itself.

There are basically two different kinds of yogurt makers on the market: electric and non-electric (with a thermal tank). I have three yogurt makers - one was a bad buy, one was a gift, and one was included in a package when I made a gut cleanse.

The bad buy

I use two of my yogurt makers all the time, but not this one. It's an electric device with 7 small yogurt containers. You fill each jar with 1 or 2 tbsp of soy or coconut yogurt (or a pinch of probiotic bacteria), and add soy or coconut milk. I mean, it works. But there is a big BUT. Every jar is about 150 ml, not enough compared to the amount of yogurt we consume in our home (at least 3 cups a day). If you live alone, this might work for you though, but definitely not for a family of four or more.

The gift

Luvele offered to send me their electric yogurt maker in return for a post on my Instagram feed. I was immediately intrigued and didn't hesitate for a second. The huge plus of this yogurt maker is that it has a huge container and you don't have to care about it at all - you choose a temperature (36 or 38 degrees) and the fermenting time (from 1 to 24 hours) and you are good. It works fine, and I use it all the time.

My Favorite

At the beginning of January, I started a gut cleanse because I felt like I really needed it after all the Christmas treats. I also wanted to resolve the digestive issues that I was suffering from since I switched to a high-fiber plant-based diet years ago. Part of my gut-cleanse-package was a yogurt maker and starter cultures. This yogurt maker comes with a thermal thank that is filled with boiling water. You add your plant-based milk and your starter to the container, close the lid, and after 10 to 12 hours the yogurt is ready. For a longer fermentation, you can refill the tank with boiling water. It works fabulously!

Tips & Tricks

Use organic soy milk or coconut milk without additives

Milk turns into a thick yogurt when the lactic acid bacteria ferment the milk proteins. Most plant-based milks lack proteins, that's why it's almost impossible to turn them into yogurt without a thickener. From my experience, soy milk works best for making a thicker yogurt. You can also use coconut milk, the taste is incredible, though it doesn't get thick at all. Make sure you use a soy or coconut milk without any additional additives. From my experience, the coconut milk from Aroy-D works best. If you choose coconut cream, the result will be thicker, but also higher in calories. It's important that your plant-based milk has room temperature, lactic acid bacteria don't like the cold.

Add a little bit of sugar

Lactic acid bacterias use lactose for the fermentation. If you use a sugar-free soy milk, add 2 tsp of sugar. The yogurt won't taste sweet; it's only to help the fermentation. The same applies to coconut milk - since it's natural sugar-free, you need to add a tbsp of sugar to start the fermentation.

Do not disturb

Once the fermentation started, the yogurt should not be moved at all, or the fermentation will be disturbed. Just leave it alone for the entire fermentation. Even if you check in-between, make sure not to move the yogurt container.

Give it time

Plant-based yogurt needs more time to ferment than dairy yogurts - 14 to 24 hours are perfect. Just check after 14 hours by opening the lid, and if your yogurt is still too liquid, keep the fermentation going for another couple of hours.

Embrace the liquid consistency

The most articles about how to make non-dairy yogurt deal with the questions how to thicken it. But why? When I was a child (back in Eastern Germany), there were two different types of yogurt: one that was thickened with gelatine (and tasted horrible) and one that was sold in bottles. That one was rather fluidly, you could drink it right out of the bottle. It was sour and delicious. When I started making home-made yogurt, it reminded me of this yogurt I loved when I was young. I have no idea what happened in-between, but store-bought yogurt doesn't taste like that anymore, at least not non-dairy varieties.

I tried to thicken my soy yogurt with agar-agar, but it was always overgrown with foreign bacteria. So I choose to embrace the liquid consistency and to make yogurt drinks or to use it instead of plant-based milk when eating granola or muesli. Blending your home-made yogurt with frozen fruits helps to thicken it too - welcome smoothies & smoothie bowls!

Home-made coconut yogurt with blueberry compote

Pay attention to hygiene

Sterilize your yogurt container and all utensils with boiling water before you start making a new batch. This step is essential, don't skip it; otherwise, you'll have bacteria overgrowth.

If there is an over-grow of bacteria, don't eat it

When your home-made yogurt is over-grown with pink or grey bacteria, do not eat it by all means. It's toxic! Sometimes you won't actually see foreign bacterias, but you'll notice a weird taste or smell. Discard the yogurt and start a new batch.

Refrigerate overnight

Refrigerate your home-made yogurt at least overnight, or for 24 hours. It allows the yogurt to thicken. Usually, the whey will settle on top and can easily be strained. Don't discard the whey; it's full of gut-healthy bacterias. Just drink it or use it like plant-based milk in any recipe.

The whey will settle on top after a night in the fridge

Don't give up

Lactic acid bacterias are living organism; they won't produce the same result every single time. Be patient. If the yogurt is too thin, put it back and allow to ferment for another couple of hours. Try different brands of soy or coconut milk and find out which one works best. If you use a probiotic starter culture, the first batch is always thinner than subsequent batches made with the yogurt as starter.

Even within the same batch the result can vary

Get used to drinkable yogurts. Add superfood powders, flax seeds or fruit purees. Add home-made yogurt to granola, smoothies or even compote.

Any questions left? I'd love to hear from you!

Home-made soy yogurt with cherry compote

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to make home- made plant-based yogurt - Breakfast with Flowers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Yogurt is produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Fermented foods are a powerful source of both vitamins and minerals, and they support a healthy gut by increasing the number of healthy bacterias. Yogurt has always been a part of my diet, and being able to make yogurt myself so easily is just awesome!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Lavva yogurt is made not from dairy, but from the pili nut - a healthy alternative to traditional ... [+]
Lavva

For the past couple decades, plant-based yogurt was a niche product-there were only a couple products on the market, and none had quiet nailed that thick and creamy texture and slightly sour taste associated with the common variety.

Things have certainly changed. Today, you can find plant-based yogurts made from nuts like almonds, cashews, cashew, and pili, coconut, flax seeds, plantains, oats, and even peas! And like dairy-based yogurt, many of the plant-based versions contain gut-boosting, live probiotic cultures.

According to U.S. data released by the Plant Based Foods Association and The Good Food Institute and commissioned from SPINS, in the past year, plant-based yogurt has grown 39 percent and is estimated to be worth $230 million; conventional yogurt, on the other hand, declined 3 percent. The trend is international: According to a report by Hexa Research, the global vegan yogurt market is expected to reach a whopping $2.53 billion by 2025.

What explains this 'udderly' remarkable shift?

Well, let's zoom out for a moment: Research published in 2018 from Mintel shows that 60% of Americans are interested in consuming less meat, 31% are choosing to have meat-free days, and one-third plan to buy more plant-based foods. The two biggest motivators? Weight management and health. A 2019 study by IRI found similar results: plant-based dairy purchases were primarily driven by health and diet concerns. Additional factors cited by other market researchers include the growing number of people with lactose intolerance (estimated to be approximately 65% of the human population) and a desire to align one's food choices with social consciousness and environmental sustainability.

With the increasing popularity of plant-based products and the significant drawbacks of industrial animal agriculture, it's not surprising that entrepreneurs are investing in vegan yogurts. Derived from pea protein, Ripple touts that it is built around sustainability, using significantly less water than dairy, and is free from allergens such as lactose, nuts, soy and gluten.

Like Ripple, Forager Project ferments their products the traditional way - using live cultures - instead of adding powdered, off-the-shelf probiotics in at the end. The company relies on organic cashews for the main ingredient, and their products come in six flavors: unsweetened plain, vanilla bean, wild blueberry, strawberry, lemon, and cherry.

Then there is Lavva, the brand that enlists the nutritious superfood, the Pili nut, a tasty nut grown in the volcanic soil of the Philippine peninsula. After being diagnosed with advanced-stage ovarian cancer, the founder, Liz Fisher, turned to a high-fat diet (to complement traditional medicine). In the process, she discovered the Pili nut and Lavva was born. Soon after, Liz entered remission, and she largely credits her progress to a high fat, plant-based diet.

Good Karma Foods takes a different strategy: flaxseeds. The brand launched a line of dairy-free yogurts featuring this rich source of healthy fat, antioxidants, and fiber in 2017. It's CEO, Doug Radi, was prescient: 'In the conventional channel, where 8% [ now 13%] of all fluid milk sold is plant-based, less than 1% of yogurt is plant-based,' he told Food Business News. 'So we really saw an opportunity to bring a new product to market that for the better part tasted like the conventional counterparts.'

Kite Hill, a producer of plant-based dairy products from almond milk, was also ahead of the curve: it debuted its novel yogurt products to compete with dairy-based offerings all the way back in 2015. Co-founded by Impossible Foods' CEO Patrick Brown, Kite Hill recently received $10 million in its latest round of funding, and plans to use the money to, among other activities, introduce new plant-based yogurts.

Almond milk is still very popular, but the new kid in the plant-based aisle is arguably oat milk, and it is really taking off. It's no surprise then that there are now a flurry of yogurt products in the oat category. One of these is Hälsa. The vegan yogurt is made from organic wholegrain oats imported from Scandinavia. Its cofounder, Helena Lumme, teamed up with a few Scandinavian oat wizards who had spent their lives researching oats-their goal was to keep the whole grain oats as healthy, whole and nourishing as possible. The result? Nothing natural removed, nothing artificial added. For now, the yogurt is primarily sold on the east coast in retailers including some ShopRite stores and in grab and go stations in airports like JFK and Laguardia. Hälsa yogurt will soon be available in select Fairway Market stories and the company has plans to continue to expand its reach.

And now, as with the meat category, purveyors of conventional dairy are now jumping on the plant-based wagon too. Take Danone for example: in addition to introducing its own line of vegan yogurts, Good Plants, under its popular Light & Fit brand, the company revealed plans to triple the size of its plant-based business by 2025. Chobani too is getting in on the action, launching a new line of vegan yogurts that are oat based.

All in all, it is an exciting time to be in the plant-based yogurt market. Nobody knows exactly how much market share it will ultimately achieve, but it seems safe to say that this new " white gold " is here to stay.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Plant-Based Yogurt Is Being Milked For All That It's Worth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For the past couple decades, plant-based yogurt was a niche product-there were only a couple products on the market, and none had quiet nailed that thick and creamy texture and slightly sour taste associated with the common variety. Things have certainly changed.

# data[].attributes.body
I am aiming my magazine spread ideally towards millennials and young adults. As plant-based yoghurts has become somewhat trendy, I felt that it would be ideal to aim at younger readers as I am going for a modern and minimalist approach to the layout.

# data[].attributes.body
- include a recipe for homemade plant-based yoghurts
- use a limited colour palette; blue & pink; yellow & white; black & white.
- minimalist layout
- use of 'sketchy' elements to add more fun to the spread

# data[].attributes.body
For my first development I wanted to create a fun yet minimalistic layout. I feel that I have achieved this by inputting a minimal colour palette of light pink and yellow.
I also didn't include any harsh outlines in order to accentuate the smoothness of the magazine spread.

# data[].attributes.body
Furthermore, for my second development I wanted to implement a 'doodle' style to the spread. In order to do this, I took a photo of a plant-based yoghurt and scanned it into procreate. I then drew the title using freehand as I wanted to form the 'sketchy' appearance.

# data[].attributes.body
However, I also wanted to aim for a minimalist style so the way in which I structured the information spread was fairly simplistic, yet straight to the point.

# data[].attributes.body
For my final piece, I wanted to still create the minimalistic yet effective magazine spread. I feel this spread looks somewhat more professional than my previous developments.
I followed a grey and white colour palette to further accentuate the modern appearance.
Overall, I am happy with the outcome of this piece. One thing that I would maybe adjust is the amount of writing on the information spread as I can understand it could be fairly overwhelming for the reader.

# data[].attributes.body
As a whole, I am pleased with the final result of this first development. I feel that the light hearted colour palette emphasises the fun and creative look I wanted to achieve with this magazine spread.

# data[].attributes.body
Overall, I have enjoyed this food project. I like how we had lots of freedom to produce our magazine spreads and I am happy with the layouts of my magazine spreads. At first I was slightly overwhelmed with the amount of choice I had with my work but in the end I decided to aim for a modern and minimalistic yet fun and creative look.
Relating to my final piece, I strongly aimed to create a more professional appearance rather than fun. I feel that the spread would still appeal to a millennial and young adult demographic as I believe the modern layout would still attract a young adult audience.
The reasoning behind the topic of choosing to present my magazine spreads about plant- based yoghurts is because I feel it is quite a new trend to the yoghurt market. This is why I aimed my magazine more towards millennials as this is the demographic who is more open to purchasing these plant based yoghurts. However, if it was to adjust my final piece, I would maybe reduce the amount of text on the information spread in order to emphasise the minimalist look.
As a whole I have found this project to be fun and has enabled me to explore and develop my personal style.

# data[].attributes.body
Here, I have roughly sketched several thumbnails for my initial ideas on the layout of my magazine spreads.

# data[].attributes.body
To further research my topic on plant based yoghurts I took some primary photos of existing products to gather more inspiration on the layout and marketing approaches the companies go for.