Yogurt is known as a nutrient dense food within the dairy food group. The aim of this study was to examine yogurt consumption in the UK and consider its contribution to nutrient intakes at different life stages.
The authors used national nutrition survey data of the UK for their analysis. Results unveiled that yogurt makes a small but valuable contribution to nutrient intakes in young children, particularly for vitamin B12 riboflavin, calcium , iodine and phosphorus. As children aged, the contribution of yogurt to micronutrient intake decreased, reflecting the increasing amounts and variety of foods in the diet, but also snacking behaviors.
Look for iodine and calcium
As adolescents go through the final stages of the growing process, they need certain nutrients for normal growth and development. Yogurt has a place in teen’s healthy eating plan because it supplies several key vitamins and minerals. These new data showed that replacing high fat and sugar snacks or desserts by extra low-fat yogurt could improve their low intake of calcium and iodine, which are of concern in some teenage diets in UK.
During adulthood, as intake was higher among women, yogurt makes a greater contribution to their micronutrient intakes compared with men, providing more than 5% of the reference nutrient intakes (RNIs) for phosphorus, iodine, calcium, vitamin B12 and riboflavin.
