In a nutritional comparison of plant-based and dairy yogurts, almond milk yogurt came out on top, according to research led by a University of Massachusetts Amherst food science major.
“Plant-based yogurts overall have less total sugar, less sodium and more fiber than dairy, but they have less protein, calcium and potassium than dairy yogurt,” says lead author Astrid D’Andrea, a graduating senior whose paper was published today in a special issue of the journal Frontiers in Nutrition titled Food of the Future: Meat and Dairy Alternatives. “But when looking at the overall nutrient density, comparing dairy yogurt to plant-based yogurt, with the nutrients that we looked at, almond yogurt has a significantly higher nutrient density than dairy yogurt and all other plant-based yogurts.”
Working in the lab of senior author Alissa Nolden, a sensory scientist and assistant professor of food science, D’Andrea was interested in comparing the nutritional values of plant-based and dairy yogurts, an area of research she found lacking. Driven by concerns over environmental sustainability and eating less animal-based food products, the plant-based yogurt market is expected to explode from $1.6 billion in 2021 to $6.5 billion in 2030.
“Plant-based diets are gaining popularity, especially in American culture, but just because it’s plant-based doesn’t mean it’s more nutritious,” says D’Andrea, of Hazlet, N.J., who is heading to graduate school in food science at Penn State. “There has to be specific research that answers that question.”