How Much Yogurt Can You Eat in a Day?

Like any other food, moderation is key to enjoying yogurt as part of a balanced, varied diet that supports good health. The type of yogurt you choose is vital in determining how much you can eat, because some provide more nutrients than others, and their calorie, protein, fat, and sugar content varies.

It's safe and healthy for most people to eat up to 3 cups of unsweetened nonfat or low-fat yogurt every day. Those who are lactose intolerant, have dairy allergies, or have kidney issues should limit or avoid it.

Recommended Dairy Consumption per Day

A good starting point for figuring out how much yogurt you should eat per day is the recommended daily amount. For anyone over 9 years of age, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends 3 cups of dairy per day. Each cup of yogurt counts as 1 cup of dairy.

Potential Yogurt Health Benefits

Yogurt has several health benefits, making it a good addition to a nutritious diet. People who consume more dairy products, including yogurt (but excluding some cheeses), may have a lower risk of metabolic syndrome, according to a meta-analysis published in 2021.

The live, beneficial bacteria in many yogurts, or probiotics, may also provide health benefits, according to a review published in 2022. The probiotics in yogurt might help you protect gut health, strengthen the immune system, and reduce the risk of diabetes, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease.

Although producers make yogurt with live bacteria, it’s worth noting that the finished product on the shelves may or may not contain live or active cultures. You can review the labels to be sure.

Consider the Calories

The calories in yogurt can vary, such as 1-cup servings of the following:

• Plain, nonfat Greek yogurt 145 calories
• Vanilla nonfat yogurt 191 calories
• Vanilla low-fat yogurt with a low-calorie sweetener 210.7 calories

If you’re keeping an eye on your calorie intake, consider the type of yogurt you eat. This may affect your overall yogurt consumption for the day.

Choose Lower-Fat Yogurt

The USDA recommends choosing nonfat or low-fat yogurt. Full-fat yogurt can provide a significant amount of fat, much of it saturated.

A 1-cup (8-fluid-ounce) serving of plain, whole-milk yogurt has more than 7 grams (g) of fat and nearly 5 g of saturated fat, according to the USDA. This makes up about 10 percent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 78-g recommended daily value for fat intake.

Eating 3 cups of this yogurt would use up more than 30 percent of your daily recommended fat grams and 75 percent of the 20 g recommended saturated fat intake.

Plain, low-fat yogurt has 3.8 g of fat per 1-cup serving, and nonfat yogurt has 0 g of fat per serving, making both a better choice if you plan to have multiple servings of yogurt per day.

Limit Sugary Yogurts

Opt for plain yogurt over flavored varieties, as flavored varieties may be quite high in added sugar. Choosing Greek yogurt can lower its sugar content even further, as the whey strained out during its production contains much of the yogurt's natural sugar, according to Hartford Healthcare.

According to the American Heart Association, women should consume no more than 100 calories per day from added sugars (about 25 g, or 6 teaspoons), and men no more than 150 calories (about 38 g, or 9 teaspoons).

A 1-cup serving of low-fat fruit yogurt can have almost 32 g of sugar, while the same amount of plain low-fat yogurt has about 17.2 g of sugar, according to the USDA. Nonfat Greek yogurt has around 8 g of sugar.

Making Yogurt More Nutritious and Delicious

Plain low-fat yogurt isn't necessarily appealing to everyone, but you can add other foods to it to make it more palatable and boost its nutritional value.

Consider adding fruit to add sweetness to your yogurt. Mixed nuts can also add some crunch, protein, and healthy unsaturated fats. Both fruit and nuts contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Another way to make yogurt more filling is to mix in some high-fiber, low-sugar cereal.