Is Go-Gurt Healthy? - Jinan Banna PhD, RD

By Micahel Henze, MS 

Reviewed by Jinan Banna, PhD, RD

Did you grow up in the 90’s? If so, you probably remember when Go-Gurt burst onto grocery store shelves offering a new way to enjoy yogurt without the need for a spoon. Still popular twenty years later, this tubular snack proved to have some staying power. 

The to-go nature of Go-gurt makes it a desirable snack choice for busy women and families.  Considering packing it in your kids’ lunch, or even enjoying it yourself? Here’s an in-depth look at this portable product.

Go-Gurt Options

Go-Gurt: 

The lunchbox staple. Go-Gurt is made to have a thicker consistency than traditional yogurts so it can be squeezed out of the signature tube. Go-gurt has flavors that are marketed towards children like cotton candy and blue raspberry. 

Go-Gurt Dunkaroos: 

This product combines two popular snack food brands to create a snack contained in a compartmentalized plastic tray. The vanilla cookies are to be enjoyed dipped in strawberry or vanilla “birthday cake” yogurts. 

Simply GoGurt: 

This variety is marketed to be free of any added colors or high fructose corn syrup (though no Go-gurts contain HFCS or artificial colors). The flavor options are a bit more “natural,” like strawberry banana or mixed berry. 

Nutrition Facts:

1 tube of berry Go-gurt contains

• Calories: 50
• Carbohydrates: 10 grams
• Added Sugars: 6g
• Fat: 0 grams
• Protein: 2 grams

Important Nutrients Found in Go-Gurt

Protein:

Dairy containing foods like Go-gurt contain “complete proteins” which mean they contain all nine of the essential amino acids that must come from our diet. Our bodies use proteins for energy, but also to make things like skin, muscles, enzymes and hormones. 

Click this link to read a great blog post by Gaby Vaca-Flores, RDN, CLE where she describes more about the roles of protein for health and weight loss. Learn how to easily calculate your individual protein needs. 

Vitamin A:

Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin naturally found in cow’s milk. However, to make non-fat Go-gurt, the fat and fat-soluble vitamins are skimmed out. Vitamin A is then added back into Go-gurt. This nutrient is essential for immune function, cell growth, and eye health. 

Calcium:

Like all dairy foods, Go-gurt is rich in calcium. Calcium is the primary mineral that strengthens our bones. It is very important for kids and teens to regularly consume calcium rich foods to increase their bone mineral density which peaks in early adulthood. 

Read this article and watch the accompanying video if you would like to learn more about how bones develop and change through the lifecycle. 

Vitamin D:

Vitamin D is hard to come by in the diet, especially for those who do not regularly consume fish. As a result, in the United States it is required for milks to be fortified with Vitamin D to help reduce the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiencies. This vitamin contained in Go-gurt also helps with healthy bone mineralization.

Potassium:

Gogurt contains modest amounts of potassium, which is the most abundant electrolyte inside our cells. It is required for the health and function of all cells, and facilitates nerve signaling and muscle contraction. 

Carbohydrates:

Carbohydrates are the preferred energy source for our brains and muscles during high intensity movements. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 45-65% of all calories should come from carbohydrates each day.   

What is not in Go-Gurt?

High Fructose Corn Syrup:

High fructose corn syrup is sugar concentrated from corn. Of course, it is best to keep added sugars of all kinds to a minimum, so it’s important to look for other types of sugar in foods as well. 

Artificial Colors/Flavors:

Depending on the flavor, different Go-gurts use several natural pigments (as opposed to artificial colors) to add fun hues. For example, blue raspberry or cotton candy varieties of Go-gurt use extract from an algae called spirulina to impart vibrant blue color to the yogurt. 

Gluten:

There are no wheat containing ingredients or additives in Go-gurt so it is naturally a gluten free food. However, the cookies in the “Dunkaroos” do contain gluten, so those with celiac will want to stick to the classic tubes!

Health Benefits

Protein: 

• Protein-rich foods are more satiating, which means they help us feel full and can prevent overeating. [1]
• Did you know we actually have to expend energy to digest and absorb the energy in our food? Protein requires us to burn more calories to digest it compared to fats or carbohydrates. [1]
• Diets with sufficient protein help our bodies build and maintain muscle. Higher amounts of muscle mass reduces insulin resistance and supports fat loss as it increases the basal metabolic rate. [2]

Live Bacteria Cultures:

Like all yogurts, Go-gurt is made via fermentation. Live bacteria cultures begin to break down the lactose sugars contained within milk to give yogurt its texture and tangy flavor. In human studies, diets rich in fermented foods like yogurt have been shown to be associated with healthy weight control and to be protective against type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and overall mortality. [3]

Furthermore, because of the fermentation process, yogurts are lower in lactose than other dairy products and may be tolerated better by those who may have difficulty digesting milk. 

Calcium/Vitamin D:

Calcium and vitamin D are two nutrients essential for bone health. For women, bone mineral density peaks around age 20 and slowly declines until menopause where bone mineral loss hastens due to falling levels of estrogen. [4] For that reason, it is especially important for adult women to consume plenty of calcium and D-rich foods after this peak! 

Drawbacks  

Added Sugar:

For a health-promoting diet, we should aim to consume no more than 10% of daily calories from added sugars. In a 2,000 calorie diet, this means keeping it under 50g (~12.5 tsp) of added sugar per day. The second leading ingredient in Go-gurt is sugar, and each tube contains 6 grams of added sugar, or 12% of the daily allotment in a 2,000 calorie/ day diet. Consuming high amounts of added sugars can contribute to an energy intake surpassing our needs, which overtime causes weight gain and its associated complications. 

Fruit Flavor is not a Substitute for Fruit Intake:

Go-gurts do not contain any real fruit and therefore do not impart the same health benefits as whole fruit. Notably, Go-gurt does not contain fiber, vitamin C, or any of the phytochemicals found in fruit.   

Closing Points

Go-gurt is rich in satiating protein and nutrients like calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin D. This variety of yogurt, however, is high in added sugar to achieve those sweet fruity flavors without containing any real fruit. 

So, if portability is not a deal-breaker for you or your family, it might be advisable to find another variety of yogurt that will have the similar nutritional benefits, with less added sugars. 

To make a more satiating yogurt snack, select a low sugar variety and add fibrous toppings like oats, chia seeds, flax seeds. Want to add something sweet? Try adding a drizzle of honey or whole berries which will add vitamins and phytonutrients not found in fruit flavorings!