You know yogurt is healthy and a great way to get calcium, and you may have even heard about probiotics, the "helpful" bacteria that boost your immune system. Some yogurts could be considered liquid candy bars while others sound medicinal enough to require a prescription. Understanding the nutritional ins and outs of this power food is worth the effort. Here are the top-ranking questions my clients ask, along with my how-to-shop advice.

Is plain yogurt the only healthful kind?

No. It seems counterintuitive that a yogurt called banana cream pie or strawberry cheesecake could actually be good for you, but it's all about the nutrition label. Any yogurt (plain or flavored) that meets the following criteria (per 8 ounces) is a smart choice:

No more than 200 calories Yogurt is mainly made from milk, and 1 cup of fat-free milk contains just 86 calories. Extra ingredients shouldn't tack on more than another hundred or so. 4 g of fat or less Because no other fats are added to yogurt, the total fat content reflects what kind of milk it's made from. More than 4 g probably means whole milk was used, or even cream. Both are heavy in the unhealthy saturated fat you should be avoiding to protect your heart.

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