A Surprise Ingredient In Stonyfield Yogurt

I don't really understand why there is so much sugar in yogurt anyway. I started buying the plain stuff and adding fruit jams. Still has sugar, but I control how much. The store bought yogurts just seem so excessive in their sugar content.

Janet on September 28, 2011

I also only buy plain yogurt, mostly for my green smoothies. However, recently, I haven't been able to find the plain Stonyfield Oikos Greek Yogurt anywhere - it has all been replaced by the Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt (not organic). Now, I just don't buy yogurt. Disappointing.

Laura on September 28, 2011

I'm a big supporter of Stonyfield, and I really love their whole milk plain yogurt. I've never used Stevia, and I'm still not sure what to think on it as far as its health concerns, but I agree with others that there really needs to be no sweeteners whatsoever in yogurt because fruit is naturally sweet!

Cristina @ An Organic Wife on September 28, 2011

I'm still cautious about sweeteners, even stevia. I'd rather just moderate my real sugar use instead of putting the chemicals in my body. I find it said that companies add so much sugar/salt in products for "taste".

Yuliya on September 28, 2011

I never buy flavored yogurt anymore. I buy plain and add honey, cinnamon, or fruit.

Head Ant on September 28, 2011

Thanks so much for reinforcing our concerns, as consumers, about artificial sweeteners. I want to encourage you all to participate in a live, FREE webinar led by the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) North America and hosted by the eXtension Families Food and Fitness Community of Practice. This webinar will unveil the scientific research ILSI scientists discovered concerning artificial sweeteners and weight. With no product sponsorship or backing, this webinar is an unbiased, science-based learning opportunity about the research of low-calorie sweeteners and weight. Join us Wednesday, October 12 from 11-12 AM Eastern Time. Visit http://www.extension.org/60708/ for more information and the link to connect.

Ashley Fondren on September 28, 2011

Thank you so much for the story on this subject! I'm thrilled that you wrote about this (and included my feedback above). Keep up the great work!

Leah on September 28, 2011

Why are you looking for fat free or low fat products? Please don't help to perpetuate the myth that fats make you fat. UNHEALTHY fats are bad, for sure, but there are plenty of wonderfully healthy fats such as (coconut oil, olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds,etc.)that are VITAL to the body. In general, processed sugar-laden yogurts are a poor source of nutrients anyway, as you know. Have you ever spread a spoonful of almond butter on a pear or apple? Sheer delight!

Sue Ingebretson on September 28, 2011

I, too, like the plain yogurt (Greek or Reg, Fat Free or 2% or full fat - it's all goood!) in large tubs and sweeten/flavor it for myself. My kids are not sold on that, but i'm working on them. So, this Stonyfield new option is a great one I can pick up for them and not have to stress about too much sugar and/or artificial sweeteners. ;) I am a big fan of stevia, too. I use less than they do, I'm sure. Most all flavored/sweetened yogurts i try are too sweet. Sometimes if I'm in a pinch I'll buy one sweetened and one plain and mix them together and that makes it just about right for me. As a side note, Aldi just added Greek Yogurt to their regular product line, so for 85¢ i can stock up on greek yougurt for a decent price. Woo hoo!

Angie M. on September 28, 2011

I don't like any of the fake sugars. I think I'm allergic to some of them. I get headches, nautious & dizzy. I try to avoid them & read the ingredients for a product before I buy them, but sometimes I miss it. They're in so many products these days.

dramaqueensmum on September 28, 2011

Stevia can be grown organically and since Stonyfield's yogurt is certified organic, they are not able to use non-organic stevia. As a Master Gardener, I have grown it and found it easy to grow. It really is a matter of taste when it comes to its use. Personally, I do not care for the taste of stevia as it has an aftertaste. It reminds me too much of aspartame.

Your suggestion is actually the most sound. Added sugar is supposed to counteract the beneficial bacteria in yogurt. If you are going to eat it, simply add your own organic fruit. That is always the best way to go.

Thanks for the post, Lisa. I love your articles. You always find interesting things to write about.

June Stoyer @OrganicGuru on September 28, 2011

Stevia is bound to be better than other virtually 0 cal sweeteners like saccharin.

But you are right, that it's better to buy plain and add your own flavours.

It's really useful to retrain yourself as to what you find sweet. Most shop bought and especially low fat options are way too sweet for me.

Neilon on September 28, 2011

I've never really liked the taste of Stevia, either. And I don't understand why sugar has to be added to EVERYTHING. I do the same as several people have posted; get the plain organic Greek yoghurt and add my own flavorings. I stopped buying Progresso soup when I tasted sugar in their Pot Roast soup. Sugar in POT ROAST????? Please!!

Melissa on September 28, 2011

Stevia is banned in Europe and Canada. Being natural does not mean it is healthy even if it is organic. It may not be any worse than the other sweeteners but it certainly is no better. Just has a good marketing angle.

Sheila Danzig on September 28, 2011

Why is there so much sugar? Why is everything so sweet? Consumers demand it. They want to be "healthy" yet still have their cake and eat it too. All healthful/diet type foods don't have to be drab, dull and boring but that's what people think. Now, if they can get a healthful product that still tastes like the other regular brands, they're OK with that - they want have the impression they're doing the right thing even if it contains a few chemicals. The "heart healthy," "low calorie," "whole grain" buzz words convince them so. They feel good whether they've improved their health or not and the food producers get their money in the process...

Lindah on September 28, 2011

STEVIA - Well I just need to say what I think about it. I agree w/ the issue of "overdoses" of sweeteners like stevia. We need to re educate our taste!!! less sweet will be better.... Try this (I did) don't eat any sweets for 1-2 wks... any... then eat a granola bar or your favourite sweet snack!! you will be shock!!! how come b4 was not that sweet & now is extremely sweet?
My roots are from South America, lived in the north of Argentina and South of PAraguay for many years. I saw first hand how the aboriginal people use stevia leaves. 2 or 3 in a big pot of boiling water to make their "mate" (tea) sweet - specially for kids. Or just put 1 or 2 of the leaves w/ the mate (tea) hot or cold to have the sweetness & that's all!!!!
YES we tend to overdo on things!!!

Mildred on September 28, 2011

Lindah - I agree 100%. We need to use LESS sweetener and eat simple foods. Oatmeal with fresh fruit is a great breakfast but we want bars and junk. We don't need added sweeteners and we don't need added fats or sodium. Start with the children -- give them fruits and veggies and whole grains and they will love them.

sheila danzig on September 28, 2011

I work at Stonyfield and wanted to chime in and address some of your concerns. We’re concerned about the amount of sugar we add to our yogurts, too. In fact, almost half of the sugar listed in the nutritional info is what’s found naturally in the milk and in the fruit – which is why you see different sugar amounts in different flavors. We’ve tried a variety of all-natural sweeteners over the years, including honey, fruit juice concentrate, agave nectar, and naturally milled sugar. After a lot of trial and error, we found that a combination of sugar and stevia worked best to reduce added sugar. We chose stevia because it's the first all natural, plant-based, zero calorie sweetener that can be organically certified and provides the sweetness we were looking for to make sure our yogurt is delicious.

For years we’ve received letters and calls from our fans asking for reduced sugar and fewer calories in their favorite organic yogurt.  What we’ve heard and learned is that people want organic but also care about the amount of calories they consume, so we set out to provide a lighter yogurt option that didn’t use artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose.  For many people reducing the calories they eat can be an important part of staying healthy, and that used to mean having to choose artificial sweeteners that can have adverse affects on health in the long run.  We believe organic yogurt lovers should have just as many choices as are available in non-organic products so we were excited to make reduced calorie organic yogurt a reality.

At Stonyfield we’re committed to healthy foods, healthy people and a healthy planet, so you can be sure that we would never use an ingredient that we haven't determined to be safe. In fact, the safety of stevia was confirmed by independent experts and the FDA prior to its being put on the market. To reach the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for stevia through eating our yogurt, a 150-pound person would have to eat over 15 Stonyfield 0% Fat yogurts per day!

I'm really sorry some of you aren't happy with our new yogurt but I love to see all of your suggestions about adding your own fruit to plain yogurt, something a lot of us do here at Stonyfield as well. I hope you’ll find other varieties of Stonyfield Organic yogurt that aren't sweetened with stevia to your liking, like our fruit on the bottom 0% fat yogurt, our lowfat yogurt and our delicious Stonyfield Organic Oikos Greek 0% fat yogurt.  

Also Laura, Stonyfield Organic Oikos shouldn't have been replaced by Dannon Oikos at the supermarket. If you reach out to our consumer relations group with the name of your local store we can look into it for you so that you can have your favorite organic yogurt again! (1-800-PRO-COWS)

I hope this has helped answer some questions.

Carrie Kocik, Stonyfield

Carrie on September 28, 2011

Yogurt really isn't good for you anyways. The dairy is one of the worst kinda you can eat, even with the macrobiotics it doesn't help and the stevia is just another reason. I am biased as it has made me very ill but cottage cheese is the same way. It may SEEM easy and good for you but the reality is a different story.
resource: holistic training

femmmefatal on September 28, 2011

I'm so glad you are using your popular forum to keep us updated on information like this. I spend the extra money for organic yogurt in order to support organic farmers and the use of organic products. Since I only buy plain yogurt and flavor it myself, this particular issue is not a problem for me. I have, however, discovered that being organic doesn't mean free of questionable additions, as in the addition of MSG-equivalent yeast extract in Trader Joe's organic chicken broth. Trader Joe's was a market I thought I could trust, but now I know to read every label everywhere, including at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and other formerly reliable healthy-food stores!! I recently noticed that several low calorie whole wheat breads that I was considering buying have added sucralose to their ingredients - like Sara Lee '45 calories & Delightful Whole Wheat' and Arnold's. I was checking nutrition facts online and apparently this is a new addition to these products. Also found out in my web searching that companies add it to products in addition to other sugars to try to cut the aftertaste and to save money as it is cheaper than sugar. I will finish the loaf of Sara Lee that I almost finished before I noticed the sucralose addition, but I will not buy it again or any of the other light breads containing artificial sweeteners. What a shame that this stuff has invaded our bread and our yogurt and other organic products!! Be careful, read labels and don't rely on "natural" and "organic" as indicators of additive-free products :-(

JaneG on September 28, 2011

Stevia is perfectly safe.

but I don't think yoghurt needs any sweeteners added at all, not even sugar.

ALSO, no fat yoghurt has no nutritional value - why? because the fat in dairy products is needed to breakdown the calcium etc to enable us to digest it properly. Without the fat it's indigestible and we excrete it.

Angela (Toucan Scraps) on September 28, 2011

If Stevie were perfectly safe it would not have been banned in Canada and EU. These are progressive places.

sheila danzig on September 28, 2011

Yogurt is one of the staples of my family's diet and I have never found a flavored one that used natural ingredients and was affordable so we have always just bought the plain and mixed our own fruit or honey in. But then I also started noticing that there were unnecessary things added to the plain ones, like modified food starch.

I realized the only way to know that my yogurt was just milk and active cultures was to make it myself. I make a batch every few days in the crockpot and it saves me TONS of money and requires almost zero effort. I'll never buy store bought yogurt again!

http://freezeyourwayfit.blogspot.com/2011/02/homemade-yogur…

Briony @ FreezeYourWayFit on September 28, 2011

I make my own Greek yogurt in my crock pot. It's not fast but very little effort and I have total control over what goes into it. My 4 grand-kids ages 7-12 just LOVE it. They get to add what they want to it. I've been doing this for over 6 months now and have no plan to go back to store bought.

Nancy on September 28, 2011

Stevia is not banned in Canada. See this link http://www.squidoo.com/steviacontroversy
My friend who is big into personal training and health in Canada is a fan of Stevia so I know it's no longer banned there.

Adana on September 28, 2011

You do know that part of that 17 grams of sugar comes from the milk, right?

Marisa on September 29, 2011

Marijuana is 'all-natural' too, so just because something comes from a plant doesn't make it safe or healthy.
But just because it has an aftertaste doesn't mean it ISN'T safe. At least they aren't being sneaky about it being in there. I've been blindsided by several products where it was the funky aftertaste that had me looking at the ingredients list only to discover something I didn't want!
I buy plain or honey yogurt (sweetened with actual honey) and then my daughter loves to add sprinkles (jimmies, non-pareils and quins all have fewer grams of sugar per teaspoon than sugar itself, and she enjoys the colors.) We also add unsweetened Kool-Aid for flavor and color (but you can use any unsweetened powdered drink. True Lemon makes some all-natural, dye-free lemon, lime, and orange flavors.)

Ludicrous Mama on September 29, 2011

I happen to like stevia. Especially in tea. It has a licoricey, root-beery kinda taste. For yogurt, I just add a teaspoon of jam or mush up a banana in Fage greek. Adds a SUBTLE sweetness. Our society's thing about wanting food to taste less like food and more like sweets is getting kind of stupid. Candy is candy and food is food, and we, as a culture, need to grow up a little, from a nutritional/dietary/culinary standpoint and stop wanting our food to taste like candy.

Sparkina on September 29, 2011

Sparkina, I couldn't agree with you more. We live in a society of double-mocha lattes and coca-cola. The idea that people have these daily - sometimes more than once a day - is very disturbing. What ever happened to have a treat once in a while? We don't stop to think what we are doing to our bodies and then when we get sick, we expect a pill to come to the rescue.

Vanessa Hill on October 3, 2011

I'm glad other people have noticed and are not happy about Stevia added to the non-fat Stonyfield yogurt. Just because something is natural does not mean it is good for you - think poison ivy for example. Stevia has side effects such as nausea and bloating, which is what happens to me. It is known to prevent pregnancy - says so on WebMD. So if you are consuming it and have difficulty conceiving, stop eating it. All in all, I think a couple of crushed-up leaves from the Stevia plant you can grow in your garden is fine for you, but Stonyfield is using an extract, or a highly concentrated form of it in their yogurts. Now that my friends, isn't so good for you.

Thelma Yada on October 17, 2011

Unless the side effects are death, or some other serious thing, I'll continue using products made from Stevia, and the Truvia sweetener packets. I don't like the Stonyfield yogurts though, I eat Brown Cow Greek Yogurt.

And I'm not having any kids, so I don't care about not being able to conceive.

Marisa on October 17, 2011

I meant I don't care if Stevia causes ME to not be able to conceive.

Marisa on October 17, 2011

I just emailed my displeasure with the addition of Stevia to my favorite yogurt to Stonyfield online. I don't like some of the negative things I've read about this product, so don't want it in my organic yogurt, of all things! Anyone else out there that is unhappy about this, please be a responsible consumer and email Stonyfield to let them know .

JaneG on October 21, 2011

If you guys don't like tht they added stevia to the yogurt, fine, don't eat it. Simple as that.

Marisa on October 21, 2011

I don't like the consistency of stonyfield yogurt, but I think stevia is better than splenda.

Marisa on October 21, 2011

Stevia is no longer banned in the EU and Canada. In fact, it was banned in the US based off of 1 single complaint - meanwhile for many years 80% of complaints to the FDA were aspartame related and to this day that awful poison is still peddled (you can thank Donald Rumsfeld for that, google it).

It's fine if you don't like Stevia, it's certainly an acquired taste at first. However, spouting misinformation and paranoia as fact not only hurts those looking for safe alternatives, but encourages people to stay with unsafe sweeteners like aspartame. Stevia is natural. Very natural. You can grow it at home. And if you find some actual negative stevia research not bought and paid for by the aspartame trade groups, please share them. You won't find them, because they don't exist.

Johnny D on December 11, 2011

If Stevia is perfectly safe, why does it make so many people sick? I suffered severe GI issues after eating the new 0% Stonyfield yogurt - did not realize there was Stevia in it, and really expect more from Stonyfields. Very disappointed!

MJ W on December 22, 2011

It doesn't "make so many people sick". More likely you tasted a slight difference and stressed yourself into an issue. It happens. Many GI issues like IBS are directly related to stress and anxiety. If you truly believe that you were poisoned with Stevia, you should consult a lawyer and have your medical practitioner testify in a lawsuit that the Stevia in this yogurt was the culprit. This of course assumes you had no GI issues prior to eating this cup of yogurt?

Johnny D on December 22, 2011

Sorry to disappoint you, Johnny D, no GI issues for me beforehand. A direct correlation to eating Stonyfield's 0% with Stevia which I had never eaten before (and I was a religious Stonyfield's eater before - the regular kind). You should take a look around the web at MANY people complaining about the same issues with Stevia.

And - I did not say I was "poisoned." I said it caused severe GI which it did.

Happy holidays.

MJ W on December 23, 2011

I fall for this all the time so I'm taking your suggestion... to buy plain yogurt and mix your own flavors in it. This way you can control the amount of sugar - and you know what is in it.

@LindaMarotto on March 13, 2012

I've been eating Stonyfield's 0% fat french vanilla for many years. When I tasted the one I bought recently, I thought it had gone bad! Then I realized it was the new ingredient...stevia. I don't care if it's still organic...it tastes awful! I spent forever in the yogurt aisle yesterday looking for a new alternative and found Siggi's. So far so good...

Elena on May 14, 2012

Finally! companies are starting to use all natural stevia. I get really bad headaches from aspartame. Sucralose make me dizzy and sick. I have been using stevia for quit a while now with no side effects. It really bothered me that we had all these unhealthy sweeteners in everything, but now we are starting to have some healthier options. That is great that everyone on here buys everything without sweeteners but that is not the real world, so it is nice to have some healthier options.

patricia on September 11, 2012

I for one applaud the use of Stevia. I am not aware of any published studies that show adverse health affects from Stevia. On the other hand, the negative health affects from added sugar are well documented. I continue to be amazed that otherwise "health conscious" consumers will be fine with eating foods with added sugar. That is WORSE than high FAT and certainly worse than Stevia.

Terry on September 18, 2012

stevia is not banned in canada

brenda on October 17, 2012

I buy plain Greek yogurt, Fage, Chiobani and add fresh fruit or frozen fruit and a little honey and vanilla extract. I have also strained plain yogurt in a yogurt strainer to make my own Greek yogurt. Doing it this way you get more for your money. I also do not like any fillers in my yogurt. So I do read the labels. And make sure they have the probiotics which is great for digestive issues.

Janie Morbillo on October 24, 2012

Oh goodness! Stevia is a plant that I have grown in my own back yard. Its an herb. You can clip a leaf or two and throw it in your tea for sweetener. There's no actual sugar in this plant, it simply tastes sweet. I use it myself because it doesn't affect my blood sugar (something I stuggle with.) Flabbergasted to see this very safe non chemical sweetener demonized.

Lauren on November 6, 2012

Sue Ingebretson - almond butter is very high-calorie and certainly not the solution for people trying to lose weight. Also, "healthy" fats, are healthy in that they are less harmful to cardiac and vascular health. "Healthy" fats have nothing to do with weight loss and will not assist in weight loss. Lastly, it is not a myth that fats make you fat. Fats are extremely calorie-dense, whether they are "healthy" fats or not. Getting fat is about calories in vs. calories out. People who are trying to lose weight without feeling like they are suffering or hungry would be well-advised to stay away from calorie-rich foods because a 1500 calorie diet will include a lot more actual food when it doesn't include lots of fats.

So... in summary... please don't perpetuate the myth that healthy fats mean they won't make you fat. And please don't perpetuate the myth that almond (or other nut) butters are good for everyone. They may be the right choice for you, but please do not judge others who happen not to make the choices you make. For example, when you say, "Why are you looking for fat free or low fat products?" you are, by default, judging the writer for the food choices she is making. That is not your right. You control what you eat. Stick with that and don't try to make others feel guilty for not eating the way you eat.

MG on January 24, 2013

Hey MG. I think you need to do a little more research on using healthy fats in the diet. I went ahead a put links to three websites that you should check out below. Once you understand the science of a healthy fat, versus say a hydrogenated fat, you'll see there's actually no reason to be scared of them. I believe everyone should have a balanced diet and not drench their food in fats, but if you are gonna have fats, and yes the body does need healthy fatty acids for proper cellular function, then flax seed oil, and coconut oil are two really great options. Please check out the articles below:

Three Reasons Coconut Oil can Help You Lose Weight

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/027220_coconut_oil.html#ixzz2J01…

http://www.healthy.net/scr/news.aspx?Id=10168&CatId=6&Page=…

http://superfoodprofiles.com/flaxseed-oil-weight-loss

LC on January 25, 2013

By the way, I think the last article is the most informative.

LC on January 25, 2013

Stevia is no longer banned in Europe. There is nothing wrong with Stevia as a sweetner.Much like everything else, too much of anything can be bad.Consuming too much water can kill you. I prefer stevia over the fake crap anytimeof the day. Sure buying plain natural /organic is better and to add your own fruit is better but a lil stevia to help punch up the taste is ok. Plus stevia is great natural alternative for diabetic persons. Don't be over dramatic people !!

sam on January 30, 2013

Someone might want to update this page. Stonyfield no longer uses Stevia in their products. Right from their FB page: "We no longer make our 0% French Vanilla Yogurt with organic stevia. In 2011 we began using organic stevia to sweeten our smooth and creamy 0% fat yogurts. But we found our fans preferred not to use stevia, so we've switched back to organic sugar and the calories are now about the same as they were before we added stevia."

The Mama Yada on February 14, 2013

i have diabetes type 1 & liked the STONYFIELD 0% STEVIA sweetened yogurts, but they have been discontinued...WHY??????all the others have too much sugar.

rose schonberger on February 26, 2013

I like the idea of Stevia in yogurt. I cannot have any sugar in my diet at all(because if surgery) and out of all the sweeteners I think Stevia is the safest.

laura on April 9, 2013

I like the idea of plain yogurt and adding our own jam... but which jam is the best to use based on sugar content, and no artificial colors/flavors? thank you ! :)

Holly on April 30, 2013

Make your own yogurt. It's easy!

charlotte on May 24, 2013

I am very happy to find yogurt sweetened with stevia as my wife and I stopped using all other artificial sweeteners recently.Regular yogurt is just too sweet that is sweetened with sugar,so I am happy to find Stonyfield yogurt with stevia,as I like flavored yogurt that is ready to eat just like it comes from the Stonyfield Plant that produced it.

MARK A. MCPHERSON on January 21, 2014

I've been getting plain yogurt and adding my own stevia and cinnamon, sometimes a little turmeric for 3 yrs. I wish someone would come up with a creamy protein on the go shake containing stevia. I have used Atkins shakes but would prefer it without all the added chems! I only use "Sweet leaf" brand stevia though as it is pure, most others add a chemical added sweetener as well!

mewee on January 24, 2014

There are a number of misconceptions in this article and comments. Here's some info that I hope can be of use.

1. Stevia is a natural plant-derived sweetener. It can be organic, just like any other plant. It is as natural as cane sugar or any other natural sweetener.

2. Stevia has been used by aboriginal peoples in areas where it naturally grows. So using stevia is not "experimenting on ourselves" any more than using other plants which have a history of use by aboriginal peoples.

3. Using stevia is compatible with reducing our need for sweetness AND with reducing our sugar consumption. We can achieve any given desired sweetness level either by just using added sugar OR by using a lower quantity of added sugar in combination with stevia OR by using stevia alone without added sugars. This can be done to achieve a high degree of sweetness OR a low degree of sweetness. All you do is adjust the quantities used.

4. I agree that when the sweetness of foods is satisfactory without added sweeteners, this is the way to go. However, most people like occasionally having foods with added sweeteners so it's nice to have some healthy options.

5. While there is no research concluding that stevia can cause harm, there IS research concluding that other natural sweeteners (e.g. table sugar, fructose, etc.) cause harm. Even excessive fructose from whole fruits can cause harm.

So, what to do? I personally don't like the taste of too much stevia. So when something needs to be sweetened, I either use a small amount of stevia, or a small amount of stevia in combination with a small amount of honey or sugar. And I like foods that are only a little bit sweet.

TA on February 5, 2014

I'm tired of researching! Can you just please tell me the best plain non-fat yogurt to buy? That's why we love you.

Susan on May 22, 2014

Whenever I run out of my yogurt I buy FAGE Greek yogurt and add fruit. But honestly girls, it's so easy to make your own yogurt and even Greek yogurt. Just check out yogurt makers and Greek yogurt strainers on Amazon. It does take extra time if you turn your regular homemade yogurt into Greek but just knowing it's homemade is satisfying. Plus you save money. I also use the flavored stevia drops (My Favorite being English Toffee) to flavor my Greek yogurt when my favorite fresh fruits are not as available. Really, you should try and make your own!

Carri on November 3, 2014

I'm sold on using pure stevia extract drops because I've read about its safeness as a time-honored herb and have acclimated my tastebuds to a point where just 2-3 drops in my tea, coffee and yogurt are perfect.
Like many commenters here do, I add my own fruit to plain, organic yogurt. Recently I added a whole bag of frozen raspberries to a qt. of Stonyfield plain yogurt and about 6 drops of stevia; the result was pure heaven. Stonyfield is easy to find in New England but I prefer Seven Stars Farm or Nanci's when I can find it. Butterworks Farm is no longer in Ct. but man was it the best, no wonder it is no. 1 on Cornucopia's Yogurt List. I miss it :(
Anyone interested in the report, here it is. The Ratings. Also included is latest findings on yogurt as health food or as junk food.
http://www.cornucopia.org/yogurt

Barb L on February 22, 2015

I really never thought the yogurt was that sweet. I prefer it sweeter. I also thought Stevia was ok. Guess I was wrong. So what sweetener is safe?

Donna on August 18, 2015

As a Master Herbalist, one thing I learned in my nutrition studies is that organic Stevia(with out Erythritol ) is quite safe and a million times better than artificial sugar substitutes. Stevia, is also better than sugar, syrups and honey. Honey and maple syrup are both high in sugar. Stevia can help reduce excess sugar consumption (excess sugar leads to diabetes, cancer and heart disease ). A natural Stevia extract can be easily made at home with fresh Stevia leaves and vodka. Dairy is really only beneficial for the body in yogurt, Kiefer, and cheese forms. I rarely drink milk.

Ali on March 13, 2016

Love stoneyfield plain whole milk yogurt. I have a lil stevia plant that I use for sweetening my lemonade or teas. I use a couple of drops to enjoy in the yogurt. Thank you.

Mari on June 2, 2016

Steva is a natural sugar there isn’t anything fake in it not sir I understand your concern?

Toni on April 10, 2018

I think you are very selfish!! There are a lot of diabetics and low carbers that want stevia instead of sugar! Sugar, honey, maple syrup raises our glucose!!! I will be glad when all snacks have a stevia version! I love Simply Lemonade Light and it has stevia instead of Splenda or aspartame!!! I hope Stoneyfield will make the Whole Milk yogurt flavors with Stevia!!
I hope Jello will get rid of artificial sweeteners and make all of their desserts with Stevia.

By going low carb I am off my diabetic meds and blood pressure meds and cholesterol and triglycerides are now a third of what they were when I consumed sugar!!!!!!

Angie on September 15, 2018

As a person who has borderline diabetes and must watch their sugar intake Stevia is a perfect sweetener as it mostly passes through the body unlike real sugar and fake sugar. As far as the after taste I don’t even notice it anymore, it wasn’t that bad in the first place. I’ll be looking for Stonyfield yogurt in my local Whole Food store the next time I go there.

Phil on May 8, 2019