Yogurt can be a nutritious snack or part of a meal, and it is a convenient source of protein and other essential nutrients. However, you may be avoiding dairy products if you have lactose intolerance or allergies to milk proteins, or if you simply don't like them or want a change. Soy yogurt can be a healthy substitute for regular yogurt if you choose it carefully and eat it as part of a balanced diet.
Bone Health
Soy yogurt has about 300 mg calcium per cup, and it can be fortified with vitamin D. Calcium and vitamin D are essential for strong bones, and major sources in the diet include dairy products and fortified juice and cereals. A 2,000-calorie diet should include three servings of reduced-fat dairy products, such as milk, yogurt or cheese, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. If you prefer, you can meet your calcium needs using vegan, or plant-based, substitutes such as soy yogurt.
Isoflavones and Probiotics
An advantage of soy yogurt over regular yogurt is that it has soy isoflavones, which are compounds that may reduce your risk for heart disease, according to the University of Michigan. Isoflavones are also in other soy products, such as soybeans, including green edamame and roasted soy nuts, miso soup and tempeh, or soybean curd. Soy yogurt is a source of probiotics, which are healthy bacteria that can live in your gut and reduce your risk for diarrhea. Fermented foods are the most common dietary sources of probiotics, and tofu yogurt and dairy yogurt also provide probiotics.
Protein
Soy yogurt substitutes are good alternative sources of protein to regular dairy yogurt. Soy is a plant-based product, but its protein is complete, or high-quality, which means that it provides each of the amino acids that you need to get from the diet. All proteins from animal sources, such as milk and milk products, are also complete. A cup of regular yogurt provides about 8 to 13 g protein, and a cup of plain soy yogurt has 6 g.
Considerations
Flavored yogurt made from real milk often contains non-nutritive artificial sugar substitutes, but flavored soy yogurt is usually all-natural, and high in refined or unprocessed added sugars such as white sugar, fructose or corn syrup. These sugars provide calories without beneficial nutrients, so choose plain soy yogurt to limit your sugar intake. Another factor to consider is the potassium content, since potassium is an essential nutrient for regulating your blood pressure. Dairy yogurt is higher in potassium than soy yogurt substitutes.
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