I tried… different yogurt
Why yogurt?
Well because this was an easy next after my previous post on different kinds of milk. But seriously, yogurt is a great option as they’re rich in probiotics, nutrient-dense and they make a great snack and help to curb that sweet tooth. It’s also a great add-on for your smoothies, desserts, dips, oatmeal (I mention some options in my oatmeal post here), and I mean you can’t forget “foryo” can you? I love foods that bring a lot to the table(are nutrient-dense), are budget-friendly, and are a good option irrespective of your diet, and are convenient. When it comes to yogurt, you can include it in your recipes but the way I look at it is, it isn’t something that requires cooking, it’s a grab-and-go snack which if you add a few things makes a whole meal, for example, a chia-pudding, a parfait, so on. Like other foods, there are plenty of options here as well, don’t you just love having options when it comes to things that are already awesome. So, let’s dive in and see what we have.
What are my options?
So let’s talk options, these can be split into broadly three major groups. First will be your regular yogurt, then you have Greek yogurt, a higher protein version of the regular yogurt, and then we have non-dairy yogurt options for folks who’re vegan/lactose intolerant. Let’s dive in, starting with the diary-based options.
Plain yogurt
This is your regular yogurt that’s mainly used for cooking. It’s rich in probiotics, having this first thing in the morning with some jaggery/sweetener is almost like a natural probiotic supplement and is worth a try if you have gut issues or not. So since yogurt is made from milk, like milk, we also have similar options like whole(5% milk-fat), reduced(2% milk-fat), and fat-free. In my post on milk, I go into these options, if you haven’t checked it out already, you can get to it here. Like milk, I recommend getting the whole milk-based yogurt due to the same reason as you get more bang for your buck, more of the good fats with a fraction of extra calories. This is however higher in carbs as compared to something like Greek yogurt, so depending on your diet you may opt for the latter. Now plain yogurt is great for cooking but you can’t eat it directly as it’s sour. If you’re one of the few that do, more props to you, but most people don’t, so let’s look at some flavors, shall we?
Flavored yogurt
Taking something as benign as yogurt and turning it into something sinister is what happens when manufacturers try solving a problem without any thoughts about its repercussions. Sure, you have flavored yogurt options but this is achieved by adding not just copious amounts of sugar but all sorts of additives to yogurt to make it taste great. At that point you’re way beyond the point of eating something good for you, you’re having a dessert which is fine if we call it for what it is. This would be a little better if you in a way balanced the sugar with the higher protein content, but since this is regular yogurt which is already higher in carbs adding sugar blows it out of proportion. However, if you’re willing to see past these or looking for a dessert option, there are vanilla, berries, and fruit-based flavors available that taste great. The vanilla one is a great base for ice cream, froyo, and desserts. So does this mean there’s nothing you can do if you still want to keep it healthy? No, keep on reading.
Greek yogurt
Greek yogurt is derived from regular yogurt by straining. This makes it a thicker version of the former while retaining the same taste. You can’t use it in cooking as a 1:1 substitute due to the thicker consistency. However, an area where Greek yogurt surpasses its predecessor is protein content. Greek yogurt has almost twice the protein content with half the carbs as compared to regular yogurt. It’s almost as this was made to help you to meet your protein goals. Here’s an article that goes in-depth about the differences between Greek and regular. Okay, so it’s better than regular yogurt in terms of macros but does this solve the original problem of it being too sour to snack on? No, as Greek yogurt retains the same taste and the consistency makes it even more difficult to eat as is. However, as we’ve already established that this is a great snack option let’s make it one. Here’s where you can get creative either by going the sweet route by adding chopped fruits or savory by making a dip out of it, many recipes out there for ideas. Well, what if you’re lazy and want a quick fix? Keep on reading.
Flavored Greek yogurt
Here’s where I live, most of the products that fall in this section are better than others in terms of protein content and convenience. Most of the flavored Greek yogurt options available today are pretty decent due to less added sugar, variety of flavors and they taste great. You can add these to your desserts, smoothies, or snack on them as it is. I add it to my oatmeal to amp up the protein content and it also makes the oatmeal taste great. However, not all options are ideal, let’s look at some popular options in terms of brands.
Things that work here are the flavor options, a little less than some of the other brands has but they’re coming out with new ones every day so you can’t complain. Although some flavors do taste a little funky like cherry, I guess that’s just me, the strawberry cheesecake is my favorite. This has an acceptable amount of sugar and more protein than sugar. The catch here though is that the ingredients aren’t the best, it does have additives. Now sure they’re less than 1% so doesn’t make it a deal-breaker but I guess they can do better.
Pros: Flavor options, macros
Cons: Ingredients
This is marketed as the “triple-zero” yogurt, which means zero added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or fat. Well, they could’ve skipped the last one but this is still a great brand. Well if everything that makes something taste good(sugar & fat) is zero, the question is does this taste good? It does, they do a good job making it taste good while keeping it zero. The ingredients are also good and they have plenty of flavor options as well, triple berry is my favorite. It is a little more expensive than the other options here but I’d say it’s worth it and this is a brand I can recommend.
Pros: Zero sugar and additives, flavor options, macros
Cons: A little pricy(but go for it)
A popular brand like “Chobani” is known for its ingredients, real fruits, and no artificial stuff. It also has quite a few flavors to choose from, berries-based, fruit-based, and even something like coffee and cream. They all taste great, my favorite is coconut and strawberry+banana but that’s just what I like. However, it’s not all roses, the amount of sugar in most of these is pretty high especially when compared to the protein content. This again makes it more of a dessert and not ideal for a daily snack option. Now they do have low sugar options but those are honestly hard to spot as opposed to the regular ones. I found about these while researching for this post, which is me spending quite some time in the yogurt section of the store. They also have a yogurt-based drink again tastes great but suffers the same fate as the regular options.
Pros: Flavor options, ingredients
Cons: High sugar content
This is similar to Chobani, with a high amount of added sugar, shabby carbs to protein ratio but with good ingredients. However where it does lack is the flavor options, there aren’t as many.
Pros: Ingredients
Cons: High sugar content, flavors
It’s almost like we’re on a downward track after we hit “Chobani”, as Cabot like the Fage is similar to Chobani in aspects of sugar, macros(carbs: protein) ratio but in addition, has decent ingredients and only one flavor which is vanilla, that’s how far they went. The funny thing is they say it has a “whopping” amount of protein with the added sugar being almost double that.
Pros: Ingredients
Cons: High sugar content, flavors
Local(grocery store brand)
So in my research, I did come across some grocery store yogurt options like one from Walmart. The thing though is these wary a lot some were decent(Walmart), others not so much. However, if you got here, by now you have a general idea of what are the things to look out for.
Dairy-free yogurt
For all the lactose-intolerant/vegan/dairy-free folks out there, if you clicked on this post expecting there’ll be nothing for you, well surprise! Like many other products, yogurts also have dairy-free options these days. These are made from dairy-free milk, almond and coconut are the popular ones. I’d recommend the latter as coconut milk is creamier which enhances the texture. These do a great job and taste pretty much like dairy-based yogurts. They also like their counterparts come in different flavors that have added sugars, which may be something you wanna steer away from. Here’s a great blog that explores different brands in this area. The biggest drawback that these have though is they lack protein, and when I say lack, some brands have <1g per serving. So, if you wanted a protein-rich snack that tastes good, this may disappoint you. Now this happens because the protein in yogurts come from dairy, if you’re removing the dairy and not adding anything which replenishes the protein content you’re left with only carbs. Now some brands, do add a plant-based protein to compensate. One such example is Siggis which has a great coconut milk-based option but only has a handful of flavors, better something than nothing.
Kefir
Well if you’re like me, the first question that’ll come to you will be what is Kefir? The easiest way to answer that is, it’s a drinkable yogurt. I tried it from a brand named “lifeway” which describes it as “A tart, tangy, and creamy milk smoothie that contains live and active probiotic cultures”. Anytime you see pre/probiotics, it’s good for your gut, and trust me, gut health matters. Kefir is lactose-free, a good protein source, if you prefer drinking something as opposed to eating, but you don’t chew yogurt, so is it really eating? (food for thought). Now, what does it taste like? Well here’s the thing, it tastes funky, it’s a little too tart and tangy, at least for me, it’s like the yogurt which you should’ve consumed yesterday. But hey there are always flavors, right? Yes, there are flavors here, the brand that I mentioned has a bunch of them with great ingredients and they all taste great. However, these do have added sugars. Although not a lot but this does poorly affect the protein to carbs ratio. So if you’re looking from a gut-health perspective and can overcome the taste, I’d recommend the unflavored one or other options for probiotics. But if you’re looking for a snacking/drinking option, you can use it as a part of your smoothies, adding some protein may also make it better in terms of macros and the flavors do taste great. But I wouldn’t recommend it for a daily snacking option.
My experience
Yogurt has been a big part of my diet for quite some time now. Specifically flavored Greek yogurt, which is like a daily go-to snack as it helps satisfy my sweet tooth without indulging in something like candy.
Pros: The biggest one is convenience in terms of a healthy snack. The options available also help to keep it interesting. Finally, you can do a lot with yogurt add it to stuff, throw in some things like fruits or granola, and boom you’ve got a great snack.
Cons: As discussed some options aren’t ideal, especially for daily consumption. It’s the abundance of these bad ones and the scarcity of the good ones which leads to the mess, but hey now you know.
Verdict
Amongst the good brands that I mentioned above, I recommend trying their flavored options. You can include them in your diet in various ways if you're looking for options and to add some extra flavor.
Thanks for stopping by. Let me know your thoughts and what other categories would you like me to talk about. Have a great day!