Healthiest Yogurt? It's Greek to Me

Greek yogurt is all the rage these days. If you take a peek at the yogurt selection in your local supermarket you will see a wide selection of Greek yogurt flavors and by various producers. There’s full-fat, low-fat, and fat-free yogurt. There’s plain, honey, vanilla, strawberry, mango, blood orange, and blueberry (to name a few). You’ll also find Greek frozen yogurt fighting for space alongside ice cream in the freezer section of the market. It’s almost as confusing as choosing the right loaf of bread!

When I first started recommending Greek yogurt to my clients many years ago, there was only plain (unflavored) yogurt. I would explain how you could improve the flavor by adding cinnamon, vanilla extract, orange zest, and raw agave nectar. Add some fresh fruit, slivered almonds, and some chia or ground flax seed, and you have a complete meal in a cup!

But why Greek yogurt over the regular stuff? Is it really that much better for you? The major nutritional differences between Greek-style yogurt (it really isn’t yogurt from Greece, just yogurt made in the Greek style) and conventional yogurt is that Greek yogurt contains nearly twice the amount of protein. To make Greek-style yogurt, plain yogurt is strained to remove excess whey (the water-like substance you find at the top of your yogurt) which results in a thicker product. Unfortunately, when you strain the whey, you also remove some of the calcium, which means that Greek yogurt has less calcium than conventional yogurt.

Both types of yogurt can be good sources of probiotics, those beneficial bacteria that live in your gut and help to boost your immune system. There are many different strains of probiotics, each with its own function, and the amount and type of probiotic will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Most manufacturers list the types of bacteria strains in the yogurt, but don’t list how much.

What to look for in a yogurt

In order to ensure that you get a quality product, you must become a label detective. The first thing you should do is read the ingredient list. Basic Greek yogurt contains milk and live and active yogurt cultures. That’s it. No sugar, no coloring, no flavoring. Reading the label on flavored Greek yogurt can be a little like walking through a mine field, as some contain dangerous ingredients. An example of a high-quality flavored yogurt is Chobani, where the ingredient list for its strawberry nonfat yogurt contains: nonfat yogurt (nonfat milk, live active cultures), fruit on the bottom: strawberries, evaporated cane juice, pectin, natural flavors, locust bean gum, fruit and vegetable juice concentrate (for color).

There are no chemicals and no artificial sugars, making it a good choice. Skip the yogurt that comes packaged with granola or other toppings, as these are usually fat, sugar, and calorie bombs and cost you significantly more money. Dress up your own yogurt with seasonal fruit, chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts), seeds (chia, ground flax, hemp, pepitas), or a handful of your own low-sugar, high-fiber cereal.

Other uses for Greek yogurt

Most people use yogurt in the above-mentioned way—like a yogurt parfait. But it can also be used as a substitute for sour cream or mayonnaise in most of your recipes and it also makes a great base for dips—add some fresh chopped herbs, lemon juice and zest and you’ve got a homemade ranch dip. Another favorite is a Swiss-style museli, a cold cereal that’s made with oats, spices, fruit, nuts, seeds, and yogurt.

Here’s a great recipe for one.  Even better, there’s no cooking involved and it can be made ahead of time. For more great information and inspiration on muesli, check out  mueslifusion.com and allrecipes.com/recipe/muesli/