I like to put raw sunflower nuts or my own homemade granola with my Greek yogurt as well as the fruit. I have also put it into my smoothies for extra protein. i have one ? though regarding whole wheat: I make my own bread with freshly ground wheat berries, freshly ground flax seeds and organic bread flour is that permissible with your diet plans to loose weight? or do I still need to eliminate the whole wheat?
A few weekends ago I was in LA with my buddy Vince “No Nonsense” Del Monte and a few other fitness friends for a marketing conference, and upon arriving at our hotel the very first thing Vinny and I did was take a taxi run to the grocery store.
Now, generally we’d be a little more laid back when traveling for the weekend, but fact is we’re both currently “in training” for an upcoming deadline and we know that we’ll make the best food choices when we’re in control of the menu.
So we hit the grocery store, and one of the things I happened to pick up was yogurt.
You see, yogurt can be both delicious and healthy, but the problem is that most people are mistakenly buying yogurt that is TERRIBLE for their health and waistline, even though it’s touted as “healthy as can be”.
Take for example, this label from a popular “low fat” yogurt:
Sounds like a healthy option…”low fat yogurt”. But no. 33 grams of carbs, 27 grams of sugar (most of which is dreaded high fructose corn syrup), and only 5 grams of protein. That is, essentially, a recipe for fat storage despite the fact it’s “low fat”.
So, what type of yogurt should you be eating? Without a doubt the answer is plain Greek yogurt. Compared to the above, plain Greek yogurt has 6xs the protein and 1/3 as much sugar (which is simply the naturally occuring milk sugars lactose and galactose).
That’s 31 grams of protein per 8 oz and just 12 grams of low-glycemic carbs!
Need something a little sweeter than plain yogurt? Throw some mixed berries in (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc) and/or sweeten it a tad with some Splenda or Stevia. DELICIOUS.
This is one of my favorite snacks throughout the day, and it packs a ton of high quality nurtients in to a very filling meal.
Take home message: Ditch the sugar-laden “junk” yogurt and go with delicious, thick, plain Greek Yogurt instead (look for the 0% fat variety).
P.S. The above yogurt and berry blend was actually a small part of tonight’s HUGE dinner, which also included an ample-sized lean steak, mashed sweet potatoes with cinnamon, quinoa mixed with pumpkin seeds and cranberries, green beans sauteed with garlic and roasted tomatoes, a huge spinach salad with roasted tomatoes, goat cheese, artichokes, blackened chicken and avocado, and jumbo grilled asparagus topped with organic blue cheese crumbles.
And you know what? Dinners like that are the norm EVERY SINGLE DAY of my brand new rapid fat loss 28-day diet, The HUGE Dinner Diet.
Want a copy of the Huge Dinner Diet? Well, although you can’t even buy it for another 6 months, I’ve decided to give a free copy of the HDD to any one of my readers that picks up a discounted copy of my buddy John Romaniello’s brand new Superhero Workout program. Even if you never even open John’s program, you’re going to get my brand new 28-day rapid fat loss Huge Dinner Diet system 6 months early, and cheaper than it will be later. Think of the Superhero Workout as a “bonus” to an already ridiculous, exclusive deal.
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ive been trying to get this message out to anyone who will listen. Low fat yoghurt is crap. It quite often contains more calories than full fat natural varieties. Full fat greek yoghurt is always on my shopping list
I am uber careful about what I eat but YOGURT is SO confusing I have just plained steered clear. Thanks for the clarification.
Thanx Joel
Having followed your many programmes I have already learned this but hey you never know what people know and don’t know.
Bonnie Roe
Ontario Canada
I will be reading labels more closely!! Thanks for the tip….and all the healthy fruits you can add to Greek Yogurt …YUM!!
Joel,
Good info. People don’t realize that most low fat food is junk. I’ve been eating “Chobani” plain, fat-free Greek yogurt. I think it’s great. I put a little Casein protein powder and Stevia in it. It increases the protein to carb ratio and it tastes like cake icing. I’d rather eat the icing than the cake! LOL. I also use it in place of sour cream on vegetables or baked potatoes. Keep it comin’
Hi Joel,
Thanks for posting a great article on yogurt! I didn’t know that the sugar content came from fructose syrup. I thought it actually came from the fruit itself and white sugar. My wife actually makes her own with a yogurt maker. I look forward to seeing your next article. Have a great time in L.A. with Vinny!
I too have switched to Greek yogurt awhile back. I was not sure how i was going to like natural yogurt, but i pack it full of frozen fruit and add stevia to it. Its fab!
Thanks for the tip!!! I love all those “Fat Free Yogurts” especially the Probiotic ones! Now it’s only Greek for me!!!
I’ve been eating this type of yogurt for years every day. As we speak in fact. I am greek so I grew up on homemade plain yogurt which was free of all the junk except all the good things about yogurt. I guess the only drawback back then (I’m 50) is that they used whole milk .
My top three brands are Fage, Oikos and Chobani and it’s what I recommend to my clients. Just a note: be careful of some of the other brands out there that claim to be greek yogurt….they are still adding unnecessary ingredients like HFCS.
Have a Healthy Day!
Thanks for your heads-up, Joel.
Greek yogurt is hard to find at our local groceries, so I’ve been buying Stonyfield Organic Low-Fat Yogurt which has no added sugars. However, in reading the label, I was surprised to see that while it has less than half the carbs of the ‘low-fat’ yogurt (whose label you displayed), it only has twice the protein.
So guess I’m going to have to search further for full-fat Greek Yogurt.
Good luck with your training regime. Thanks for taking time to help, and educate, us.
Ive found at my local Krogers they carry a low care version of yogurt with more fiber than sugar! It also has 12 grams of whey/casein protein per serving! Cant beat that!
my 2 yr old daughter could very possibly be the only child who loves greek yogurt. I have been giving it to her sice she was 6months old and never that “fake” yogurt I love that it is becoming much more affordable and has tons of protien!
Let me also add that to the grass-fed, organic yogurt, that unless it’s made from raw (unpasturized) milk, it’s also largely crap. The process of pasturization kills all the healthy bacteria, enzymes and nutrients in milk and renders it practically useless to our bodies. That process is also a large culprit of why so many folks are lactose intolerant in our day and age – we’re killing the enzymes that naturally occur in raw milk which help us digest the lactose! If you’re lucky enough to live in one of the very few states (CA and PA are two of them) where it’s legal to buy raw dairy products, then get your hands on some REAL yogurt with nothing added.
Hey Joel, thanks for all the fantastic tips.
About yogurt, i find it strange that you call it Greek. I’m Greek and we just call it strained yogurt although there are others types of fresh yogurt (and of course all the junk with flavour additives, like everywhere else in the civilized world, haha).
Keep up the good work.
Elias
WOW!!!!! How strange. It just so happens I was in my small town grocery store yesterday & the previous owner was telling me about Greek yogurt. She saw it on Dr. Oz & he highly recommended it. The stuff I’ve been buying has almost the same label as the one you showed. I didn’t know there was such a differnce. Thanks for the insight & I’ll be asking my store to order in the Greek product. Thanks again & I appreciate you watching out for us.
Joel,
I love Greek yogurt and like to make parfaits as a substitute for a dessert or any time I’m in need of a sugar fix. One of the recipes I use is:
3 cups plain fat-free Greek-style yogurt (such as Fage)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
28 clementine segments
1/4 cup shelled, unsalted dry-roasted chopped pistachios
Preparation
1. Combine yogurt and vanilla in a bowl. Spoon 1/3 cup yogurt mixture into each of 4 small parfait glasses; 5 clementine sections, and 1/2 tablespoon nuts.
2. Top parfaits with the remaining yogurt mixture (about 1/3 cup each); 2 clementine segments, and 1/2 tablespoon nuts. Serve immediately
I’ve also noticed a lot of the low fat/sugar free yogurts have aspartame as their sweetener, which I try to avoid if possible. Thanks for the article.
Tim
I LOVE Greek yogurt with berries! The stevia option is a good trick. I have been mixing vanilla and plain together for a while, since the plain tastes too acidic for me, and it has actually doubled as a quick lunch. It’s so filling! Granted, I’m five feet tall…I’m glad you put it out there, seeing as regular yogurt–especially as the “diet” versions are so packed with chemicals, they probably do way more harm than good.
I make my own yogurt and sweeten it just as you suggest.
But i wish i knew…
What is the difference in Greek yogurt and “regular” yogurt? How do they make it and how is it better for your health?
It may be a bit of a challenge to find, but my health is more important than a few minutes of looking. After having been on a clean diet for some time, I find that if I have a high fat treat it just runs through my system very quickly.
Once again great advice…you must read the whole label to get all the facts!
Good info. I eat Kroger’s carbmaster yogurt.80cal, 1.5fat, 4 carbs, 1fat, 12 protein. Will try the Greek yogurt.
Thanks Joel. That is a very useful tip. No wonder it never did any good eating all that yogurt. The dish with all the berries looks delicious!
Your friend,
Kim
Great tip Joel. I’m not big on yogurt myself, but my girlfriend is. I’ll definitely pass this along to her. I’m sure it will help.
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...