Siggi's is delicious yogurt, only a couple of stores in my area carry it. My favorite is Stonyfield Organic nonfat greek in vanilla. Only 100 calories per carton - I add fresh fruit, currently strawberries, blueberries, and/or peaches. A couple of tablespoons of wheat germ, and my favorite lunch - yogurt parfait!
Making yogurt, Greek yogurt and skyr is so easy... Skyr comes out thick like cream cheese. You can create your own flavors (lemon ginger, cinnamon, almond cherry ) and Dutch processed cocoa; I still buy yogurt for convenience. This article doesn't mention that the culture feeds on sugar, so the actual lactose content is a little lower that that of the milk from which it was made. This stuff is a nutritional power punch. I also put in PB2, which is peanut butter powder without the fat, and it's SO yummy!!! Like peanut butter pie without the fat. (Assuming you start with nonfat milk.). The skyr is so thick, you don't miss the fat. I prefer to make my own so that I know exactly what is in it. It's great for dessert; so healthy. There's a reason people have been eating it since the dawn of time. =)
I also make homemade Greek yogurt with 1% milk, flavored with vanilla and a bit of honey. I put it on a pile of frozen rasp/black/blueberries with a bit of granola for breakfast most mornings. Delicious!
I am disappointed that the article fails to mention something rather important, though. Fat-free yogurt does you almost no good when it comes to the vit D and calcium - fat is needed to absorb the vit D, and the vit D is needed to absorb the calcium. It's a Fat-D-Calcium triangle.
Even if you're trying to lose weight, a 6oz serving of Dannon whole-milk plain yogurt is 120 cal, only 40 cal more than the fat free - it's easy enough to cut those 40 calories out elsewhere if you need to (or burn them off). The low-fat is 100cal, so only 20 cals to cut or burn there.
As to the 6g fat - well, again, Fat-D-Calcium triangle. The fat-free diet has been debunked, so since you need some fat anyhow, may as well get it from yogurt. And the low-fat Dannon is only 2.5g fat so you get the benefit without as much of the ...whatever scares people about dairy fat.
Lastly, a word on Greek yogurt and calcium: There is calcium lost in the straining process, but by my calculations (subtracting what is in the resulting volume of whey [http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/10 1] from what was in the original volume of milk), you retain about 60% of the calcium that was in the milk to start with. However, since it is condensed, you actually (or should, anyhow) wind up with more calcium in the Greek yogurt than in the starting milk on a volume for volume basis (ie. 6oz volume of Greek yogurt has more calcium in it than a 6oz volume of the milk it was made from). (addl. refs.: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/107 and http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/78 - each adjusted to/based on a 6oz serving, with 13g protein per serving required to be considered Greek yogurt. And which makes me wonder how it is that Fage, Chobani, and others only have 20%DV calcium when - purely on the maths - they should have 30% or more. Between that and the expense of it, I'd just as soon make my own - and do!)
JANETEMILY
10/27/2013 3:26:37 PM
Amen to the person who mentioned skyr or Icelandic style yogurt. It is delicious, very thick and creamy. Saw Siggi's in the Target a couple of weeks ago and glad I tried it. Their berry flavors have only 110 calories and 11 grams of sugar. Love mine with extra berries and a couple of tablespoons of wheat germ!
I had a cup of Yoplait with granola for breakfast. It's regular ol' red and white carton Yoplait (apple crisp flavor!) and it fits within the guidelines given in this article, which makes me feel better about not buying light. :)
I ate yogurt and enjoyed it until i found out how much salt it contains I will still eat it but be more careful how often.
YAHOO95
9/29/2013 7:15:15 PM
Even though this is an older article it popped up in my email so thought I'd comment. I love real Greek yogurt but the junk in the stores is nothing like it (at least 99% aren't). It's so easy to make your own in the old days we put it in a cheap styrofoam icechest (in jars of course) and it kept it warm enough. The crockpot method is great also. I just use organic plain (no fillers) as a starter. If you get one with pectin gelatin etc it won't work as well. Once it's ready just drain it and it's very close to traditional Greek. Drain it more and you have yogurt cheese. Also I use lowfat - not only is it firmer and more flavorful, there are some studies indicating that dairy fat (in moderation) has benefits. (Of course if you are dairy adverse this doesn't apply to you - I know there will be comments about avoiding dairy). I make enough for my dogs and me and it costs about 10% of prepared yogurt. For nonGreek, it's almost 1:1, ie 1 quart of millk makes about 1 quart of yogurt. Check the price for 32 oz yogurt versus 32 oz milk and you'll be shocked. If you compare to individual serving pricing, switching to homemade saves a ton of money. If you want flavored use real fruit (not preserves), a little honey if you need it sweet. I find homemade is not as tart so no need for additions - you'll need to experiment with temp and times to finetune the flavor strength and texture.
I make my own yogurt using Yogourmet freeze dried yogurt starter and 2% milk. The calories are 135 per cup if I add no flavoring. Less expensive as well.
My favorite is Fage - it was my favorite brand when I lived in Greece, and I was thrilled when I found it in the US! The texture is amazing, and the only ingredients are yogurt cultures and milk from farms that don't use rBST. I mix it with pumpkin puree, cinnamon, vanilla extract, nutmeg, oats, walnuts, and a pinch of sweetener for a fabulous breakfast!
I would have loved to see skyr (Icelandic) included in this article. My favorite (all natural) brand is Siggi's and only 100 calories a carton (nonfat flavors), high in protein, and even thicker than Greek yogurts.
