Yogurt - Good? Bad? Recommendations?

I'm really working hard to lose the last of my weight and I am looking for ways to maximize my losing potential. I have never eaten yogurt because A) I never thought I'd like it and B) a long time ago I did Atkins for a while and the carbs in yogurt really freaked me out.

But I keep hearing that yogurt is really good for weight loss, so I need some specific information. How does yogurt help you lose weight? When and how much should you eat? Which yogurts are best? Low fat? Nonfat? I don't really like fruit flavors so are there good vanilla ones?

Any help would be appreciated.

Wed. Nov 30, 3:40pm

I have a cup of plain nonfat yogurt as part of my basic daily mealplan. It has high protein, lots of Vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, and other nutrients that can be a bit hard to find in other foods. It has about 140 calories per cup. I think the brand I use (Hy Vee) comes in Vanilla. As I usually eat the yogurt with beans, however, I like the tartness of the plain flavor --- It does a lot for plain pinto beans.

Fit and Active Nonfat Yogurt a light yogurt, and I think it also comes in vanilla. I don't like this light yogurt as well as the higher-calorie brand I normally buy, but that is just personal preference.

Digby

Wednesday, November 30, 2005, 4:04 PM

I love yoplait french vanilla but if you're worried about the sugar content, you might want to stick with plain yogurt and add some granola

Wednesday, November 30, 2005, 4:45 PM

It also helps keep the bacteria in your stomach in check and the ph levels in your vagina balanced. If you are prone to indigestion or yeast infections - it helps prevent those.

just more fun yogurt facts ;-)

Wednesday, November 30, 2005, 5:54 PM

I really like the yoplait whips orange cream flavor. I usually eat it as a dessert.

Wednesday, November 30, 2005, 8:29 PM

Yogurt is very good for digestion. (It's the enzymes in the live cultures) If you're not too keen on the fruit flavors then definitely try vanilla. I like the Dannon low fat. It is so good on cereal. I understand what you're saying about the carbs and being freaked out after doing Atkins, but you're going to have to change your way of thinking if you're not doing a low carb diet. You really need a well balanced diet and yogurt is a great source of dairy product.

Wednesday, November 30, 2005, 8:49 PM

Dannon Light'n Fit Carb Control yogurt is awesome - they make a vanilla and it's yummy. The servings are small, so if you're just getting used to eating it, it's not a huge cup, and it's only 60 calories per cup (as in the cup it comes in, not as an actual, measured cup. I'd bet it's about 1/2 cup really).

Vanilla yogurt is really good mixed with dry cereal or dry oatmeal, or with a sliced banana.

Thursday, December 1, 2005, 1:37 PM

I'm a big fan of Fat Free Greek style yogurt. It's much higher in protien than regular yogurt and lower in sugar. I add a little honey or fruit to mine because it's pretty tart.

Thursday, December 1, 2005, 2:13 PM

greek style yogurt

Fage is the best! at least in the US- made in Greece and making it's way into more supermarkets, & health food stores - I don't know that it helps with weight loss, but it's too good not to try- no sugar, nothing artificial.

Thursday, December 1, 2005, 9:07 PM

I would go for sugar and low-fat to no fat yogurt daily!

Thursday, December 1, 2005, 10:36 PM

yogurt

Dannon makes a light vanilla that is great with a chopped up apple mixed in - some cinnamon and a few toasted nuts. It is by far my favorite breakfast.

Friday, December 2, 2005, 12:50 AM

As other have said, yogurt has some great health benefits, but a lot can get hidden in yogurt. I had a diabetic friend hooked on flavored non-fat yogurt until we analized the carton and realized it had as much sugar and calories per ounce as ice cream! There are so many varieties out there you really have to study the cartons and compart to other foods. I like Nancy's non-fat plain organic with some granola. A lot of yogurts are really yogurt; they don't have enough good bacteria in them to do you much good and they are really sort of a milk based jello product. Trader Joe's is good too, with real live cultures. This is why I don't like most of the mainstream brands, I don't think they provide enough nutritional bang for the calories and sugars. Sure, some have artificial sweeteners but I would rather avoid that.

Friday, December 2, 2005, 4:23 AM

live and active cultures

Consumer Reports did a feature on the quality and quantity of beneficial bacteria in yogurt products this past summer. They gave good ratings to Dannon Light & Fit smoothies and DanActive/Actimel.

Friday, December 2, 2005, 11:04 AM

I like it with oatmeal

I mix it in with old fashioned oatmeal for breakfast -- since I use sweetened yogurt (strawberry or vanilla), I don't need any other sweetener in the oatmeal.

I usually get low or nonfat. If you're mixing it in, you won't notice much taste difference anyway.

Friday, December 2, 2005, 3:48 PM

My absolute favorite brand is Stonyfield Farms. I know you can't find it everywhere, but it is wonderful if your grocery has it. The low fat vanilla is almost as good as ice cream to me (and I love ice cream), and it is the only brand of plain that I can actually eat plain. I often eat a bowl of fresh fruit topped with plain yogurt as dessert or as part of my breakfast.

This website has quite a bit on the research that's been done lately showing why dairy products help you lose weight: http://www.2424milk.com/ I'm not 100% convinced that the studies they quote weren't sposored by the dairy industry (like that study a while back that was sponsored by General Mills and found that eating cereal for breakfast helped you lose weight), but I do think that dairy can be a useful part of a healthy diet. (yay for calcium!)

Other ways I eat yogurt: a large dolop on lentils, mixed in to bean soups, added to pasta to make it creamy (I add it after I put the food on my plate and right before I'm about to eat it - heating yogurt is hard to do without curdling it), with oatmeal, with granola, in smoothies, instead of milk in my cereal.

Link

Saturday, December 3, 2005, 12:40 PM

2nd Stonyfield Farms

You can find it at Whole Foods. I buy the non-fat plain and make homemade smoothies w/ fresh fruit and a touch of honey for sweetness. The flavored yogurts have WAY to much sugar so I figure it's better to flavor it myself with some berries.

If you have to go for flavored - try getting low fat options rather than non-fat. They have less sugar usually.

Sunday, December 4, 2005, 10:22 PM

Stonyfield Farms makes YoBaby, right?

Monday, December 5, 2005, 1:11 AM

Fage rocks

The fat free Fage (greek) yogurt is the best.

You can mix in a bit of the fat free & sugar free pudding mix to sweeten and flavor it w/out calories (good if you're on Weight Watchers) but it is essentially chemicals. I use this, but only a couple of times per week. I like the "cheesecake" pudding flavor and also add strawberries.

Monday, December 5, 2005, 12:11 PM

After checking the labels at Whole Foods, I found a brand named "Nancy's" that is not only organic but MSG or carrageenan or "Natural Flavor"-free...

Good yogurt! I am lactose intolerant and find that if I eat a bit of yogurt before drinking milk, I won't go running to the bathroom!

Thursday, January 5, 2006, 11:34 PM

a third or fourth fan of Fage

Not only is it tasty, but the consistency is so much better than other yogurts I've tried. It's incredibly thick and creamy. I am ADDICTED!

I get it at Trader Joe's. TJ's also has a great variety of different kinds of yogurt, including yogurt made from soy.

Friday, January 6, 2006, 1:17 AM

Another advocate of Fage!

I'm in love with Fage-- authentic Greek yogurt! It's strained unlike many other yogurts on the market and it's different and much better in texture as well as flavor. It's smooth, creamy & thick, (as the previous commenter noted), and surprisingly filling. Once you try it, you'll never go back to the other brands; or at least I haven't. =] I usually eat it with some frozen mixed berries and unsweetened to get the whole experience. But sometimes I'll add some Splenda.

I'm not too big a fan of soy yogurt though. Mind you, I love tofu, soy milk, and lots of other soy products. But when it comes to yogurt, I'd rather stick to the dairy type.

As for yoplait, dannon, and so on, I find them to be too sweet and not as satisfying. Fage (the fat free kind--the original with all the fat has more than twice the calories as the nonfat version) is only 120 calories per cup, lower in sugar thus lower in carbohydrates and is just as good or even better for you than the other brands, although I typically am only able to eat a 1/2 cup of it at a time anyway because I add fruits, nuts or cereal with it, making it quite filling. Granola, though yummy, is high in sugar and I hear it's bad for your teeth. But if you like it as much as I do, I say just add some.

Lastly, if you don't really like fruity yogurts, try adding a bit of sugar/ Splenda/ some sweetener and a dash or two of ground cinnamon to plain yogurt.

I love yogurt! <3

Friday, January 6, 2006, 2:18 AM

I love Greek yogurt, too. I buy a British brand that has 0% fat and nothing artificial in it at all. I have that for breakfast nearly every day with a few fresh strawberries sliced up, and a good dollop or organic honey. It's delicious and healthy and gives me a great energy boost for the day.

Friday, January 6, 2006, 11:12 AM

I'm intrigued... I just bought a container of the Greek yogurt to try. but haven't tasted it yet.. I figured that if it's the same kind used in gyros, it should be pretty good, not too tart... :-)

Has anyone tried to make their own yogurt? I understand it's not too hard to do!

Friday, January 6, 2006, 5:35 PM

ok, just tried Fage yogurt... actually had never heard of it before reading this thread... it's GREAT!!!
as others have mentioned, the plain is rather tart... I put a squirt of honey in it and YUMMMY!!!!
it's spendy, but worth it. zero fat! 13 grams protein! how great is that?!
thanks for the tip!!

Saturday, January 7, 2006, 4:06 PM

I love my Stonyfield, lowfat plain. Mixed with a banana and I can't have a better breakfast.

Saturday, January 7, 2006, 4:43 PM

Uh-Oh!

the greek yougurt I got by a brand caleld "Krinos" was what I bought.
I tried a 1/2 teaspoon of a taste-- tastes good, like sour cream. But then, I looked on the label... No wonder it was so good--apparently, I forgot to look when I bought it, it's not a low-fat or fat-free version! .... Doh!!!! will have to sparingly use it until it's gone-- or maybe mix it with LOTS of fruit or veggies!!

Saturday, January 7, 2006, 5:34 PM

My BEST Yogurt Recommendation

i picked this up when i was doing south beach - it sounds weird, but it's awesome and a way to add veggies to your daily diet! just slice up (or buy frozen) rhubarb stalks, about five of them, and put them in a sauce pan with some water and half of a packet or so of splenda. simmer it, adding water, until it's totally broken down and become a pinkish sauce. let that cool, and then stir in as much as you want into plain non-fat yogurt. it's super tangy, so it's a great side with spicy foods like indian, but i eat it for breakfast and mid-day snacks all the time just because it's wonderful and much better than the super processed flavored yogurts you can buy premade. even makes a rad dessert!

i keep a container of the sauce in the fridge separate from the yogurt so that the yogurt doesn't separate - only mix them when you're about to eat it.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 1:03 PM

and...

i'll bet rhubarb would rule with the greek yogurt!

Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 1:04 PM

I read in a health magazine that eating yogurt everyday helps women by not getting a yeast infection.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 6:41 PM

Stonyfield Lowfat Plain is the best yogurt out there. Love it!

Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 6:53 PM

Now that I've tried some of the Greek / Meditteranean yogurts, I don't think I will be able to eat dannon again! It's so much thicker and tastier... :-)

I mixed mine with some pure vanilla powder, pumpkin pie spice and a little agave nectar-- it was heavenly and far better than the pre-made stuff!!

Thursday, January 19, 2006, 12:13 AM

My newest recipe using Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt...

Mix 1 cup of Fage 0% with the following
Agave Nectar about 1-1/2 to 2 TBS (more or less to taste)
Pur Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Powder about 1/2 TSp (to taste)
Pumpkin Pie spice - a few shakes
Ghiradelli unsweetened Cocoa 1 TBS
4 Fresh Strawberries--make sure you get the ones that are SWEET.

Heaven on earth... ;-)

Wednesday, February 1, 2006, 2:17 PM

Yogurt Add Ins

I too am a big fan of adding stuff to yogurt to perk up the flavor a bit. I start with Trader Joe's lo-fat yogurt and add . . .

1 packet of Equal or
flavor extracts (vanilla, almond, orange, whatever)
unsweetened cocoa powder

hadn't thought of pumpkin pie spice so thanks for that one!

Wednesday, February 1, 2006, 2:40 PM

I lke adding granola or frozen berries. Yumm.

Wednesday, February 1, 2006, 3:50 PM

I love the greek yogurt as well but since I'm a diabetic I try to stay away from added sugars so I eat Cascade Mountain sweetened with fruit juices.

Wednesday, February 1, 2006, 4:28 PM

Fage Total 0% yogurt has only skim milk and yogurt cultures. :-)
Only 9g sugars in 1 cup. :-)

Wednesday, February 1, 2006, 6:06 PM

I tried Fage, and LOVED it!
However, I didn't like the price. So this wk I tried saving a few pennies, and bought some yoplat non fat. I remembered yoplat being thicker than the others, more like a custard.
well, to heck with saving pennies. FAGE IS THE BEST!!!
I took one spoonful, and then made the mistake of reading the ingredients. Oh my. I'm going to Trader Joe's tomorrow and getting more Fage!
lesson learned?
Don't scrimp when it comes to yogurt!

Wednesday, February 1, 2006, 7:08 PM

just saw those posts about adding pumpkin pie spice. that sounds really interesting. I bet it tastes great.

Wednesday, February 1, 2006, 7:09 PM

I agree-- I found out about Fage on PT.
Now that I've had it, it is worth every penny (about $4.20 at my Trader Joes!)

I like the fact that there are no added fillers like "pectin, carragennan, guar gum" or any of those kinds of things that my body doesn't need.

I used to eat "Nancy's" yogurt (from Whole Foods)--it is organic and no "natural flavorings", but the "mouth feel" is nowhere near as luscious as the Fage... :-)

Wednesday, February 1, 2006, 7:26 PM

Making yogurt is easy!

I make my yogurt all the time. You need a thermometer,a bowl, a heating pad or oven and dish towel, milk and a little leftover plain yogurt with active cultures to use as a starter.
Heat the milk (I microwave it 6-8 minutes on high). Let milk cool to about 110F, and in the meantime heat your oven on the low setting, or heat your heating pad. When milk reaches 110F (I use a probe thermometer set to beep when it gets down to 110F), add 1/2 cup yogurt starter. Place bowl with mixture, wrapped in towel, in warm (very low!) oven or wrap in heating pad. Leave along and don't stir or shake (that disturbs the bacterial culture you're trying to grow) for about 4-8 hours.
Refrigerate your yogurt!

Saturday, February 4, 2006, 9:35 AM

I recently made a dish with ground turkey and cumin, and the recipe said to serve with a garlic yogurt dipping sauce. It was so amazing I've been adding it left and right to lots of things.

Here it is:
1c plain yogurt (I like Stonyfield farm low fat plain, but I'm sure Fage would be good, too)
3 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped very fine (or to taste)

whip the yogurt until smooth, then add the garlic and whip some more. That's it! It's quite strong, has a nice garlic flavor, and is very refreshing as a salad dressing, dipping sauce for meats, etc.

Saturday, February 4, 2006, 4:45 PM

Here's a great yogurt recipe for a Turkey Salad"

Turkey breast (or other pouttry would work as well) cut or shredded into small pieces
Mix with enough Fage 0% plain yogurt to have the meat "stick" together.
Add your spices - garlic, salt, pepper, chives, etc.
Add chopped celery, or something else with Crunch--i.e. apples, grapes, etc.

Put on a piece of whole wheat or sprouted grain bread.

This is just delicious... You can use the FF yogurt in place of mayonnaise or sour cream. :-)

Saturday, February 4, 2006, 8:16 PM

Carb master yogurt

Carb master yogurt by krouger is awesome. I love the vanilla flavor. Im eating it right now for breakfast. A decent size cup is only 80 calories nad 1.5 grams of fat, 4 grams of fat, and 12 grams of protein! its awesome!

also granola or oatmeal in yogurt is soo good!

Tuesday, February 21, 2006, 1:31 PM

anything by Stonyfield. Favorite is the lowfat plain.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006, 8:38 AM

frozen yogurt?

Is that good for you as well?

Tuesday, October 17, 2006, 10:41 AM

frozen yogurt= some as bad as ice cream. it's sort of the same as both regular yogurt and ice cream where you need to carefully read the label and look at the fat content and sugar content.

as for FAGE:) i like to make mine into 'tzatziki'. add cucumber, a lot of dill and a little garlic seasoning (not garlic salt though, you don't want extra sodium!) and use to dip whole wheat pita or green peppers into it! delicious!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006, 3:20 PM

yogurt fanatic

I am the hugest yogurt fan...anything is made better my mixing it in yogurt. I really like soy yogurts actually...Stonyfield makes a great line (their chocolate is heavenly), as does Whole Soy and Company. By far, Stonyfield is my favorite and I tend to like the low-fat versus non fat varieties. Sometimes, there is more of a flavor choice with nonfat yogurts, as in the diverse options in the Yoplait, Columbo and Dannon lines, but there is something more satisfying about the lowfat varieties. Does that make sense...is there a danger in getting a lowfat versus nonfat brand or flavor of yogurt? Is one option better than the other?

I also sometimes flavor my yogurt with peanut butter....yes PB can be high in fat, but everything in moderation no? As, in terms of the nutrient payoff, peanut butter is not the worse thing in the world, hardly. I flavor vanilla and plain yogurt with peanut butter, and add in some raisins or other dried fruit....it is like heaven.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 7:24 PM

plain or flavored yogurt...

Guys....

If you are tempted towrds flavored yogurts whc are comparatively..high in fat and sugar whn compaired to plain yougrt thn try this..

plain low fat yogurt+1/2tbl sugar+some pieces of pineapple chunks or mango or apple+few drops of vanilla or rose essence that u get in the market--- thats it...

even after mixing 1/2 tbls of sugar sm fruits your plain yougurt is still lower in cal fat and sugar then readily available flavored yougurt and its now more healty...

yogurt is good keep having it...LOW FAT :)

more infrmation find me on fb as i dont write on forums or blogs usually...

hhhaaarrrssshhhiiittt@gmail.com

Saturday, June 12, 2010, 7:25 AM

Greek yogurt rules

I like Greek yogurt too, though it's more expensive. My favorite is Chobani with pineapple. I recommend stirring it before diving in; the texture is an aquired preference.

I like that it has 26% of my daily protein, and since I'm working out a lot more, I need the protein. It helps cut cravings and is only 3 ww points ( 1 more higher than Dannon light & fit, which is lower in protein and less oz.).

Saturday, June 12, 2010, 11:25 AM

active is a good one you should it the fiber is the best

Monday, August 2, 2010, 1:14 PM

you can eat active it help you go off good to bath room if you are having trouble
on that one i use the fiber

Monday, August 2, 2010, 1:16 PM

Yogurt is the Bomb Diggity yo! Hubbs LOVES Strawberry Banana, and I love Key Lime, Pear, or Peach. YUMMM! Plus you can top it with oats and brown sugar and honey! Tastes like a Greek dessert! Or fruit! Or jam, or whatever! Trust me, t is definitely the Bomb Diggity!

Thursday, August 19, 2010, 11:54 PM

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