Sunday, July 15, 2012

Calling all yogurt enthusiasts!

I never liked greek yogurt until this last year and even now I have a difficult time remembering which kinds I've tried and liked or hated. I love that you get a hefty serving of protein with greek yogurt since I don't always have a protein like chicken or shrimp or meat during other parts of the day. They are definitely not all equal - some are thicker than others, some are sweeter, some have fruit at the bottom. While I know it's sort of like comparing apples and oranges, I thought I would set off to actually keep track of the different kinds I've been trying and share my thoughts with you all on the 6 varieties below!

Dannon Oikos - Peach
Fruit on the Bottom, Greek Nonfat Yogurt (5.3oz, 130 calories, 12g protein, 19g sugar)
Tasting this yogurt is what made me write this post. I wanted a reminder to never buy this kind again. It tastes really artifically sweet, and even after adding some granola I still couldn't enjoy it. What a waste of good trader joe's granola! It's the usual greek consistency - pretty thick, and has chopped up peach at the bottom which seems to be in some sort of thick syrup that means you definitely need to stir well before adding anything. I think I decided to try this kind because it was on sale last week at the grocery store - maybe 10 for $10. Not worth it, sorry! I felt bad wasting and tried to force a few mouthfuls down, though didn't make it very far. Unfortunately I have another one of these sitting in my fridge - any takers?! Maybe I can use it for a smoothie and it will mask the flavor a bit. Update: I used it for a smoothie and it was fine for that use!



Trader Joe's - Pomegranate
Greek Yogurt Nonfat, 0% milkfat (5.3 oz, 110 calories, 14g protein, 11g sugar)
There are lots of good things about the TJ's greek yogurt - it's a good price compared to the others (just $0.99 each) and they use milk from cows not treated with rBST, so although it isn't organic it's a better option than the regular stuff (note - TJ's also offers an organic greek yogurt option). I think it tastes more natural than others - no weird syrupy fruit on the bottom, no artificial coloring and the texture is a little bit of an airy, whipped texture (albeit a bit chalky in my opinion), rather than a heavy, thick one. I like the flavor of the pomegranate - it's a little tart, and they have the usual other options - blueberry, vanilla, strawberry, and a mango one too. It's also a really healthy option with less sugar and calories than a lot of the others and more protein. I tend to stock up on some of these when I am able to make it to a TJ's but since I don't have one close by this isn't my usual go to.

Chobani - Blood Orange
Nonfat Greek Yogurt (6 oz, 140 calories, 14g protein, 19g sugar)

Chobani is one of the more recognizable greek yogurts that's been around since before the big greek yogurt craze. It's my usual go to because it's not too sweet, the consistency is just thick enough and I like the variety of flavors they have. I try to stock up when they're on sale because as with all greek yogurts, they're on the expensive side of yogurt options.







Fage - Cherry Pomegranate
Nonfat greek strained yogurt (5.3 oz, 130 calories, 13g protein, 16g sugar)
The part I don't love about this is the container with the separate part for fruit - you inevitably cannot get all of it out of the separate section. The consistency is more 'whipped' than others, and the container is not nearly big enough to mix together the fruity addition to the basic yogurt part - nevermind if I wanted to add granola. I did like the taste though - not too sweet, not too thick, not too chalky. If I remember correctly it's more expensive than some of the other kinds. Verdict: If on sale, I would buy this brand again!

Voskos - Tropical Apricot Mango
0% milk fat, thick and creamy greek yogurt (5.3oz, 110 calories, 12g protein, 12g sugar)

At first stir, no fruit or syrup is on the bottom, which is good. There are small pieces of fruit mixed right in already. This yogurt is really thick but not overly sweet. I'm not sure if all yogurt is gluten free, but they market themselves as being this and "all-natural." I'll admit it felt a little chalky on my tongue at first, but I liked the flavor (though it's not super tropical) and, as usual, the addition of the granola only made it better. Verdict: I would buy this brand again I think.

YoCrunch Greek Yogurt Parfait - Vanilla with Strawberries on the BottomGreek Parfait (vanilla nonfat greek yogurt), with all natural lowfat granola and fruit on the bottom (strawberries) (6 oz, 170 calories, 11g protein, 18g sugar)

This one definitely tastes vanilla and more like a regular yogurt than Greek yogurt - it's much less thick than the others. I liked the crunchy granola (mostly just oats it seems like) as a treat mixed in and the strawberry mixture on bottom changes the color to make it a bit pink but not super flavorful, definite sweetness to the flavor. This one seems like a flashier option for those trying to make the transition to greek yogurt - and it's also a bit more expensive because of the extra frills of the separate granola cover on top. I tihnk I'd rather add my own granola to a different yogurt - hopefully resulting in less added sugar.

For those not convinced that greek yogurt is the way to go, you might find this article from USNews interesting! - "Greek Yogurt vs. Regular Yogurt: Which is More Healthful?"

3 comments:

  1. Hey! Nice roundup. Didja know that CHO also only uses cows that are not treated with rBST? We'd love to get some 'gurt shipped your way, so shoot me an email at amy[at]chobani dot com and I'll get you set up!

    Amy
    Chobani

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  2. And by that I mean amy.keefe[at]chobani dot com. That's what I get for posting before I had my second coffee! ;)

    Amy
    Chobani

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the feedback Amy - and for the offer! You'll hear from me shortly!

    ReplyDelete