My greeky opinion

Greek yogurt...I'm sure you've heard of it, seen in the stores, or know someone who thinks it's the best yogurt, well today I am going to tell you what I think about it. I too have seen it and heard about it in so many places; people touting this or that reason to eat it, so I tried it. Actually I have tried 3 or 4 brands now. Let me see if I can recount them - Fage, Chobani, Activia, Oikos and most recently Yoplait greek yogurt parfait. Before I go on let me tell you that I am NOT a big yogurt eater. On the rare occasions that I bought yogurt previously (more on this in a bit) I bought Dannon's fruit on the bottom as it was the ONLY yogurt that I didn't mind eating. Sure I tried other brands and with yogurt supposedly so good for you I keep trying. I find that I can not eat it every day and I usually can not eat it first thing in the morning. Why? I have no idea. I know I am lactose intolerant, but yogurt isn't supposed to affect people who are (or so I believed, but now I see lactose free varieties). Yogurt for me is usually a snack or a dessert.

So onto the greek yogurt. Greek yogurt touts more protein and at least one website I read says it also has more probiotics contained in the yogurt. If you are on a low-fat diet you can also substitute sour cream and use greek yogurt. I've actually tried this in a couple Clean Eating recipes - my verdict - I would rather buy fat free sour cream. Some of the brands of greek yogurt taste like a sweetened sour cream. Now I am also not a big fan of the white goop so perhaps I am the wrong person to ask. I do use sour cream on tacos or in chili occasionally and in very very small portions. Greek yogurt is a bit sour and some more than others, perhaps that's what I don't like. The Chobani for me was the worst tasting. The newest I tried, Yoplait greek yogurt parfait has granola and fruit (on the bottom) - the first couple bites I get that tang, but I don't mind eating this yogurt nearly as much as the others. Will I buy it again? Probably not.

So back to why I even buy yogurt if I don't care for it. Simply put, I buy it for the benefits of it. It's an easy way to obtain some calcium and probiotics. I do not get enough calcium in my diet because I do not drink milk...that lactose thing, and I just plain don't like it. So recently I started buying Activia..yes because of the benefits that I am sure you all have seen in commercials...digestive health. I found an Activia yogurt called French Style with fruit on the bottom...by far my favorite yogurt of all time. It tasted good and yes it did help aid digestion. Activia is no longer making that type to my dismay, so on goes the search for another. I've had some recent digestive issues that I won't go into detail about, but that I have see my doctor about and to which I am attempting to resolve, if it can be, on my own rather than getting a bunch of expensive, uncomfortable tests (which will likely happen anyway). So I have been scanning the yogurt shelves once again. I really do not like blended yogurt, I really don't. I'm eating it though because I feel it does help my digestive issues to some small degree. I have a probiotic supplement too but I find yogurt provides much less side affects..though both beneficial.

So on my quest to find a yogurt that I can stand to eat on a daily basis I'm sure I'll have another posting at a later date. I have literally tasted nearly every brand available on my grocery store shelves. From generic brands to Yoplait, Activia, Stonyfield, YoPlus, Dannon, and all sorts of others, I have tried MANY and liked very few. For digestive issues I would have to say that I do think Activia helps more than others and believe me I am not one to believe the hype. I also think that the YoPlus by Yoplait works well too. Now if I could only find a yogurt with all the probiotic benefits, lower carb/fat, that wasn't blended and tasted good. Make sure you read the nutrition labels if you're worried about sugar content because yes most yogurt contains it and I do not like sugar substitute so I prefer the non-light varieties. Maybe my next article will be on sugar substitutes. (by-the-way, yogurts, at least those I have eaten, are about 3 Weight Watchers plus points - not too bad for a snack or dessert)

In conclusion - I really don't think there will ever be a greek yogurt I will continue to buy or think tastes good. As far as regular yogurt I thought I found that one, and then the company stopped making it but because of the benefits yogurt provides I will continue the search and suffer through eating countless brands/varieties until I find a winner. Is greek yogurt really that much better?? Is it just some new fad? Do people actually like it better? This is one woman who thinks it definitely does not taste better and can't understand why people like it.