Britt Admits: Yogurt!

Good Morning My Sweet Friends,

For many of you, this may be your first week back to school. If so, I hope you are killing it! Today, I would like to start a new series called "Britt Admits". This will be similar to other's series called "The Skinny On:______". With Britt Admits, I will be comparing the nutrition of products you ask for, similar to a "this over that" kind of concept.

Today we will be comparing yogurt! More specifically Greek Yogurt- requested by Katie :)

Let me make a disclaimer right now: I am not telling you to eat only X or that you should never eat Y. I am simply giving you knowledge and tools to add to your "nutritional toolbox" if you will, that will help you make more mindful decisions in the future. As always, I recommend you conduct your own research to understand and stand firm in your beliefs.

Alright now that we got that out of the way...

What is Greek Yogurt?

If you really want to know how yogurt is made keep reading, if not, skip to the next section. In simplicity, milk is warmed and probiotics and cultures are added, here they ferment and multiple, creating a thicker mixture, or yogurt. So how does this become Greek Yogurt? After this mixture is created, the yogurt is strained, removing all the excess liquid, creating a thicker and more concentrated mixture, packed with protein. Which brings me to my next point.

Why Greek?

Greek Yogurt is PACKED with protein. And quite frankly, yogurt is easy to get down, and pretty portable. Of course, different brands will vary, but Greek yogurt has about 13 grams of protein per serving. Say what? In comparison to many other protein sources, this is pretty awesome. I mean, I don't know about you, but it is a lot more socially acceptable to whip out a yogurt in class then chicken. Ok awesome, so I can eat any yogurt as long as its Greek, right? Not so fast...

What do I need to watch for?

Sugar and artificial sweeteners! Oh my word, there are so many yogurts out there that are saturated with sugar! You might as well eat a candy bar! But Brittney, its the fruit that's added. NO. No, it is not. Let's use Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt as our standard.

Macros are: 0g fat, 7g carbs, 15g protein... 4 grams of sugar.

Ingredient List: Cultured Pasteurized Nonfat Milk, Live and Active Cultures. A VERY clean ingredient list. Most yogurts contain a plethora of ingredients.

So why is there 4 grams of sugar? Because milk naturally has sugar in it, lactose.

To be 100% honest, Chobani is one of the smartest choice brands out there as they are: non-GMO, contain no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives, hormone free, have less than 5% lactose. No this is not sponsored. I will be the first to admit this is one of the more expensive brands out there and its texture is a bit chalky.

So what about the other flavors? Below I will be comparing the different versions of flavored, strawberry Greek Yogurts as I understand most prefer it already flavored.

Chobani Strawberry Greek Yogurt

Macros are: 0g fat, 19g carbs, 12g protein... 15 grams of sugar!

Whoa. That's a lot of sugar.

Ingredient List: Same as the plain WITH Strawberries, Water, Evaporated Cane Juice, Pectin, Natural Flavors, Locust Bean Gum, Fruit and Vegetable Juice Concentrate (For Color).

What does all of this mean?

Evaporated Cane Juice is another form of added sugar, Pectin is fiber, and Locust Bean Gum is a thickening agent. So overall, pretty normal. But the bottom line is there is a lot of added sugar in this yogurt. Think about it, the fruit at the bottom is almost like jelly.

So let's look at some other well-recognized brands and compare.

Yoplait Greek

Macros for the strawberry are: 0g fat, 22g carbs, 11g protein... 18 grams of sugar!

And the ingredient list is long!

Yoplait Greek 100

Macros for the strawberry are: 0g fat, 14g carbs, 10g protein... 9 grams of sugar!

With an even longer ingredient list containing sugar AND SUCRALOSE. Uh Oh! Chemical sugar.

Dannon Oikos Greek Nonfat Yogurt

Macros for the strawberry are: 0g fat, 15g carbs, 12g protein... 10 grams of sugar!

Dannon Oikos Triple Zero

Macros for the strawberry are: 0g fat, 15g carbs, 7g protein... 15 grams of sugar!

What do I buy?

HEB Select Ingredients Greek 100

Macros for the strawberry are: 0g fat, 11g carbs, 13g protein...9 grams of sugar.

The least amount of carbs, sugar, AND protein. Its free from artificial sweeteners and hormones.

The ingredients are: Strained Yogurt ,Water, Strawberries, Crystalline Fructose, Corn Starch, Natural Flavor, Pectin, Calcium Citrate, Stevia Leaf Extract, Vegetable Juice [Color], Lemon Juice.

Yes, it has added sugar and yes it doesn't have the shortest ingredient list. However, it is much more affordable and a sweet treat that beats the Chobani Strawberry Greek Yogurt's Macros. This kind of yogurt comes in Strawberries and Cream, Lemon, Vanilla Bean, Baked Apple, and Banana Pudding. All, very yummy!

OVERALL

I will always recommend buying the plain Greek yogurt like Chobani's and making it your own for the most natural and healthy option. You can add Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon, Honey, Fresh Fruit, Nuts, granola (be mindful of the macros on granola tho), or even a little bit of chocolate chips. At the end of the day it depends on what your health goals are.

I hope that helps! Let me know what you would like to see for the next "Britt Admits"!

-xxoo Britt