Greek Life: The new yogurt craze.

Greek yogurt, the increasingly popular health food, is made by straining yogurt through a cloth such as a muslin in order to separate whey (or milk serum) from the milk solids. The result is a thick, creamy yogurt with a higher concentration of protein and less carbohydrates and fat than regular yogurt (when make from low-fat or skim milk). But is greek yogurt always the super food it's cracked up to be?

Source: http://www.seriouseats.com

By comparison greek yogurt contains a more favorable balance of macronutrients than regular yogurt. This is mainly because people trying to eat better often strive to reduce carbohydrates (especially sugars) while increasing their protein intake. Most fat free greek yogurts contain about 16g of sugar in a 5.3 oz serving (Fage & Oikos), 10g better than their regular counter part which contains about 26g per serving (Yoplait & Dannon). Additionally, greek yogurts contain about twice as much protein as regular yogurt, generally 12g or more per serving compared to 6g.

With more protein, significantly less sugar and a creamy, satisfying consistency its no surprise that greek yogurt has become a new favorite among many healthy eaters. But is your greek yogurt really as good as it gets? While we all love the convenience of those single portion yogurt cups with fruit ready to be stirred in, these mixtures often contain not only fruit and yogurt but added sugar as well. Now a little sugar in your yogurt isn't a big deal (especially when the whole thing has 16g total), but consider this, what if instead of the single serve cups you opted for a larger container of plain, non-fat greek yogurt and then added your own flavoring? Not only would this be cheeper than buying single servings, but it would also allow you to use better tasting and more nutritious mix ins such as honey or fresh fruit. Whats more, adding your own fruits and sweeteners would give your yogurt a wider range of flavors, textures, and nutrients. There is certainly some truth to the greek yogurt fad and plenty of ways to make this new phenomenon a great healthy snack!

Sources:  "Strained Yoghurt." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Feb. 2012. Web. 02 Mar. 2012.    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strained_yoghurt>.