Yogurt And Lies

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For over 25 years, dairy companies have been advertising yogurt as a "diet food" and their campaign has totally worked. They have somehow convinced everyone that eating sugary, fruity cream can magically melt away the pounds, and yogurt is now a staple for many dieters. We think it is one of the worst fake diet foods on the planet. There are so many foods out there that are healthier, tastier and far more filling than a tiny cup of lactose. If you are a yogurt addict wanting to drop those last five pounds, here are some things to think about next time you're in the dairy section.

#1 Calories

Regular yogurt has about the same amount of calories per ounce as regular ice cream. Seriously. So why is this good diet food? Probably just because they don't let you eat very much of it. If it came in a quart-size container, it'd probably be labeled dessert. The fruit on the bottom and fruit blends make yogurt taste even sweeter, but also add a bunch of sugar and calories. For the 200 calories in a tiny cup of pink cream, you could eat a giant salad or some cheese and crackers or a ginormous bowl of oatmeal in the morning. The low calorie, low carb versions are no better. They are about as nutritious and filling as a Flintstones chewable vitamin chased with a pack of sugar-free bubble gum. Don't waste your time.

#2 Chemicals

If you read the labels on those tiny plastic tubs, you would see that they actually have tons of high fructose corn syrup, fake fruit, weird dyes, tons of sodium and a bunch of other crazy chemicals. We think that if you're gonna eat a bunch of crap like that, you should just indulge in a bag of sour patch kids or something. And this goes especially for the "lite" yogurts. What makes them lite is the addition of aspartame and other horrible chemicals. And if the sugar-free, chemical taste is what you fancy in a diet dairy snack, then enjoy a cold Diet Coke with a piece of string cheese.

#3 Unsatisfying

Has anyone seriously ever gotten full from a measly six ounce serving of yogurt? We don't believe this is possible. It usually ends up being an appetizer before you finally give in and eat real food because you're still so hungry, right? Well, why don't you stop wasting your time, money and calories on yogurt to begin with? Eat a real breakfast and a real lunch and you won't miss the days of scraping desperately at the bottom of that plastic cup, hoping in vain for more.

#4 Laxatives

We are so weirded out by this - Dannon and some other companies are now adding laxatives to their yogurt. Dannon Activia contains Bifidus Regularis: "a natural probiotic culture that can help regulate your digestive system by helping reduce long intestinal transit time." Excuse us; did they say that it speeds up intestinal transit time? Oh, we get it - kind of like that Alli pill or Olean. If your personal transit time is too long, try eating real food with real fiber, like apples and nuts and spinach and berries and oatmeal. But mixing laxatives with yogurt is just gross.

#5 The Real Thing

Okay, not all yogurts are bad. If you don't want to let go of yogurt, try Greek yogurt or another organic, plain yogurt. That means it has to be completely unsweetened with no flavor or have the word "Greek" actually written on the container. These types of yogurt are filled with tons of protein, good fat, and have all those natural live cultures that help us with digestion. If you stick to this stuff, you won't have to increase your intestinal transit time at all.

Comments

[Oread]

How about this be a post railing against over-processed, over-sugared, corn syrup laden food, instead? Real, pure, live culture yogurt (see Cascadia brand, Nancy's, Mountain High, etc) without any sugars or added fruits is freakin excellent for you, as the post later said. Your message kind of got lost in the OMG SUGAR AND FAT YOU GUYS part.

Here's what ya do. Buy a gigundo tub of Nancy's (the lb size), and keep fruit on hand. MAGIC. No corn syrup or weird unidentified ingredients. And it's cheaper, too.

[ilouie]

The problem with this article and the many others that reflect the same cultural bias is that the relevant information here isn't really about yogurt. It's about America's out-of-step backward beliefs about diet and health. Low fat diets and calorie counting have increased chemicals in our food supply and have led to increases in obesity, diabetes, etc. Low fat diets are non-existent in Italy, France and other Mediterranean countries who have much lower incidences of these diseases and where they live longer.
We should just go back to natural whole foods, admit we wrong, and start listening to the WHO.
I love yogurt, always eat whole milk products, real butter, etc. and have been very healthy at fifty-one so far.

[MJNEUWIRTH]

fyi, most yogurt companies make 'plain yogurt,' including Dannon, which is just milk (whole milk, lowfat and nonfat) and yogurt cultures...

[johnnyhempseed]

To make your own yogurt;heat a quart of milk ,goat ,sheep,horse ,camel,or cow to almost boiling(avoid scorching) ,let it cool to luke warm,add a tablespoon of active yogurt stir it in and let it sit in a warm place in a covered bowl or saucepan(near your woodstove or radiator) overnight.To make a thicker yogurt add some non-fat powdered milk to the milk before heating.You can buy cheap yogurt makers that use 8oz cups and keep the cultures warm overnight automatically.
To make yogurt cheese simply hang your fresh batch in cheesecloth overnight,place it in a cheese cloth lined collander in the sink if you don't have a way to hang it.A few paper towels will work if you don't have cheese cloth ,but not as well.
I have used Stevia Rebaudiana for 25 years instead of sugar,it is good for Diabetics as it normalizes or slightly lowers blood sugar yet is 200 times sweeter than sugar.Stevia is anti fungal and anti yeast and easy to grow.
The writers of this article are unfair to the people at Stonyfield farms and should apologize,if I could afford to buy yogurt thiers is my favorite ,plain whole milk with the cream on the top.No one "adds glass" to thier products,come on!
Vegetarians beware ,many serving size yogurts are thickened with gelatin an animal product.
peas in

[MJNEUWIRTH]

fyi, Dannon and a lot of other yogurt makers also make PLAIN yogurt that is simply milk (or low-fat or non-fat milk) with yogurt cultures. Nothing else. Dannon calls their All Natural. If you want just plain yogurt, look for just plain yogurt. It's good to have a lot of choices in life.

[nellie]

The same thing is true of all foods. Anything packaged and mass produced is likely to be unhealthy—full of sugar and salt and preservatives. I don't think this is earth-shattering news to anyone who knows anything about the food industry.

[klanger]

True. Point #5 should have been point #1 here, because yoghurt itself is good food that gets ruined by the food industry. If you let food companies decide what goes into your food, and so into your body, you will be fed stuff that's bad for you because they do not have your best interests at heart. That's true for anything from bread to beef, not just for yoghurt, and doubly so for anything that has the word "diet" stuck to it. Rather than picking on individual examples of bad foods, it'd be more useful to look at the big picture.

[SEQUOIABISON]

Great expose on using Yogurt as a diet food.

But the real problem with Yogurt is, its a Milk Product and very difficult for us to digest. Once humans get their teeth their should never be a need for Milk in our diet again, especially Milk coming from a mammal whose digestive tract bears no resemblance to ours.

The Dairy Industry has been very successful convincing the American public that Milk is necessary and healthy for us.

But it defies logic to take the calf away from a cow steal the Milk from the cow that was developed by nature to nurture the baby of that cow her calf.

Why would people think that taking the Milk from a lactating Cow whose Milk is produced to nourish her calf, is supposed to be good for us?? I mean you might as well drink the Milk from a lactating Rat or Horse or Skunk, it makes no sense whatsoever.

[folksonomy]

Mmmmmm, rat milk...

[Yuletide]

I doubt that rats produce enough milk to be commercially viable. And can you imagine trying to get them to hold still while you hook up the milking machine? Nah, I'll stick with cows, goats, and sheep, thank you very much.

I've been eating yogurt for about 35 years, and wouldn't want to be without it.

[InsideBrooklyn]

I never eat yogurt with any sugar in it or even fruit. It doesn't help the good bacteria. It may hinder them. Eat a couple of spoonfuls of plain no fat yogurt everyday preferably certified organic. You'll get all that good acidopholus bacteria in just a couple of spoonfuls. Don't bother with acidopholus supplements. They're a waste of money . . .

[YankeeCanuck]

Under normal circumstances, a person does not require acidophilus supplements-- plain yogurt is best.

But for the immunocompromised and for people undergoing chemo or radiation therapy recent European studies show that yogurt itself does not have enough active cultures to protect the digestive tract. Supplements have a higher concentration-- and they have shown success.

Same goes for travel in unfamiliar places with iffy food or water preparation practices.

[avicenna]

Yikes - this is one of the most poorly conceived nutrional "advice" I've read in a long time - almost worse then the Atkins "pork puffs" diet. Probiotics aren't "laxatives" - they are an essential part of the human digestive system. Yogurt (preferably plain - and organic if you can afford it) is one of the best things people can consume after taking antibiotics or to prevent yeast infections. Most of the naturally occuring milk sugars (lactose) is used by active bacterial cultures in the yogurt - so most people who are lactose intolerant can actually eat yogurt - even if they can't drink milk on a regular basis. I don't know about "diet" food - but lowfat (or fat-free) yogurt can certainly help maintain lean body mass and a healthy BMI. I used to be an overweight teen (typical burger and fries gal). I became a lacto-ovo vegetarian when I entered university. I've always enjoyed dairy - and started consuming about 5 servings of yogurt per day - and it has been about 12 years now that I've maintained 70 pound weight loss.

[ecotopian]

You have never had Nancy's Yogurt. Not surprised, since it not for sale outside Oregon. It tastes wonderful.

You don't full on the yogurt. It's just part of the rest of the meal. Think of it as the "milk" part with a little bread and fruit. As someone noted already, if you're worried about the calories, exercise. It does a body good.

[Oread]

Oooo, maybe it's only available in ecotopia itself (btw, it's called Cascadia now...)!! Oh wait, no...I bought it at a co-op in missoula, so maybe not. oh, and then when I was on honeymoon in Burlington, VT, we got it there, too...where did you get your info?
http://www.nancysyogurt.com/dealers/index.php

[FloaterBall]

Huh. I guess that must have been bootleg Nancy's Yogurt I used to buy in L.A. It was still pretty good, though.

[cylindar]

The last thing I need is fast transit time. I have enough troubles in my life without crapping all over the place. Anyways I stay away from anything labeled health food and grow all my own vegetables.

[isis]

Some are full of high fructose corn syrup. You are being a bit unfair to Stoneyfield farm however.

[anfractuous]

When you're down to agonizing over the calorie content of a thimble of yogurt, the problem might lie elsewhere. How many times have I heard the same lament at work from people who never get off their fat asses in the course of a day. Footsteps are parceled out more stingily than any calorie could be, while, munching, they compare notes on whatever diet they're on that week.
When an animal is confined to a stall and force fed, activists are rightly ouraged, but when people do it to themselves, with the smiling complicity of business, there is scarcely a murmur.

[ErikW65]

Commercial yogurts with too much sugar, and corn syrup, are nasty and bad for you, no doubt. But there is good yogurt out there that tastes great and is great for you. I eat a fat-free yogurt, sweetened with maple syrup and vanilla. 1 serving is 1 cup, which has 108 calories, 0 grams fat, 19 grams carbs, of which 18 grams are "sugars". I'll eat one serving plus an orange or banana, for a total caloric intake of about 200, and that will keep me going for about 3 hours.

I've never heard about the controversy regarding laxatives, but it's good to be aware of.

It may be gross to think about, but your body couldn't digest anything if it weren't for the micro-organisms (lactobacillus bacteria) that exist in your gut. To the extent that the food you eat is not digested, you are creating a cancer-causing environment in your bowels.

[beb]

When you say they started adding glass to their yogurt, you are referring to the recalls because glass got into their yogurt.

Not to defend glass in yogurt but there is kind of a huge difference. Why would you be misleading?

I eat yogurt every day and love it. 70 calories each and I guess if I was searching for that anorexic figure, that would be a lot. For a guy who likes yogurt for various reasons I'm ok with that.

Also, I lived in Ukraine a couple of years and came to prefer their versions now.

[yambartsumian]

This article is full of distortion and lies.

Most foods tote themselves to be diet foods. There is nothing wrong with eating yogurt. And it's extremely healthy.

One of its main points is an opinion. "#3 Unsatisfying" ? Who eats yogurt as a meal? It's to accompany other foods. People who substitute (not supplement) their breakfasts with yogurt are also depriving themselves of other foods, as they are incorrectly dieting.

I'm Armenian. My grandmother makes yogurt at home, but as I no longer live nearby, I buy my yogurt from the grocery store. My diet consists of cereal, whole milk, yogurt, fruit, pita bread with hummus, cheese, fish, shish kebab, lentils, chickpeas, and kefer. I've been eating yogurt and drinking kefir every day since I can remember... I'm 5'3 and 105 pounds. And I don't exercise apart from walking 2 miles/day around Manhattan.

[jnatch]

is the 70 cal one you eat sugar free? if so it has aspartame and thats really bad

[DavidMG]

I discovered a way to thicken nonfat yogurt :Yogurt cheese (or YoChee) is a wonderful versatile ingredient you can make at home to improve your own yogurt. Its a creamy food which is low or no fat plus high protein and calcium). " Eat Well the YoChee Way" is a guide and cookbookt really expands the use of yogurt cheese to desserts, main courses and much more. check out YoChee.com

[johnmorgan]

Why do you need to add "yogurt cheese" to yogurt? And what the hell is yogurt cheese anyway?

[DavidMG]

Yogurt cheese is a stupid name as it is really not a cheese. It is just drained yogurt. Nothing to add. New name is "YoChee . " YoChee can be spread like butter or you can cook with it in cool ways. It is big part of Mideastern cuisine where it is called "laban"; in Turkey "suzma."

[losangelian1]

At all costs, avoid high-fructose corn syrup. And unfortunately, it's in just about everything (including orowheat bread). Because of corn subsidies it's cheaper than sugar which is why it's in American food at a much higher rate than anywhere else in the world.

All of this processing is really, really bad. Americans in general are not even eating real food anymore. Seek out health food stores and local farmers markets..

[ErikW65]

Absolutely. You can get organic cane sugar for $1.39/lb. at my local HFS. Also there is an herb called Stevia, it's not a sweetener, but it does make things taste sweet, in my opinion. The FDA has strict rules about not calling Stevia a sweetener...verboten! Stevia has no calories. Shhh.

[rucognizant]

ANd if you're in NJ vote for Senator :Lautenberg,
he is sponsoring a bill to change the way we're subsidizing BIG "corn /soy"
growing farmers since WWII!

[Hematite]

What's this with "Greek" yogurt? Sounds like you've fallen for some marketing scheme. How much extra are you paying to see those five meaningless letters on the container?

Yogurt is yogurt, and varies only with kind of milk and cultures used. Much of what is sold as "yogurt" really is just jelled milk. Rather than looking for "Greek" on the label, just read the ingredients. Real plain yogurt has only two: milk and active cultures.

Real yogurt also is incredibly easy to make. If using pasteurized milk, simply warm a container of milk to about 180 degrees and let it cool to body temperature. Add a teaspoon of plain real yogurt to it, let it sit undisturbed at room temperature for a day, and you have yogurt.

[epictetus]

ptillen is right, Greek yogurt is manufactured using a different process. It is strained to remove excess water, and it is available in fat free versions that have a high protein:sugar ratio. Most low fat American style yogurts have a low protein:sugar ratio (because sugar is added, usually in the form of high-fructose corn syrup), and are thickened using food starches (typically corn starch). Greek yogurt doesn't need to be thickened with additives because extra water is removed.

In fact, if you bothered Googling "Greek Yogurt" (with or without quotation marks), you'd find that the first hit is Fage, a Greek company that makes yogurt. This stuff is available at the Whole Foods near where I live, and is available in a fat free version that is also low in sugar. Apparently Stonyfield now makes a Greek style yogurt as well, but I haven't looked at its nutritional information.

You said "...just read the ingredients. Real plain yogurt has only two: milk and active cultures.", while this is traditionally correct, this is not what the FDA has decided. The FDA allows all sorts of other ingredients in commercially available yogurts. Currently, for the many consumers, the "Greek Yogurt" rule of thumb might actually be appropriate.

[Hematite]

I can find real yogurt almost anywhere (assuming that I'm too lazy to make it) without resorting to the absurdly overpriced and corporate Whole Foods. Most grocery stores carry yogurt that has no ingredients other than milk and cultures, often made from organic bgh-free milk. "Greek" yogurt (a misnomer because the same process is used to concentrate yogurt from Turkey and Armenia east to Mongolia) is very easy to make by hanging regular yogurt in a jelly bag for a few hours.

[ptillen]

Not so much a marketing scheme. Greek yogurt is simply thicker yogurt, which is made thicker by straining quite a bit of the water out. Nice in tzatziki, dips, on baked potatoes, etc.
I also make my own yogurt regularly, about once a week, but the straining part is kind of difficult to get the desired consistancy, so I'll admit I buy Greek yogurt for such uses.
Here's an interesting blog entry about making your own, the health benefits, etc-
http://headbutler.com/products/making_yogurt.asp

[Hematite]

Thanks for the information. I guess I make "Greek" yogurt (it also could be called Turkish or Armenian yogurt, too, couldn't it?) all of the time using a jelly bag. If you drain it long enough, you get yogurt cheese.

Of course when you drain it you increase the calorie density and lose part of the water-soluble of the protein and calcium, so I'm still confused about why the authors insist on it as the only healthy kind of yogurt. Real non-Greek yogurt is not at all hard to find in ordinary grocery stores. All you have to do is read the ingredients. In my poorly stocked small town Wisconsin Piggly-Wiggly not only can I get real yogurt, but I can get it made from organic non-bgh milk. You don't need to pay a fortune at overpriced organic food stores, like the dreadful "Whole Foods," to get good yogurt.

[uffa]

Does the writer of this article know anything about food that ISN'T produced by the mega food companies that we all know sell us total crap? Talking about Dannon as if its the standard for yogurt is like talking about polyester as a natural fabric.

[ariadne1]

i think they are a product of mass marketing overload. they don't understand 'healthy' food and just judge everything by the brand name attributes.

[sculptor]

I don't like one thing I read in this piece. I found it full of distortions and it also contained factual errors and I will counter/correct some of them here.

First off, yogurt does not contain a significant amount of lactose (you refer to yogurt as a tiny cup of lactose.) The bacteria in the culture eat the lactose which is why people that are lactose intolerant can consume yogurt.

Second, yogurt is high in calories only when it contains cream or sugar. So if the consumer wishes a creamy and sweet yogurt or the opposite, the decision is in their hands and not an inherent property of yogurt.Furthermore, yogurt does not need to have "chemicals" added to it. In fact when you use the term "chemicals" like that it's ignoring the fact that we are made of "chemicals" and live in a world of "chemicals" and it's been that way from the beginning of time.

Finally you admit yogurt with nothing added to it is good for you. But, you claim it can't contain any flavoring or sweeteners at all to be so. There are at least two sweeteners that are not harmful to human health, in that they have low glycemic indices They are rice syrup and agave nectar. Furthermore fresh fruit by itself has few calories and tastes great in unsweetened yogurt. Also savory flavorings like cucumber and dill add few calories.

[ariadne1]

stevia is a natural sweetner, very sweet, very little calories. the big sugar companies have been doing a very good job, with the help of the fda, in keeping it out of the country. can get it in small amounts in health food stores now.