From Grass Fed Girl: This is a wonderful guest post by my trusty intern Coco. I wholeheartedly agree that the consumer must be more educated about purchasing Greek Yogurt. When in the dairy aisle it is important to look for organic yogurt without a lot of sugar. It can be confusing to sort through all the health claims while on a search for probiotics and calcium. Of course making your own yogurt at home with milk from grass fed cows is always the best choice.
The Real Deal with Greek Yogurt: Which Whey To Go?
Good, Bad and Ugly: Where Does Your Greek Yogurt Fall?
Is your Greek yogurt laced with GMOs, packed with sugar, fortified with vitamins that you can’t absorb, thwarting your weight loss efforts and pushing your body towards an inflammatory state? No?
Are you sure?
Chobani. Fage. Wallaby Organic. Trader Joe’s brand. With numerous health authorities singing the praises of Greek yogurt, we seem to have forgotten one important fact: Not all yogurt is created equal.
What is Greek Yogurt?
Greek yogurt is characterized by its high protein content. With about 13 grams of protein per 5.3 ounce serving, it has more than twice the protein of traditional yogurt, which averages 6 grams per serving.
During normal yogurt production, one cup of milk is required to produce one cup of yogurt. But in the making of traditional Greek yogurt, the yogurt is strained, which removes much of the whey, water and lactose (milk sugar). Rather than one cup of milk, two to four cups are needed produce one cup of Greek yogurt. The result is thick, creamy yogurt that is high in protein and low in sugar.
Unfortunately, this process also results in a large amount of largely unusable whey acid, which companies are struggling to dispose of. To learn more about the controversy regarding the environmental impact of commercially produced Greek yogurt, check out these articles from Modern Farmer and from NPR.
Greek Yogurt Provides These 3 Benefits…if you’re eating the right kind!
1. Makes you Feel Fuller, Longer: Whey protein, which is quickly broken down and assimilated, is strained out in the making of Greek yogurt. Thus, Greek yogurt is a concentrated source of a protein called casein, which is more slowly absorbed and may prolong satiety. It is also traditionally high in fat, and the combination of fat and protein will help keep you feeling fuller longer. It is important to note that many people have unrealized casein sensitivity, so pay attention to your body – anytime certain proteins are isolated they can cause new unforeseen issues.
You aren’t getting these benefits if your yogurt is:
Low-fat or fat-free: The combination of fat and protein is what promotes a feeling of fullness. If you remove much or all of the fat, you’ll be less satisfied and hungry sooner.
Flavored/Sweetened: Greek yogurt tends to be lower in sugar (about 4 grams in 5.3 ounces verses 7 grams in regular yogurt) than regular yogurt – but only if it’s plain. Flavored Greek yogurt can have up to 18 grams of sugar in a serving. All that sugar will spike your blood sugar, thereby cancelling out the satiating effects of the fat and protein.
2. Anti-Inflammatory, Fat Burning, and Health Promoting: Greek yogurt is a good source of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats and a fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which has been linked to everything from cancer prevention to weight loss. Greek yogurt also contains a short-chain saturated fatty acid called butyric acid, which has potent anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to reduce intestinal permeability (intestinal permeability is associated with many diseases and auto-immune conditions). Most Greek yogurt also supplies vitamins A and D.
You aren’t getting these benefits if your yogurt is:
Not Organic: For dairy to be certified organic, it must come from cows that graze on pasture at least 120 days per year. Grass fed yogurt is up to five times higher in CLA than that from cows fed grains year-round. Organic milk also contains 62% more omega 3 than non-organic milk – which almost always comes from factory farmed cows fed a diet of grains like corn and soy. If you can’t find yogurt labeled 100% grass fed, the next best thing to look for is certified organic.
Fat Free or Low-Fat: Omega 3, CLA and butyric acid are…fats! If your Greek yogurt doesn’t contain high levels of fat, that means it won’t have high levels of Omega 3, CLA or butyric acid. What’s more, vitamins A and D, which are critical to metabolism and good immunity, are fat soluble. This means you need to ingest them with fat in order to for your body to absorb them.
3. Contains Lots of Probiotics: Fermented foods, like yogurt, are a great source of probiotics, which are important for gut health and may help strengthen your immune system. A 2013 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition reported that fermented dairy may reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
You aren’t getting these benefits if your yogurt is:
Heat-treated after culturing: Manufacturers will sometimes heat-treat yogurt after fermentation to prolong shelf life. This destroys the live cultures. The FDA requires these products be labeled “heat treated after culturing.” Be sure the container is labeled with “active cultures,” “living yogurt cultures” or “contains active cultures.”
Quickly fermented: According to nutrition experts Dr. Natasha Campbell Mcbride and Elaine Gottshall, a lot of commercial yogurt is not an ideal source of probiotics because it is not fermented long enough. Homemade yogurt is fermented for about 24 hours, but some commercial yogurt is fermented for as little as one hour. A clue that your yogurt hasn’t been fermented long enough is additional ingredients – like whey concentrates and modified corn starch, pectin, and locust bean gum – which are sometimes added to give insufficiently fermented yogurt a thicker texture.
Flavored/Sweetened: Any possible immune-strengthening effects of the probiotics are liable to be negated when eaten with several teaspoons of sugar. In addition to being linked to weight gain and inflammation, sugar may also weaken your immune system.
My Recommendations:
To get the most benefits from your Greek yogurt, you need to buy yogurt that is Certified Organic, Full-Fat, and Plain/Unsweetened, and that only lists Milk and Living Cultures. In addition to the above benefits, organic yogurt is free of artificial growth hormones and comes from cows not fed inflammatory GMO corn and soy. If you’ve never experienced the rich creaminess of full-fat Greek yogurt before, you’re in for a real treat.
Plain, organic full-fat yogurt can be tricky to find! Most Greek yogurts are low or non-fat and come in flavors. In fact, some brands only offer flavored 0% fat yogurt. I researched a number of popular brands and found only two that offer organic, full-fat and plain Greek yogurt: Straus Family Creamery and Wallaby Organic.
Alternatives: If you’re unable to find suitable Greek options at your grocery store, you can make your own Greek yogurt using some cheesecloth and regular yogurt that is organic, full-fat, and plain. Directions to make your own here..
Extra Tips on How to Best Yo’ Greek:
To make plain yogurt taste more like flavored varieties, blend some thawed frozen berries with a few drops of liquid stevia (optional) to make your own low-sugar fruit topping.
Plain full-fat Greek yogurt has a consistency and flavor reminiscent of sour cream. Use it any place you’d use sour cream: add a dollop to soups or use it as a base for making dips.
Remember that while Greek yogurt is an excellent source of protein, it shouldn’t be your only source of protein. Muscle and organ meat from pasture-raised animals along with some seafood are encouraged for balancing the amino acids, fats and animal-derived micronutrients in your diet. Low fat diets high in protein can cause immune system disorders, vitamin and fatty acid deficiencies and dental problems, among other maladies.
Some Notes About Pasteurized Dairy:
Virtually all commercial yogurt is pasteurized, which compromises its nutritional quality. Vitamins in milk that are heat sensitive include vitamin C and all the B vitamins, and these levels decline during pasteurization. Further, for reasons that aren’t fully understood, many individuals who have sensitivities to dairy find that they can tolerate raw dairy just fine. This may be because raw dairy has additional beneficial microbes and enzymes. Factory farmed dairy is always pasteurized, and indeed pasteurization of these milk products is necessary to eliminate the effects of poor sanitation and sick animals. Conventional and non-organic dairy is never recommended.
If you have access to 100% grass fed, raw milk, I urge you to take advantage of it! You can make your own yogurt from raw milk, but will find that it has a much runnier consistency akin to that of drinkable yogurt.
Greek Yogurt Brands to AVOID:
Chobani: Whole Foods is removing the brand from their stores, because their cows are given GMO feed. It’s also not available in both full-fat and plain.
Fage: Comes in plain and full-fat, but is from cows likely fed GMO feed.
Trader Joe’s: Organic and plain, but not available in full-fat.
Stonyfield Organic: Organic and plain, but only comes in 0% fat.
Brown Cow: Carries two types of Green yogurt, including a cream-on-top Greek yogurt. Unfortunately, the cream-on-top variety isn’t organic or even non-GMO Project Certified (only the 0% fat version is). Neither Greek variety contains L. acidophilus or Bifidus probiotic strains.
Oikos: Has full-fat flavored and 0% plain, but not full-fat plain. Likely comes from cows given GMO feed.
Yoplait: Not available in plain or full-fat. Likely from cows given GMO feed. NOT authentic Greek yogurt. It contains thickeners, including kosher gelatin, pectin and locust bean gum as well as potassium sorbate, which a preservative.
Greek Gods: Full-fat and plain, but likely from cows given GMO feed. NOT actually Greek yogurt (it’s carefully labeled “Greek style”). Has pectin added as a thickener to give it a Greek yogurt-like texture.
When in doubt opt for organic and read the ingredient list. If only milk and cultures are listed, you’re Yo-kay!
Make sure to like Coco’s Facebook Page
Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23756569
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/41348/icode/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dairy-fat-healthy-paleo-primal/#axzz2rnqC7O9A
Gaps Diet and SCD Diet Book
Marnie says
Great article. Thanks so much!
Peter Staniscia says
Great, informative article Caitlin…I really enjoyed it. I am 54 and an avid health advocate who loves all foods, but the last few years I have been trying to educate myself to better dieting and have been listening to my body’s reactions to certain foods. My colleague and I here at work are always trying to “better our health”, and one of the foods we eat daily is plain organic greek yogurt. We don’t get to Whole Foods that often, so we’ve narrowed it down to ‘Fage’ as being one of the “thickest” and good tasting plain yogurts. But I have read recently, not only in your article, about ‘Fage’ not being a “true” organic product, so I will making trips to Whole Foods to get the other “better” products you mention. Thanks again and keep up the great work!!
Caitlin Weeks says
I am glad you are aware and trying to get healthy. Yes unless it is labled organic it isn’t. Fage is not labled organic as far as I know. Best of luck on your health journey.
Courtnie says
Stonyfield Organic has a whole milk plain yogurt. I remember buying it and it is listed on their website. Yum!