Summer Food: Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt has exploded onto the food market. I came back from Italy and looked at the grocery store and found a bunch more to offer in the realm of Greek yogurts. More flavors, more varieties, more brands, etc. Let's take a closer look at Greek yogurt.

The real reason I spotted this stuff and must write about it is because of the Olympics. Chobani! Huge sponser and all over the commercials. Must be doing well if they can pay for that commercial spot right now. I mean, not too long ago I didn't even know what Chobani was! But the point here is that Greek yogurt is built for athletes. They're sponsoring our athletes for a reason.

Greek yogurt is a lot like normal yogurt, made from milk and bacteria cultures, but at the end, it gets strained to remove the whey. That gives this yogurt its texture and sour taste. Removing the whey shouldn't scare you though; it does nothing to the protein content of the yogurt. In fact Greek yogurt has a higher protein content then normal yogurt (usually about 16-18g in comparison to 10g). Removing the whey this way leaves only solid proteins left which givese this awesome profile.

This yogurt is also going to be low in carbohydrates and fat. You can usually cut down on about 50% of your sugars! This lower sugar count and higher protein profile makes Greek yogurt an amazing snack because of its low glycemic index. This will give you some nice long term energy or help you recover from a hard work out.

I've read that Greek yogurt has a higher probiotic profile (good bacteria in the yogurt) than normal yogurt, but in my opinion, it just matters what kind of yogurt you are buying. They sell yogurts with more probiotics in them and at pretty decent prices. Overall, you're still getting awesome probiotics which will aid in your digestion regardless!

If yogurt is a preferred snack for you, grab and eat this stuff! Feel free to add some deliciousness to it like strawberries, blueberries, granola, or even honey! Those with a dislike for the yogurt can still find this stuff useful to add to smoothies. And like always with yogurt, Greek yogurt comes in a nice portable container which makes it a quick snack or easily packable lunch item.

Another awesome yogurt product to check out if the taste of Greek yogurt doesn't do it for ya is Kefir. This is like a yogurt drink (not very watery though, fruit smoothie consistency) but packed with protein and probiotics. This stuff can be really simple to have and use (treat it like a glass of milk or juice!). Plus, the stuff should only run you about $4 tops for a 4 serving bottle. Try it!