Q_ Is yogurt really that good for me-and if so, which do you recommend?
A: Yogurt can make for a great breakfast or post-workout snack. However, I'm sure you know that there are so many to choose from and they are NOT all created equally! Although many people think of yogurt as a diet food, a typical yogurt parfait can contain as many as 350 calories, 50 grams of carbs, 10 grams protein and 30 grams of sugar-that is definitely not diet friendly.
Recently, Greek yogurt has made a comeback and become very popular. My top three favorites are: 0% Fage Yogurt, Chobani, and Oikos Organic by StonyField Farms. These all have about half the calories, 1/5 the carbs, and 3 times the protein making them a much healthier choice. One 6 oz container of Greek yogurt has only 90 calories, 6 grams of carbs, 16 grams protein and 6 grams of sugar-you can see the difference!
Compared to a typical bagel and cream cheese breakfast that can have as many as 650 calories and only 3 grams of fiber, my yogurt parfait (see recipe below) has less than 200 calories and 14 g fiber! Think your low fat donut from Dunkin Donuts is a better choice than your bagel breakfast? Think again! A typical muffin packs around 500-600 calories and only 2 grams of fiber. It might taste good, but you will be feeling hungry soon after and you'll be on your way to a diet disaster!
Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD is a nutritionist and the creator of The F-Factor DietaC/, an innovative nutritional program she has used for more than ten years to provide hundreds of her clients with all the tools they need to achieve easy weight loss and maintenance, improved health and well-being. For more information log onto
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