GREEK YOGURT

Why Everyone’s Going Crazy for Greek Yogurt
by Carlon Colker MD

What’s all the buzz about Greek yogurt? At many markets, the shelves are full of Greek yogurt options. The luscious, creamy goodness just happens to be incredibly healthy.

Greek yogurt is really just regular yogurt that undergoes a straining process using a cloth or filter. This process removes the watery whey component along with some of the sugars, including lactose. The result is a product that still looks and tastes like regular yogurt, but tends to be slightly thicker and closer to cheese in texture.

Greek yogurt has a delectably creamy mouth-feel, much more so than regular yogurt, which tends to be more watery; interestingly, this is even true for the non-fat version, which is unusual considering the lack of a fat component.

There are a variety of brands out there; some contain fruit and sweeteners, just like regular yogurt. If high protein and low carbohydrate is your deal, than Greek yogurt fits the bill. It has all health benefits of regular yogurt, along with a better macronutrient profile. While the fat content may be higher than that of regular yogurt, as long as you go with the no-fat or low-fat version, you’ll be fine. Also, Greek yogurt has about twice the amount of protein as regular yogurt, while having about half the amount of carbohydrates. More good news for those people who are lactose-intolerant: Greek yogurt tends to have less lactose than regular yogurt.