Low fat vs standard

stockleysarah13

What is better low fat natural yogurt or the standard one ? I’ve read that low fat products are actually worse as they’re filled with sugar and sweetners to get the same taste . Not sure if that’s true of natural yogurt but would welcome your views.

cwolfman13

stockleysarah13 wrote: »

What is better low fat natural yogurt or the standard one ? I’ve read that low fat products are actually worse as they’re filled with sugar and sweetners to get the same taste . Not sure if that’s true of natural yogurt but would welcome your views.

That is not true of dairy products. There is no added sugar in dairy products unless you are getting flavored/sweetened. This tends to be more true for highly processed food goods marketed as low fat...think for example...a low fat boxed macaroni and cheese meal or something...or salad dressing sometimes. Food labels will also tell you the added sugar content if any.

What's better is a matter of preference and your goals. I tend to eat non fat plain greek yogurt and do so primarily for the protein...I don't need the fat because I'm getting adequate dietary fat elsewhere. If someone is having difficulty getting adequate dietary fat for good health then they should eat more full fat products...of if someone is having difficulty meeting tiny little calorie targets, the culprit is usually cutting out too much fat and they should eat more full fat products, etc.

AnnPT77

Plain nonfat yogurt has no added sugar. Virtually all flavored full-fat yogurt has added sugar.

Even among flavored yogurts, some brands or versions have more added sugar, others have less, a few have none (but usually artificial sweeteners or alternative sweeteners instead).

Read labels. Between the nutrition label and the ingredients label, you can figure this stuff out. Don't just read generalities on some blog and believe them.

One thing to think about that some anti-sugar sites will distort: Nonfat plain yogurt sometimes has more grams of inherent sugar per cup than full-fat plain yogurt. The cow put it there. It's just math. If you have a cup of whatever that has fat in it, and you take out the fat grams but still serve up a full cup, it will have more of something else that was in the full fat version, because something's going to fill up that cup, fat was taken out, nothing new was added.

Example: A cup of Fage full-fat plain yogurt has 9g fat, 5g carbs (5g sugar), 15g protein. A cup of nonfat Fage plain yogurt has 0g fat, 5g carbs (5g sugar), 18g protein. In that case, it obviously lost the fat, gained some protein. (I'm betting it gained some carbs/sugars, but probably little enough change that it rounds to 5g in either case.)

Which is better? Depends on your dietary needs, on an overall basis, and your personal tastes. Some people need more calories (high calorie needs), may be short on dietary fats (fat is an essential nutrient), and/or think nonfat yogurt tastes sub-par. They'd choose full-fat yogurt. Me, I need calorie-efficient protein, get enough fats from other food sources, and find nonfat yogurt very tasty. I choose nonfat yogurt.

Individual foods aren't good or bad . . . unless they're literally poison, allergens for you personally, or contraindicated because of some health condition you have or medication you need to take. Individual foods are relatively more or less helpful to you in meeting your personal goals for a balance of calories, nutrition, tastiness, convenience, etc.

Pick the one that works best for you, in your overall context.

Athijade

It really is a personal preference. I personally don't like the low/non fat yogurts because I don't feel like they keep me as full. They also just don't taste as good.

cmriverside

I buy nonfat unflavored Greek yogurt for the protein, probiotics and calcium and I use it in a variety of ways. If I want it sweeter I add fruit and sometimes preserves or other sweetener. Greek yogurt is such a versatile product.

There isn't added sugar in nonfat yogurt unless you're buying a flavored one.

lemurcat2

stockleysarah13 wrote: »

What is better low fat natural yogurt or the standard one ? I’ve read that low fat products are actually worse as they’re filled with sugar and sweetners to get the same taste . Not sure if that’s true of natural yogurt but would welcome your views.

This is a lie or at least a misleading overgeneralization. Some lower fat products have added sugar or other sweeteners (and you may or may not have an issue with either), and some full fat products do also. But some lower fat products are just, well, lower fat, and have nothing else added. Rather than rely on these kinds of false claims that are made in the dieting world, I would highly recommend just looking at the nutrition labels and ingredients.

I tend to consume low fat cottage cheese and yogurt (plain) since I find them just as tasty or tastier, just as filling or more so for the same amount, and it's nice they are lower cal. While I am not afraid of fat (I tend to eat plenty of it without thinking about it), I prefer to get it from sources I appreciate more -- like nuts and seeds, olives, avocado, good cheese, and eating a variety of cuts of meat and fatty fish, etc. If you find the full fat yogurts more enjoyable or more filling (with or without added sugar/sweetener, which is generally found in flavored yogurt of any sort, and not plain yogurt), it might be a better choice for you, although not for me.

Walkywalkerson

Athijade wrote: »

It really is a personal preference. I personally don't like the low/non fat yogurts because I don't feel like they keep me as full. They also just don't taste as good.

I agree - I don't buy any low fat/ calorie foods - unsurprisingly the full fat versions taste better 😁
A portion of full fat Greek yoghurt for example will keep me full a lot longer than a non fat version.
Tell a lie - I buy low calorie tonic water for Gin 😁

springlering62

I buy low fat cottage cheese, skim milk, plain yogurt and skyr.

None have sugar added. They’re basically milk and maybe some cultures or fermenting bacteria.

I also use fat free half and half, but it does have a thickening agent.

I buy low fat because
A.) they’re fewer calories so I have more to spend elsewhere
B.) fat free is typically higher protein than full fat and I follow a very high protein regimen
C.) I looooooove to eat or drink all of the above, and often have several servings of each per day.

I’ve got a batch of homemade skyr fermenting in my (Unheated except for light bulb) oven at this very moment. I can vouch that the only ingredients are skim milk, some store-bought skyr as a starter, water and a few drops of rennet. Any sugar in it will be what’s naturally in skim milk anyway.

If this turns out as I hope- and I’ve made yogurt and kefir before, som am pretty confident- I’m looking forward to pigging out on some affordable skyr.

I told a cashier last week “this darn skyr is in steak territory”.

I’m going to top it with whipped cream, sugar free chocolate syrup, and some rainbow sprinkles. Yah. Added sugar. 👍🏻

Don’t vilify foods. Find healthy foods you enjoy and eat more of ‘em. I can eat a shedload of pomegranate and cottage cheese for what a couple of Hershey’s kisses would cost me. You may prefer the Kisses. Bully for you, if it fits. I’ll take that cereal bowl full of bejeweled goodness.

nooshi713

Because my calorie goals are quite low, I eat lower fat yogurt, the plain one, and sweeten myself with honey or berries. I love Siggis Skyr which is high in protein also. It is best to generally avoid animal fats. I try to get my fats from olive oil, avocado, fish, and occasional nuts.