Yep, here it is. Yet another greek yogurt thread.

So, this one is different though, its more of a review/suggestion thread because I LOVE GREEK YOGURT! Love it. Love love love. ok, enough of that already.But why greek yogurt you ask? Well compared to "regular" yogurt it has a very thick creamy texture, has very little to no fat, much higher protein levels, and is a versatile ingredient for cooking.

So the first thing I do when picking out Greek yogurt is to look for three main things: Sugar, Protein, Calories. I have tried a bunch of different brands...Chobani, Fage, Trader Joes organic, Trader Joes with added fiber, Stonyfield (Oikos) and various others.

Here is a little taste/nutritionals rundown.

Chobani: Hands down best tasting I think, as far as fruit flavors are concerned (I hated the honey and plain of this brand, the plain has a really weird aftertaste) BUT high in sugar, and unlike the mini Fage cups, the fruit is already added at the bottom, so you have no control over what goes in. More like a desert.
6oz
140 Calories
19 grams sugar
14 grams proten
20 carbs

Fage: its totally awesome that you can get either fat free or 2%. The 2% is creamier, richer tasting and I think just better overall, but if your worried about those few extra grams of fat, skip that. The other cool thing about Fage if you get the mini cups, is that the fruit and added sugar is basically add-your-own-amount, so if you want to cut the sugar down, but still get the yummy fruit tase, just dont dump all of it in. You could always just buy the large container and add your won jam of course!!
5.3-6 oz
100-150 calories (depends on fat and sugar added)
0-6 grams fat
12-20 protein
7-16 grams of sugar

Trader Joes Organic:hands down the BEST vanilla greek yogurt in my opinion for flavor and texture.
5.3 oz
130 caloires
0 fat
20 carbs
17 sugar
12 protein


Stonyfield Oikos: I HATED this brand, I only tried vanilla, bu the taste was just horrible, weird aftertaste, threw the container out immediately. Hoever, it was the first certified organic brand on the market, so many people love it
5.3 oz Plain
90 calories
15 protein
0 fat
6 sugar
6 carbs


Final comments: I love the fruity, sugary greek yogurts because they taste awesome, and are a lot healthier than many other breakfast foods and/or desserts. As I try to wean away from them and towards plain, I think I could start with Fage 2% and work down from there, adding my own flavorings, but sometimes its simply more practical to have everything ready to go out the door when I am on the run to work or school without mixing stuff in. There is a generic brand greek yogurt at Smiths (out local "non-organic" kinda store, think Albertsons etc) that has a new kind with Stevia to sweeten, I havent tried it yet and its not organic, but that may be a good option if you want sweet with lower calories. There are tons of recipes that utilize greek yogurt, check them out!
Here are some of my favorite super-toppings:

Chobani strawberry+1/8 cup of walnut pieces+1/4 tsp of cinnamon.
Tastes like a cinnamon bagle with strawberry cream cheese. 242 calories, 22 carbs, 17 grams of protein.


Trader Joes Organic Nonfat Vanilla+3 strawberries+1 kiwi chopped into small pieces
Fage 2% Plain+1/2 tsp agave nectar+slivered almonds


A little 2 cents on cost: lots of people talk about how expensive greek yogurt is. Yeah, its not like 99 cent yoplait. BUT you are getting better nutrition. And honestly, if you eat a 2$ Fage for breakfast with a couple almonds sitrred in, you are having a breakfast for about $2.50. Seems like a pretty darn good deal to me