Reader Question: Greek Yogurt vs Regular Yogurt

Hi Sharon,

I started reading your blog and I am enjoying it. Keep up the good work.

I am really interested to hear the benefits of greek yogurt over regular. I usually would eat the non-fat and/or organic regular yogurt vanilla flavor. Just cannot do plain..lol. I started eating greek and like it. Have not tried the non-fat option of greek yet. When I look at the greek yogurt it seems to have double the protein, but also can have double the sugar as well. The one I had did not have any potassium either, but the regular yogurts do. Also, the % of vitamins in each are different with greek being lower.

Just wondering if the main benefit is the protein.

Thanks,
Stephanie


Hi Stephanie,


First of all thank you very much for reading my blog and for your question. It is a really great question that I am sure many are also curious to the answer. I love Greek yogurt and prefer it over the regular. I also suggest sticking with the non-fat or at least the low-fat. I eat the plain and add a tiny bit of low-sugar, organic preserves to it. Here is some further information about the difference between Greek and regular yogurt.

Greek yogurt and regular yogurt are both made by adding bacteria to milk causing it to ferment. During this process the yogurt thickens and becomes slightly tangy is taste. It is then strained through a cheesecloth, which allows the liquid whey part of milk to drain off. Regular yogurt is strained twice resulting in a thinner consistency, while Greek yogurt is strained three times creating a thicker consistency.

The benefits of Greek yogurt over regular are:

Protein - Greek yogurt can have twice as much protein as regular yogurt. One cup of plain, low-fat conventional yogurt usually contains 5 to 10 grams of protein, where Greek yogurt averages about 13 to 20 grams of protein. Protein fills you up which is important while watching calories.

Sodium - According to the USDA, Greek yogurt has less sodium by up to 50 percent.

Sugar - Greek yogurt contains less naturally-occurring sugar than regular yogurt.
A container of plain Greek yogurt has 8 g of sugar; while the same amount of regular yogurt contains about 17 g. Choose plain instead flavored Greek yogurt to obtain more potassium and to avoid other added sugars. Since you state that you see more sugar in the Greek yogurt, I wonder if you are comparing vanilla regular yogurt to fruit-on-the-bottom Greek yogurt. Fruit-on-bottom contains a lot of sugar. I do not use these myself, but my family does. I am comparing the actual yogurt itself. I also suggest trying the plain yogurt and experimenting by adding fruit, a tiny bit of honey, or maple syrup, etc to get it to your taste with the least amount of sugar.

Low in Carbohydrates - Regular yogurt has15 to 17 grams of carbohydrates per cup, where Greek yogurt averages around 9 grams.

Easy to Digest - Because Greek yogurt contains less carbohydrates than regular yogurt, it also contains less lactose, the sugar in dairy products that can sometimes upset people's stomachs. Many people who have lactose intolerance can have Greek yogurt with no problem. That is actually my own case!

Texture - Greek yogurt has a smooth, rich and thick consistency and is so popular because of the satisfaction of eating something creamy and smooth. It feels much more decadent than it is.

On the other side, here are the benefits of regular yogurt over Grek:

Calcium - Regular yogurt has about three times the calcium of Greek yogurt. Both are still considered good sources of calcium, but women who don't get enough calcium from other foods may want to stick to regular yogurt for its bone-building benefits. Although there are many other ways to get calcium into your diet

Cost - Unfortunately, you'll likely spend twice the money on Greek yogurt. This is largely due to high consumer demand and the higher cost associated with its production.


I hope this helps. Please keep the questions coming!
XOX