Why low fat yogurt isn't good for you...

[HanPanStrawberryJam]

Nobody panic.

It's not that low fat yoghurt is bad for you, it DOES contain some dietary proteins and I'll caveat now by saying this doesn't apply to the sugar free varieties but....

What if I told you that the dieters best friend, the low fat yoghurt, is actually no better for you than a Bourbon biscuit?

SHOCK. HORROR.

Clearly I'm a mad woman and this can't possibly be true, but hear me out.

Low fat yoghurt has been a bug bare of mine for ages and it's because you're supposed to have 2 good sources of dairy per day due to the fact that dairy contains lovely fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K... When you suck the fat out, you suck all of those out too! Therefore low fat yoghurt doesn't actually count towards your daily intake of dairy... And even if it's only 100 cal, it's essentially 100 empty cals... Ok so that's not strictly true. Low fat yoghurt often contains lovely protein and can be fortified with calcium (you suck this out with the fat too), so it's still better than a biscuit reeeeally, but here's the reason I compared it that way:

Your typical Bourbon biscuit contains about 2.5 teaspoons of sugar and is anywhere from 80-100 calories... Your typical low fat yoghurt is about 5.5 teaspoons of sugar and is anywhere from 90-120 calories per serving.... And here we arrive at the crux of the problem:

Dietary fat that you find In full fat dairy is not your enemy as long as it's consumed pimped up with all those lovely fat soluble vitamins. As long as it's plain and bio live (like the Yeo valley little green tubs) with no added sugar or preservatives, it's incredibly good for you overall. When you go down the super market aisle next and you're bombarded with all those yogurt choices, check out the sugar content on your low fat options, then turn around and have a full fat, full goodness option for about 40 cal more and a ton of awesome vitamins, dietary calcium, vit b12 and so on.

Eating something as sugary as low fat yoghurt is also bad for cravings.. It can spark a pleasure reaction and leave you craving sweet stuff harder than you ever did before...

Ultimately, Eating well is all about maximising the goodness from your food and minimising the calories. All too often we forget the beginning part of that equation and focus too hard on the calorie part. Adding 1 portion of pure dairy into your diet daily is a super easy way to balance your vitamin intake and rock up your calcium

Personally I like the Yeo valley little green pots. 50p a pot, totally naturally and traditionally produced with nothing at all added 123 calories per pot and SO much better for you

[MrsBooboo]

I have three Yeo Valley pots in my fridge at the moment. I just ate a thick slice of homemade brown bread with seaweed, so the seaweed can help toward making me feel fuller for longer.

[Hidden in reply to MrsBooboo]

Where do you get the seaweed from? That sounds random... but amazing!

[Penel]

Full fat live Greek yoghurt is another possible option, with a good protein content.

[HanPanStrawberryJam in reply to Penel]

Yep, as long as it has no added flavours or sugar it's a great option

[rmnsuk]

low fat

nutritiondata.self.com/fact...

whole milk

nutritiondata.self.com/fact...

let the facts speak for themselves

to all intents and purposes, for weight-loss, all calories are the same.

[Penel in reply to rmnsuk]

The fat content seems to make a difference. Full fat yoghurt is associated with lower weight gain.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/251...

[HanPanStrawberryJam in reply to rmnsuk]

Nope, my point is the focus should be on a healthy balanced, nutrient rich diet NOT just on calorie content low fat yoghurt contains almost no fat soluble vitamins, making it essentially 'empty' calories even if it does contain protein... For an average of 40 cals more you could have a much better, sugar free alternative rich in essential vitamins and calcium. If the focus was purely on calorie intake, you might as well eat the same bowl of porridge for every meal. We would lose weight, but we all know that's not the best way. On a documentary called 'the truth about fat' it was also shown that dairy fats are not stored, but stimulate the metabolism and actually aid weight loss, whereas low fat varieties are usually chocked full of glucose and fructose, which is ALWAYS stored as fat. FDA reccomendations are for all women to eat 1 to 2 FULL FAT portions of dairy daily to lower the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease. You NEED dietary fats, but it's infinitely better if that fat comes packed full of fat soluble vitamins like E, D, A and K AS WELL AS VITAMIN B12 And calcium, that's why full fat dairy in moderation is SO important

[MrsBooboo in reply to HanPanStrawberryJam]

Thank you for the recommendation of the documentary called 'the truth about fat' I have just watched it online and found it very interesting. We don't have a TV so I miss out on good documentaries.