Char... it may be. You have to check the ingredients. They should be something like milk, cream, etc. but NO added sugar. It should be "plain" yogurt. The sugars listed on the label are lactose sugars, which theoretically the little guys feast on.

The yoghurt thread goes up again!

I think another important aspect of the whole yogurt (and KEFIR) discussion is candida.

No one brought it up in this thread, though it is in many of the referenced articles on yogurt.

But especially to newbies - many of us who were previously prone to eating hi-carb are likely to be suffering from presence of candida (yeast). This can be true even if there are no overt symptoms (btw, this is a controversial point in medicine, but I think it is the same people who say Atkins is bad for you who disregard this theory!)

Candida can lead to carb cravings, fatigue, weaker immune system, poor sleep patterns, upset stomach, diarrhea/constipation, and for women - genital yeast infections.

One of the major benefits of Atkins (to me) is that in addition to weight loss, this is the best treatment for candida.

And yogurt/kefir are powerful weapons in that war.

I'm glad this post got pushed up again, because I was at the grocery last night and was looking at the yogurt and couldn't remember what I should get. I know not the lowfat/nofat stuff but wasn't sure about the rest. I've found the nut.facts on a couple I saw and wanted to know if these are OK to get and how much can you safely eat to not be overindulging. Both of these are made by Dannon:

la Crème Strawberry 4 oz – 4 Pack
Serving Size: 4 oz; 113g

Amount per Serving

Calories 140
Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5 g 8%
Saturated Fat 3 g 15%
Cholesterol 20 mg 7%
Sodium 75 mg 3%
Potassium 240 mg 7%
Total Carbohydrates 20 g 7%
Dietary Fiber 0 g 0%
Sugars 18 g N/A
Protein 5 g 10%
Vitamin A 4%
Vitamin C 0%
Thiamin 0%
Riboflavin 19%
Vitamin B6 0%
Vitamin B12 10%
Iron 0%
Vitamin D 0%
Calcium 15%
Phosphorus 15%

Not a significant source of dietary fiber and vitamin C.
%DV means % Daily Value based on a 2000-calorie diet

Ingredients:

CULTURED GRADE A MILK AND CREAM, SUGAR, FRUCTOSE SYRUP, STRAWBERRY PUREE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 1% OF FRUCTOSE, CORN STARCH, KOSHER GELATIN, NATURAL FLAVOR, MALIC ACID, CARMINE AND ANNATTO EXTRACT (FOR COLOR). CONTAINS ACTIVE YOGURT CULTURES.

K, I forgot to put the second one I saw... still Dannon

Plain Natural 32 oz
Serving Size: 6 oz; 170g

Amount per Serving

Calories 130
Calories from Fat 50
% DV*
Total Fat 6 g 9%
Saturated Fat 4 g 2%
Cholesterol 25 mg 8%
Sodium 110 mg 5%
Potassium 340 mg 10%
Total Carbohydrates 11 g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0 g 0%
Sugars 10 g
Protein 7 g 14%

Vitamin A 4%
Vitamin C 0%
Thiamin (Vitamin B1) 6%
Riboflavin 20%
Vitamin B6 6%
Vitamin B12 15%
Iron 0%
Vitamin D 0%
Calcium 20%
Phosphorus 20%
Pantothenic Acid 8%

Not a significant source of dietary fiber and vitamin C.
*%DV means % Daily Value based on a 2000-calorie diet

Ingredients:

CULTURED GRADE A MILK. CONTAINS ACTIVE YOGURT CULTURES INCLUDING L. ACIDOPHILUS.

I dont see any research in here to say stay away from LOW/NO FAT? I thought it was just the sugar we wanted to avoid. Am I missing something?

Lesley

redfallon, I don't know if I would try that strawberry yogurt, anything with sugar and fructose syrup high up in the ingredients makes me nervous. The plain one sounds really good.

Lesley, it is not necessarily the low fat itself that is the problem, but the fact that the lower fat yogurts (and other products) are almost always higher in carbs. Hence the full fat yogurt. Additionally, getting enough fat on this WOE is pretty important so there is not much point to eating low fat anyway (plus I think low fat dairy products just dont taste that good, IMHO).

Ok, so I can basically get the plain Dannon one (I was wary of the flavored one, too) and if I want to make my own flavors, I can get some of the Atkins flavor syrups or even put real strawberries in it --- oooh we can make smoooooothies! <---from the Pontiac Vibe commercial, sorry This is one of those things that's hard to convince yourself because you see that high sugar content on the package! But most of this Atkins I put in *nearly* blind faith and it works! You just gotta believe!

Okay, so as long as the Low Fat Yoghurt is not higher in carbs its okay. Thanks Ladyfunk.

Lesley

It's funny b/c although Atkins' says this, I haven't found it to be the case in many situations. Maybe it's my organic products. I've found that most of the LF dairy products I've come across are about the same carbs, but the difference is in protein and fat content. Higher protein in lower fat products. It's a real juggling act. Another reason for people to read labels and nutritional data.

But I also agree full fat tastes much better anyway. But some do like the taste of LF for some strange reason.

After reading several articles about this and discussing it with several people, here's how I "count the carbs"

Carb count on label - 8gram per cup = ECC

The reason for this is that AS adds carbs as do fillers in low fat yogurt.

I have a hard time finding full fat yogurt in the small containers (have to go down to Pike Place Market or one of a couple of grocery stores). However, I can find it in the large containers more often.

Sometimes, I sweeten with sugar free jello, other times, add fruit and splenda. On occasion, I'll eat it plain... it is just a little too sour for me most times.

Wanda, I think natural dairy is an exception to the low-fat = high-carb truism. I know they actually remove the fat by mechanical processes (skimming, etc), and I think the laws are pretty strict on the contents of dairy products. Most of the low-fat frankenfoods have sugars added to them to compensate for the loss of taste and mouth-feel, but I think the USDA regs are fairly strict on what they can do with dairy products before they have to stop calling it "milk" or "cream" and have to start calling it "dairy beverage" or some such.

However, that's just distilled from bits and pieces of things I've read -- anybody know any firmer details?

Red fallon,

Try to find a brand other than Dannon if you can. Ideally, the label should list at least two active cultures. Acidolphus and Bifidus are the most common. It's better if you can find one with 4, and six is great.

Stonefield Farms from NJ has six cultures and should be readily available. I know some Americans have found it at Safeway, but certainly a whole foods market should have it.

I use a local product here, recommended by Karen. It's called Olera Farms and is made in Langley for all you Vancouver locals. It comes in a handy bucket-size for only $5.99. It has four active cultures. I get it because the Stonefielf Farms is the same price for a much smaller container.

Low fat or full fat doesn't really matter to us. But full-fat is creamier, thicker and richer.

You can also look for Balkan or Greek style yogurt which is VERY thick and delicious.

Kaillean

The only grocery stores around here are Publix, Winn-Dixie, and Food Lion. Publix has basically only Dannon products, and WinnDixie has Yoplait. WD only has low fat/nofat. I really don't wanna go to Food Lion as the one around here is kinda like the low place on the totem pole - don't like goin in there. Otherwise I'll have to drive way across town to find something like an Albertson's or Superwalmart - across town in Jacksonville means at least a 45 min to an hour drive I may just skip the whole yogurt thing if I have to end up doing that.

Hey Jamie... thanks for alerting me this thread was active again... and Alina for bumping it. The yogurt question is a good one. I think I'm gonna just reiterate what everyone else was saying. As far as I know, low-fat dairy products are the one place where bad carbs usually aren't inserted. Fat free is usually something to be wary of, but skim cheese and low fat yogurt should be technically fine, but they generally don't taste as good.

As far as the Dannon goes, the plain looks fine, the flavored is an obvious no-no. As long as it has a couple active cultures, it should be fine. I usually add some berries (frozen are especially good) or splenda or da vinci syrup or protein powder (or all of the above!) to my yogurt and it's great. I even still get ketosis breath after yogurt so... seems to be true to me!