Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Greek Yogurt - The new Black!

So Greek Yogurt (GY) seems to be all the rage these days! And for good reasons. But is it really "good" for you?? The answer is quite simply, YES!

Greek Yogurt is a thicker and creamier style yogurt, which is a nice alternative to the North American style yogurt. Greek yogurt can help to maintain balance in your digestive tract, and provide essential protein - which most other yogurts typically cannot.

So what are all the people raving about? What are the health benefits of Greek yogurt??

PROTEIN
Greek yogurt has substantially more protein than the normal American style yogurt. GY provides an additional gram of protien per ounce than it's counterpart. Additional protein can help you feel full, and satisfied for longer. A typical serving of GY can have anywhere between 12-15 grams of protein! That's like eating three hard boiled eggs!

REDUCED SUGAR
GY is made by straining the whey off of yogurt repeatedly to create its thick texture. And much of the natural sugar is removed during this process. GY has half the sugar content of unsweetened non-fat American style yogurt. And the beauty of GY is you can add your own fresh fruit and sweeteners to make it taste the way you want it to.

LACTOBACTERIA
Greek yogurt is minimally processed and has not been heat-treated. This provides you with essential healthy bacteria, including acidophilus. Acidophilus and lactobacillus organisms can improve intestinal health, reduce diarrhea and even help to prevent vaginal yeast infections.

CALCIUM
Greek yogurt provides substantial amounts of calcium, and the calcium is more easily absorbed due to live yogurt cultures.

Via: TakePart.com