Contributed By Sandy | Published: May 27, 2005
|
|
In 1916, Isaac Carasso of Barcelona introduced packaged yogurt to
Europe. He dubbed it Danone, his son Daniel’s nickname. It did not come
in key-lime pie, cappuccino, apricot mango or any other flavor. The
tart plain yogurt, which reached U.S. Shores in the 1930’s, did not
take off until Dannon – Danone’s U.S. incarnation – and its competitors started adding sugar and fruit.
With protein, calcium, magnesium, riboflavin, vitamins B-6 and B-12,
and more, plain low-fat or non-fat yogurt is as nutritious as skim
milk. In fact, yogurt does milk one better because its active cultures
help digest the naturally occurring sugar (lactose) in milk that can
cause bloating and diarrhea in some people.
Mixing plain low fat or non-fat yogurt with fresh fruit is
your best bet. In a typical yogurt aisle in your grocery store, plain
yogurt is set aside by panoply of trays, tubs and tubes in which sugar,
granola and even candy have replaced some of the yogurt. The result:
sugar and calories are up, nutrients are down.
Following are six new trends in the yogurt aisle:
- Spoon-free yogurt: The tubes of yogurt are easier
for people who want to grab a yogurt as they run out the door. Along
with convenience, spoon-free yogurts are also suitable for freezing.
Keep in mind, however, the three spoon-free yogurts on the market today
are far from perfect. Stonyfield Farms YoSqueeze meets the best criteria but replaces the fruit with fruit flavors. Yoplait’s
Expresse and Go-Gurt have excess saturated fat and calories. Expresse,
however, need not be off you shopping list. Unlike the other two
kid-centered lines, it contains real fruit and comes in grown-up
flavors such as “mixed berry” instead of “cool cotton candy”. If you
eat one or two of the tubes, the saturated fat will not matter too
much. Just do not go back for more! In addition, do not assume the
fruit on the package is the fruit in the tube. The mixed berry, for
example, has blueberries, blackberries and raspberries outside but only
raspberries inside.
- Drinkable Yogurt: Dannon’s new Frusion Fruit n’
Yogurt Smoothies are essentially the classic Dannon Fruit on the bottom
yogurts with added water and fruit juice. The liquids dilute the
calcium but you still get a quarter of a day’s worth plus vitamins B-2,
B-6 and B-12. Beware: With Frusion Fruit n’ Yogurt Smoothies you also
get the red dye carmine, which is made from the dried bodies of
cochineal insects and which has caused sever allergic reactions in a
small number of people. Carmine is contained in many other spoon-able
and “spoon-free” yogurts. If you live on the East Coast, Natural by Nature Low fat Yogurt Shake is another possibility. It is organic and free of carmine.
- Yogurt plus Toppings: A few years ago, Dannon
started adding sprinkles to some of its yogurts marketed to kids. No
doubt, millions of parents were thrilled to have Sprinkl’ins – yet
another healthy food heading down the path to the junk category. One
adult brand, YoCrunch, has gotten into the yogurt-as-ice-cream act. The
flavors with Nestle Candy Pieces, Chocolate Crunch, or Oreos, supply
extra calories and saturated fat at the expense of protein, calcium and
vitamins. A strawberry YoCrunch with Nestle Crunch has 240 calories,
for example. The same amount of low-fat fruit yogurt has 160 to 180.
- Full Fat Yogurt: In the United States, we have a
market dominated by low-fat yogurt. It is no surprise that Dannon would
take a stab at marketing the full-fat version to Americans. The
elegantly packaged la Crème is indeed incredibly creamy. However, the
touch of cream means three grams of saturated fat – 15 percent of a
one-day requirement – in a four-ounce serving. Again, you are trading
nutrients for calories. The eight-ounce cup of Brown Cow Farm Cream at the Top Whole Milk Yogurt uses up 20 percent of the one-day amount of saturated fat. Overall, it is not worth it.
- Soy Yogurt: Whether your aim is to avoid milk
or to eat more soy, you can now find “cultured soy” tucked in among the
milk products in the yogurt aisle. Soy does have some advantages: It
has virtually no saturated fat, it may help lower cholesterol levels,
and some brand – like Silk and Whole Soy – are made from organic
soybeans. If soy reduces (or raises) the risk of breast cancer and
whether it can prevent or tame prostate cancer or menopausal symptoms
is still unclear. For many people, the taste takes some getting used
to. In addition, it is a good idea to note that soy does not have as
much calcium, magnesium, protein or B-vitamins as milk. Silk and Stonyfield Farm fortify their brands with calcium while Whole Soy does not.
- Lower Calorie Yogurt: Dannon recently cut the
calories in its Fruit on the Bottom line. Most flavors have 210
calories, down from the earlier 240. But for serious calorie-counters,
all major brands now have “light” lines that use the artificial
sweetener aspartame instead of sugar. That slices the calories by
one-third. The problem with diet or light yogurts: It is hard to say
with certainty that aspartame is safe and the calorie savings are
modest (unless you are eating two or three yogurts a day). Other than
that, you will not find many differences between the regulars and
lights. One exception: Dannon Coffee Yogurt has caffeine (about half a
cup of coffee’s worth in each eight-ounce container). Dannon Light ‘n
Fit Cappuccino Yogurt uses decaffeinated, as does Stonyfield Farm
Cappuccino.
The best and most nutritious choices in yogurt are an 8-ounce yogurt
with two grams of saturated fat, 240 calories, and 40 grams of sugar
and a quarter of a day’s calcium. In addition, they should be free of
candy, cookies, sprinkles and artificial sweeteners.
-=*=- -=*=- -=*=- -=*=- -=*=
Source: Fitness and Freebies
Ebooks, Recipes, Freebies health info, more!
http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/
-=*=- -=*=- -=*=- -=*=- -=*=
|
Tags:
Comment