Opa! It's Time for Greek Yogurt

Branching off of my earlier post on the Great Protein Debate (which is what I will now call it), I wanted to make sure all my readers are crystal clear on what Greek yogurt is.  Greece may not be doing so great these days, but Greek-style yogurt is flourishing just fine.  It comes up in just about any clean eating or weightlifting website or magazine you'll pick up, and for good reason.


This creamy, thicker version of regular yogurt is slam-packed full of tummy-filling protein and is super-versatile.  My yoga-teacher friend Liz eats this stuff all day long, just because she loves the creamy texture so much.  (Liz: Fage greek yogurt; Mallory: Better n Peanut Butter.) 

More and more grocery stores are offering more and more varities of this great stuff.  I've test-ran a lot of brands inclduing Oikos, Chobani, and others, but the overwhelming favorite - to me as well as most fitness and dietetics professionals, is the nonfat Fage brand.  (Pronounced 'Fay-yah.')  Be sure to grab the 0% fat version or you may be in a world of pain, fatwise.  A tub of Fage 0% contains 2 1-cup servings (a nice generous portion) for the following nutriontal profile:
Calories: 120, Total Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 85mg, Carbs 9g, Fiber 0g, Sugars 9g, Protein 20g. (and Calcium 25% DV, as well as live & active cultures for a happy GI tract)

This breakdown is for the plain version, which I would most fervently recommend.  The only sugars in there are those found naturally in milk.  The protein count is a lovely blend of the milk proteins, both whey - the most commonly found quick-digesting protein powder source, and casein - which digests slower, keeping your tummy full and your muscles nourished in between meals. 

I eat greek fogurt probably at least 6 days out of the week, in different ways.  And that's the cool part!  Do a web search right now for healthy recipes using greek yogurt and you will be inundated in great ideas!  Even today on my way to work I bought a new Blender bottle  (it's pink.. I'm excited.) and around the neck was tied a teeny brochure with some protein shake recipes.  They called for regular yogurt, but they got me thinking.. an easy swap to greek yogurt instead of regular.. I can mix a bit of protein powder with some greek yogurt, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, a pinch of nutmeg, ground cinnamon, shake up my Blender Bottle and I get.. Easy-as-Apple Pie Shake!  Both my taste buds and my muscle fibers will be so excited after tomorrow's workout. 

Beyond shake additions, greek yogurt is - obviously - a great high-protein substitute for regular yogurt, which tends to have all kinds of sugar and artificial flavorings.  But it can also be used as a replacement for sour cream (just don't sweeten the plain variety) on baked potatoes or nachos, a marinade for meat (yogurt is acidic, so it can help break down tough cuts of meat to make a more tender bite), pancake topping, or a savory sauce.  For example, I made greek yogurt tzatziki sauce for lamb kebabs (which marinated in the yogurt).  I even like it sweetened as a dip for cut fruit or rice cakes.  You could even mix in no-sugar-added cocoa powder, your favorite sweetener, and have a little chocolate yogurt, at the flavor intensity you choose.

Search the web, on Livestrong, Oxygen Mag, or other trusted healthy sites, and get inspired to try this alternative protein source.  Like I keep saying, it's all about staying excited about the healthy foods you're eating to fuel that motivation.  OPA!