grocery

What’s in Your Yogurt?

Yogurt is a health food right? Well at least that’s what the advertisements proclaim. Not so fast there Dairy Council! Add enough sugar to that milky goodness and it quickly moves from the lunch menu to the dessert menu.

Milk has around 12 grams of natural sugar (per 8 oz) so anything after that is added sugar. What’s really confusing to the mental noodle is that we are trying so darned hard to make healthy choices for ourselves and our family and if we don’t stay watchful they slip it in there when we’re not looking, or more often, not paying attention. Even organic yogurt can be very high in sugar.

Let’s Do the Math

Many of those little yogurt cups have as many grams of “sugar” (usually high fructose corn syrup) as a can of pop! Around 30-50 grams of sugar. Four grams is equal to one teaspoon, so if you divide 30 by 4 then that little 8 oz. of “health” has 7.5 teaspoons of sugar. I’ve even come across puddings with less sugar than yogurt!

Buying “Light”

If the label claims “light” or states less than 25 grams of sugar on the nutrition label but tastes super sweet, then most likely, some sort of sugar substitute (aspartame and sucralose are the most common) is hidden in that ingredient list. Fake sugar/sugar substitutes/artificial sweeteners, are not a healthy choice. There have been books (that’s how long the list of maladies are) written touting the terrible health effects of artificial sweeteners. If the choice is between high fructose corn syrup, any artificial sweetener, and regular sugar, I’d go with the plain old white sugar every time.

Just say “No” to Nonfat

Yogurt can be a fabulous and filling health food. It doesn’t have to be packed with sweeteners to make it taste really good. The trick is to buy low-fat or whole yogurt. Non-fat yogurt is really sour. It’s the fat that makes it sweet. It’s also the fat that allows the body to absorb all of those wonderful vitamins and minerals that dairy has to offer. If you’re buying nonfat yogurt because you’re watching your weight put back a little of the fat and take out the sugar. You’ll feel fuller longer, and the calories will still be minimal because you’re not eating 15 calories for every teaspoon of sugar that was put in your yogurt.

I highly recommend Trader Joe’s Organic Low fat Yogurt- Plain. It comes in a 27 oz container. One cup has only 10 grams of sugar, 150 calories and 11 grams of protein. Try different brands. Some brands are more sour than others, so don’t despair, keep trying. You’ll find one you like.

Buy Plain Yogurt and Add Your Own Sweeteners…If Demanded

Don’t assume that your little ones need anything added to their plain yogurt. Just buy plain, whole (fat) yogurt and serve it up. It’s tasty all on it’s own and their little taste buds are so highly acute that the yogurt will be sweet to them. Both of my children loved plain yogurt until about age 5, when they started turning up their noses at it if it didn’t have something mixed in.

Some of our favorite mix-ins include: fruit, jam, granola, maple syrup, frozen orange juice concentrate (check for high fructose corn syrup on the label) and honey. Sometimes I’ll buy a container of vanilla and mix it in with the plain at a two to one ratio (the two part being the plain).

This is a good way to wean yourself and your kids off of their current yogurt. Buy your usual, but mix in plain a little at a time until your down to as little sweetened yogurt as you like. Trust me, it takes awhile, but taste buds do change. Soon that little container of yogurt will be so sweet that it will be impossible to gag down.

Individual Serving Size Yogurt

My son loves yogurt in his lunchbox, but it’s really hard to find individual sized yogurt that is low in sugar and affordable. Many of the Greek Yogurts are lower in sugar but at a little more than a dollar per container (or more), aren’t affordable.

I solve this little dilemma by doing one of two things. I either buy the large containers of plain and add the requested mix-in, and put it in a stainless steel thermos container, or I wait until there’s a sale on Cascade Fresh at my local supermarket and stock up. It only has about 1.5 tsps of added sweetener (in the form of fruit juice, no sugar!), is cultured in the cup (meaning, it has nice live active cultures that help create good flora and fauna in our gut), and I can get it on sale for about 50 cents per container.

There are so many different brands out there, and they vary depending on your area, but check those labels and see if you can find one or two brands that are affordable and lower in sugar at your local grocer. Keep in mind that organic doesn’t equal low in sugar.

Remember what you bring home is what your family eats. Teach them now so they’ll be able to make healthy choices on their own later.

Have you found a low in sugar, affordable yogurt in your area? Please share in comments below so others in your area can look for that brand.

Have a healthy, happy day!

Alison

Turkey, What to Look For When Choosing a Bird

Ahhh, turkey, the centerpiece of the American Thanksgiving feast. Each year we give thanks for the many blessings that we have received throughout the year. And each year millions of us celebrate our thanks by consuming just as much turkey as we can stuff down our gullets before falling into a tryptophan induced coma!

As many of you know, I am a big proponent of buying local. Supporting farmers near you (and near you could mean the USA in general) is so important in this economy. However, because money has become tight for many of us, it becomes a difficult decision. Do I pay more and support local economy or do I pay as little as possible for the food I want? It really comes down to quality versus quantity.

Leaden Turkeys

Before you make up your mind though, let’s not forget the 2008 leaden turkey debacle. Once again, we have the Chinese to thank for poisoning our food (and ultimately ourselves and our children). Feeding “lead pellets and date rape drugs” to turkeys in order to up the poundage. Just to up the ante the turkeys (which were said to have gone to every supermarket in the country) were never actually recalled.

Why? Two major excuses, er, I mean reasons- A) it was after Thanksgiving (yep, we ate them), and B) it was really hard to tell which turkeys were from China. Let’s say you buy a store brand turkey. That turkey could come from one of many places. Even the processing plant does not know which turkey came from where. Maybe it came from California, but it could just have easily been shipped from overseas. Once they hit that processing plant they are all treated and labeled the same.

Now I don’t know about you but that grocery store turkey selling for a mere .59 cents per pound is starting to sound less alluring. Especially when I compare it to the .39 cents per pound that I recently paid for a pumpkin. Hmm, it doesn’t exactly add up does it?

So how does one choose a turkey that has been born and raised in the USA?

Now that mandatory country-of-origin-labeling applies to meat products ( known as “MCOOL“:) we as consumers, have a better chance of knowing exactly where the meat that we purchase has come from. If there is Chinese writing on the label, I personally would put the turkey back in the freezer and try another brand. Last year the Chinese “warning” label (written in Chinese) was the only way one could tell they might be purchasing a leaden turkey.

Safe Sources

To be sure your bird was born and raised in the good “ol US of A, here are a few safe choices:

Trader Joe’s: Offers “Fresh, Young All Natural Turkey(s) that have never received antibiotics, or growth hormones, have been processed with NO artificial ingredients, have been raised on 100% vegetarian feed, are never frozen and are delivered from U.S. farms.”

Whole Foods: Although you’ll likely pay more, you’ll have the option of organic and free range turkeys.

Your local Co-op: If you have a local co-op they may offer farm fresh turkey’s. This is a great way to support local farmer’s while knowing where and how your turkey was raised. Here in the Seattle area we have a wonderful co-op, called PCC, that sells locally grown and butchered turkeys.

If you don’t have a co-op near you ask at your local natural foods store. Often they’ll be able to recommend a local source.

Yes, you will pay more per pound through all of these sources. However, keep in mind that generally, this isn’t something that your family is going to eat at just one meal. Some of us are eating that same turkey for weeks!

If you know of a local co-op or store that sells organic, free range turkeys in your area, please share in the comments below so others (in your area) can benefit from your knowledge.

Happy turkey hunting!

What’s in Your Yogurt?

Turkey, What to Look For When Choosing a Bird

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