Yogurt seems to be a popular snack among patients we see. However, is it really the “health food” that it claims to be? Most people are not eating the right kind of yogurt for their Hauser Diet Type. We even had one patient say they don’t like yogurt, but eat it because they know it’s good for them! When we asked the patient what health benefits he thought he was getting from it, he said it was a good source of protein and contained good bacteria. This is what advertisements tell us, but we need to examine it a little more closely.
Have you ever looked at the yogurt section in a grocery store? It’s a little overwhelming. Just a few of your options are low fat, low carb, creamy, light, whipped, organic, and we don’t want to forget “Go-Gurt”! So how do you know which one to choose? First you have to know what you need.
If you are someone who needs to follow the Giraffe or Monkey Diet, then checking the label for lower sugar, and minimal fat is necessary. However, the Otters and Lions need to choose full fat, low sugar options. Bears can have 2% fat. And really – all of the Hauser Diets should avoid excessive amounts of sugar.
Listed below are the nutrient values in common yogurt brands.
| Ounces | Total Calories | Fat Grams | Sugar Grams | Protein Grams | |
| Dannon Low Carb | 4oz | 60 | 3g | 1g | 5g |
| Dannon Fruit Blends | 6oz | 170 | 1.5g | 29g | 6g |
| Dannon Light‘n Fit | 6oz | 60 | 0g | 8g | 5g |
| Yoplait Original 99% Fat Free Cherry | 6oz | 180 | 1.5g | 26g | 8g |
| Yoplait Whips | 4oz | 160 | 4g | 23g | 5g |
| Horizon Organic Fat Free Cherry | 6oz | 170 | 1.5g | 29g | 6g |
The take home point is that yogurt can be good for you if you choose the right one. Although, it does have some protein and good bacteria, the amounts small when looking at the big picture. So if you don’t like yogurt, don’t feel that you need to eat it or you’ll be missing out on something big, there are plenty of other options for you! For example, a piece of meat the size of a deck of cards contains 21 grams of protein. See the difference?
Fruit-flavored yogurts contain too much sugar – period! We recommend that if you are going to consume yogurt, you purchase plain yogurt. If you are a Monkey or a Giraffe, add a serving of berries or peaches to your yogurt – you’ll get the added benefit of fiber from the whole fruit. If you are a Lion or an Otter, add nuts, coconut or nut butters to give you more protein and fat.
Something to note is that just because the label says organic doesn’t mean it’s healthy! As you can see above, the organic yogurt contains just as much sugar as the traditional brand. Sugar is sugar in this case!
If you want to know options are best for your particular Hauser Diet Type, we would love to give you some suggestions. Give us a call!
Is Yogurt Good As A Main Source Of Protein?
We have written other articles on yogurt focusing on its calorie content and more specifically its sugar content. we are still finding that this is one of the most confusing foods to patients. At least once a week the issue of how good yogurt is for us is brought up in one of our consultations.
We saw a 49 year old woman who is trying to lose weight. She had never had a weight problem up until about 5 years ago. Now she just can’t take off these 20 lingering pounds. She told us she ate pretty healthy. But as always, what is healthy? This patient typed out to be a Bear, the Hauser Diet that needs to eat a diet balanced between carbs, protein, and fat. While going over the foods she needed to be eating she was amazed at the small amount of dairy allowed. Light and Fit fruit-flavored yogurt, among multiple glasses of milk, are a staple in her daily diet.
While we were discussing what she currently eats, she said that she snacks on yogurt and popcorn. Then she thought she should only be eating 3 times a day. When we told her it was okay to have a snack or two through out the day, she just had to watch what she snacked on, she said, “but when I snack, I’m never satisfied.” we pointed out that her snacks were mostly carbohydrate based. Her reply was, “but I thought yogurt was a good source of protein.” This is not uncommon. This patient, even though a Bear, may need to focus on protein during her snacks since the carbohydrate based snacks are not fulfilling.
After going over the principles of the Hauser Diet and what changes she would need to make, her thought was that if she could just even change her dairy intake habits, that may be all it takes to help get some pounds off. Although this person is just starting out and we don’t know what the results will be, there is a great chance that making these small changes will be able to give her the jump start she was missing. If you are one of those people who say, “I don’t get it. I eat healthy and I still can’t lose weight”, you may need to get a little more information on what is healthy for you. Let’s figure it out before 20 pounds becomes 25!
