(this is the first post ive created – how funny)

Ok, so for the past year or 18 months i have eaten natural yogurt and cut back on fruit yogurt. Initially i had it for breakfast with oats and raisins…. then i dropped the oats then the raisins to have it with an apple…… now it goes with some cinnamon and pecans or red berries but as a pudding / treat rather than breakfast….. how things have changed from Cocopops to cinnamon yogurt.

Anyway, my natural yogurt of choice was Yeo Valley natural low fat, then moved on to the full fat.
Then i read that full fat greek yogurt is the way to go….. so i beetled off to read the nutrition and understand it.
Nutrition per 100g and my thought process with focus on reducing sugar & carbs:
– For reference – Light and Free greek style raspberry yogurt (yum) = 50 calories, 7.5g carbs, 6.4g sugar.
– Yeo Valley full fat = 82 calories; 5.6g carbs (All sugar) – better than fruit yogurt.
– Yeo Valley fat free = 56 calories, 7.5g carbs (all sugar) – see full fat is better for carbs! Great – its lovely and creamy!
– Fage 5% = 93 calories 3g sugar – ah – better still! Switch to greek required.
– Fage 0% = 54 calories, 3g sugar…… ooooooh interesting!!

So….. can someone explain why i should eat the 5% Fage instead of the 0%? Same carbs, less calories.

As I’m struggling to stick with the 800 calories i have become very conscious of every 50 calories so the 0% is tempting….in all honesty the fruit light and free is tempting and admittedly its an occasional treat….. but I am aware of the advice always to go for the full fat option and wanted to understand it better.
Is it just because the full fat is more filling? Kinda think i’d rather have a serving of 0% twice a day rather than one 5%…..

Thoughts from the wise people of the forum please?
🙂

Interesting the Tescos own finest greek yogurt – there is more sugar in the fat free than the full fat (4.6 instead of 3.6g) Fascinating….

Hi WindyJulz, I eat Yeo Valley natural full fat and a portion for me is 75 or 100gr. I’m not a fan of fruit yogurt unless I add the fruit myself, so maybe a good challenge is to cut it out until the diet finishes? I know yogurt is a bit higher in carbs than ideal on this diet, but it’s very good for you and high in protein. One of my breakfasts of choice is 75gr yoghurt, berries and some chopped nuts. I also like bircher, higher in carbs due to the oats but lovely and fresh.

Hi Julz. I often have full fat greek yoghurt for breakfast with raspberries/blueberries and seeds. I get the 10% fat stuff. A portion with fruit comes in at just under 200 cals (I have 100 g of yoghurt which gives me 4g carbs, 7g protein, 10g fat and 146 cals) If I need lower carb that day I ditch the fruit. I think there is a calorie question here but for me it is all about getting enough fat and protein (so the diet doctor has loads of stuff on that) and getting the beneficial effect on gut microbiome and blood sugar. And also all the fat helps keep me full. As my sweet tooth has been reducing I add less and less fruit, seems less fruit = less hunger later. In a distant past I was on Slimming World where they taught me to eat loads of low calorie yoghurts (with lots of calorie free artificial sweeteners and other nonfoods). You can’t argue with the calorie content, they are a lot lower. But I have never had sugar cravings as I had them on Slimming World!

Thanks. Yeah Britta I agree on the sugar and fruit side and I’m good on that and as i say, a fruit yogurt with no added sugar is an occasional thing and by far the sweetest thing i have, my sweet tooth is also pretty diminished now.

The real question is abut the benefit of the full fat greek over the 0% greek – as the carb content is the same it ‘appears’ just to be a calorie difference…. so is the benefit just the higher fat keeps you fuller / satisfied? Or is there a nutritional or other benefit I’m not seeing?
My ‘greedy person’ brain tells me i’d rather have 2 portions of 0% than one of 5 or 10%…… and my ‘trying to stick to 800 calories brain’ tells me not to “waste” 54 calories having the full fat….
I’m going shopping shortly and trying to decide which to buy…..

🙂

It often takes quite a long time to ditch the ‘fat free mantra’ after years of brain washing. The main point of having fat is to stay fuller for longer so less tempted to snack between meals or huge portions.
Fat free often means extra sugar to replace the taste of the missing fat. I know you are trying to stay below 800 calories but the carbs are the really important component of this way of eating. If you have a look at some random ‘low calorie’ foods you might be surprised at the number of carbs. Apples are a great example.
Have another look at MM or Professor Roy Taylor for great explanations of carbs being the most important especially if you are T2.
Buy the full fat Greek yogurt!

Thanks Verano, and I get that and i do now read all the labels and always steer away from the ‘low fat’ marked products. Its just with the Fage yogurt the carbs are the same in the 0% as opposed to the 5% which made me query it.
The fuller longer thing is important and in all honesty I am definitely not at the stage of stopping when i am full, i still want big portions and need to learn to listen to my body. Think it is anxiety driven – “i dont eat much or often so need to feel really full after my mean’ mindset. I am realising this is my biggest issue and the thing i am struggling with.
All very interesting

Julz you need to read the other macros as well. The 0% stuff doesn’t give you any fat. There is nothing in there to keep you full. This means you’ll get no support from the meal – without the fat (and protein) helping you not to become hungry / develop cravings you’re balancing the whole thing on willpower. You might have a helluva lot of the stuff, but it is a risky strategy in the long run. Cutting carbs is only half the strategy, you need to replace them.
There are a lot of really good videos and material on dietdoctor about why getting enough fat is so important, and some films as well. I can thoroughly recommend those. Fat is your friend 😀

Ah-ha….the penny has dropped. Thank you Britta. Same information put access in a way that has made it make sense to me. It’s not about what’s not in it (Carbs and calories) but there is in it (fat) …. and I have to be getting something for it or it is just eating for eating sake…..and therein be my problem… must fix mind set.
Excellent.
Much appreciate everyone.

Yes, focus on what goes in! I had a period a few years back where I followed the LCHF diet (some of which I still follow). I got hold of a copy of Tim Noakes “The Real Meal Revolution” and it blew my mind! Diet doctor was only just starting up then, but there were a few films out, I can’t remember the names of them. But if you never have, I really recommend doing a months free membership of dietdoctor, which is just about enough time to watch a lot of the films etc (you can cancel whenever). They have put calories on the recipes now which looks terrifying at first (!) – ignore them for now, they’re not compatible with the 800 calorie phase, but good for when you move away from that. As with anything there are pros and cons to LCHF / Keto and all that, but there’s a lot of good information on there.

I would presume that the low fat versions of yogurt also use artificial sweeteners rather than sugar to keep the calories down. – One point about artificial sweeteners is that they have the same effect on insulin levels as sugar. –

A healthy level of sugar in our blood stream is equal to 2 teaspoons of sugar dissolved in the average 4.5 litres of blood in an adult, any higher level will cause damage to our bodies. (The level of blood sugar to be diagnosed as diabetic works out at an additional 3/4 of a teaspoon of sugar. )

Our body is clever. It doesn’t wait until the sugar levels in our blood rise to take action and release insulin, anything that tastes sweet triggers the release of insulin. So don’t focus just on the calories, look at the ingredients. anything with artificial sweeteners is something to be avoided.

Interestingly the only difference in the ingredients in Fage yogurts is use of semi skimmed milk plus cultures in the 0% one instead of milk and cream And cultures in the full fat.

Actually can’t believe I’m so interested in yogurt….. sorry for being high maintenance.

And yes, I am trying to stay away from artificial sugars – eat real food is my focus!! I totally get that.
Thanks. All info much appreciated.