Eat that full fat yogurt!
 

This has been talked about here a bit, but found a good article explaining how bacteria eat the carbs in yogurt and thought I'd share.

Yogurt, A Great Low Carb Choice
By Fran Dicken
(Appeared in CarbSmart 5-25-02)

Ah, summer, the season of cool creamy yogurt as a snack on a hot afternoon. That was pre low carb though, right? Wrong! Gone are the days of passing the yogurt at the grocery for fear of its high carb count. The truth is you CAN eat yogurt daily and still maintain a low carb lifestyle. Yogurt will have a minimum impact on your carb allowance and may improve your intestinal health to boot.

The Carb Question

The number of carbs in a cup of yogurt is a mystery to many low carbers. As a result, they simply shy away for fear of getting off track. I felt the same way so I decided to find the answer to the perplexing question, what is the carb count in a 1cup serving of yogurt? I found my answer at the HiMoLoCarb™ diet Website. According to Jack M. Goldberg, Ph.D. and Dr. Karen O’Mara, a cup of yogurt has only 4 grams of carbs. Dr. Goldberg has actually measured this in his lab. That is quite a difference from the 14 carbs listed on my yogurt container. The discrepancy can be attributed to the method by which the government requires manufacturers to measure carbohydrates. The “difference” method means manufacturers measure all components of a food and anything left is counted as carbs.

Where Have All The Carbs Gone?

My inquisitive mind didn’t stop with the carb count question. I wanted more information. I needed to know where the carbs go. What I found was a complex web of research that, when put in simple terms, is very easy to understand.
Yogurt starts as cream and or milk. Live bacteria cultures are added which produce curding. Yogurt produced in the United States contains two specific live and active cultures of bacteria. Milk could not become yogurt without these cultures.
The cultures metabolize most of the milk sugars, or lactose, turning it into lactic acid. It is the lactic acid that changes the consistency from liquid to a semi solid and gives the yogurt its unique flavor. Any left over lactose is counted as a carbohydrate. The remaining lactose (and there isn’t much) is digested by lactase, an enzyme present in the digestive system as well as produced by L-Acidophilus, a strain of “friendly bacteria” also added to some yogurt.

What Can Friendly Bacteria Do For Me?

It is estimated that several trillion friendly bacteria inhibit a human gastrointestinal tract. In fact, we carry around nearly 4 pounds of intestinal bacteria. When the intestines are healthy, the “good” bacteria out number the “bad”. The good bacteria are called probiotics. Probiotics, including L-Acidophilus, form a protective barrier to keep harmful bacteria out thus maintaining good digestive health. Additional benefits include a stimulated immune system and relief from indigestion and diarrhea.
Lactose intolerant individuals will find that lactase, the enzyme important to the digestion of milk, which they lack, is also produced by probiotics. In fact, yogurt may be tolerated by the lactose sensitive because of this.

All Yogurts Are Not Created Equal

When buying yogurt, check the label carefully. Check the “sell by” date on the container. Yogurt will maintain its quality for up to 7 days after this date. The ideal yogurt should contain live and active cultures including L-Acidophilus. These are the probiotics so beneficial to intestinal health. Avoid artificial ingredients and don’t be afraid to buy the full fat variety. Additionally, take special care to check for sugar in the ingredient list. I buy plain natural yogurt and add my own sweetener to taste.
Try making your own yogurt at home. Yogurt making machines are available but not necessary. Use store bought plain natural yogurt as your starter and your on you way.

The Substitution

With picnic season in full swing, now is the perfect time to gather those summer recipes and start substituting. Use your imagination, how about yogurt in place of sour cream in your favorite dip and dressing recipes. One cup of yogurt contains about half the carbs of a cup of sour cream. Here are some other quick low carb recipe ideas using yogurt:

· Dress up plain jello by adding yogurt (recipe below)
· Substitute yogurt for cream in a protein shake
· Fill half an avocado with ¼ cup yogurt for a quick snack
· Make yogurt cheese as an alternative to cream cheese (recipe below)
· Use yogurt instead of buttermilk as a marinade for meat

Jello Yogurt
· 2 sm boxes of SF Jello
· 8 oz. plain yogurt
Add 2 cups boiling water to jello. Stir in yogurt. Refrigerate until firm.

Homemade yogurt cheese

Yogurt cheese is easy to make at home from plain yogurt. The consistency will be like spreadable cream cheese. Line a strainer or colander with a double thickness of cheesecloth or a single coffee filter, and place over a container to catch the liquid.
Cover both the strainer and the container to prevent anything thing from falling into the draining yogurt. Refrigerate overnight. (Save the liquid and use it in place of water in your favorite low carb muffin recipe) The longer you let it drain, the firmer it becomes.
One cup of yogurt will yield approximately one half cup of yogurt cheese.

One Yogurt, Many Benefits

Now that you have the facts about yogurt you can make it a part of your low carb lifestyle without fear of sabotaging your critical carb level. One cup of yogurt not only provides probiotics, which are beneficial to your health, it also contains 9 grams of protein and approximately 200 milligrams of calcium. With just 4 carbs per cup, yogurt is a great low carb food choice.

Great Article!
 

Very informative article that seems to cover all the bases! :thup: ...thanks for posting Skamito!...B

Thanks for the information but I can't even find a full fat yogurt in the grocery store in this area, everything is labeled low fat. :rolleyes:

I eat it everyday almost !!
 

Stoneyfield Organic Whole Milk is the only one I can find in my area..and with an added teaspoon of SF jam it's quite yummy and a welcome change from eggs and bacon...

Highly recommended choice !!!

I found one full-fat organic brand in a very large container. It was not only the most expensive yogurt, it tasted horrible. Much more sour than any other yogurt I ever had. Plus, I never knew what to do with the layer of cream on top - mix it in, remove it - what? When even Splenda or sweetnlow couldn't make it taste good, I gave up and threw mine away. Nobody else in the family would even try it.

Very helpful - thanks for taking the time to post it!

Yum, yogurt
 

I'm glad some people liked the article. I think it's a good explanation since I was trying to get the facts about this interesting phenomenon. I spent several minutes in the grocery store looking for full-fat myself and FINALLY found Stonyfield Organic Whole Milk way in the back. Low fat yogurt is quite dominant.

Anyway, I had strawberries w/ Splenda and yogurt for breakfast and it was quite a nice little meal!

Happy low carbing to all. :)

My new favorite breakfast is 1/2 c yogurt, 1/2 c cottage cheese, 4 slices strawberries and 2-3 pkts. splenda. The cottage cheese helps cut some the sour taste of the yogurt.

Cals 201
Fat 9g
Carbs 11
Pro 19

Obviously not a choice for induction, but fine for OWL....and SO good for you! :yum:

Thank you for the recommendation! Can you tell me what to do about the cream layer?

:confused:

Since you are finding the sourness of yogurt a problem, I'd mix the cream layer in. It makes the yogurt smoother and cuts the sourness. A fork or whisk will blend it really well. Personally, I really like the taste of yogurt so I don't blend the cream in too well. That way I have two, two, two tastes in one! Okay, I'm being silly because I'm snowed in. In North Carolina for crying out loud :)

So let me get this straight...... Is Yogurt ok to have while I'm trying to stick to Atkins induction????? I have been doing the Atkins plan for a little over six months now, ( sticking to Induction more or less...(I don't measure my salad greens) ) but for the past six to eight weeks the weight loss has slowed drasticly. I don't want to further slow my weight loss but if yogurt is ok for me and maybe even good for me.. then I'd like to include it once or twice a week. So folks what does everyone think
Thanks....

Kansas5

Question:
If the answer is that yogurt is ok, every once in a while... then what about "low Fat" yogurt? I can not find any full fat yogurt in my store, but the low fat one says that it is only 15 carbs per cup. It does have sugar and corn sweetner in it. Should I just say no???? Wait until I can get full fat and maybe even unsweeten?

Thanks....

Kansas5

Hi Kansas, it's my understanding that lowfat vs. fullfat doesn't matter that much, as long as it has active cultures. The active cultures consume most of the natural sugars, so the yogurt ends up with about 4 carbs per cup.

That said, those bacteria can't eat added sugar, corn syrup etc. So yogurt that contains sugar is a no-no for low carb. I have heard that there's a brand sold at Wal-mart that's sweetened with Splenda rather than sugar, but I always just get unsweetened yogurt. So to sum up, low fat is OK, but flavored with sugar is not :)

-Sarah

Thanks SarahO.....
Does anyone know what Atkins himself says on this, if anything???? (Too lazy to get the book out.... pretty sure he says no... but wondering if maybe he has updated his stance on the yogurt question.) Like I said earlier I'm trying to stick with the plan fully in order to convince myself that I an doing everything I can to lose the weight. But, if I do decide to have some yogurt, I'll make sure to get the unsweeten type and if I can the full fat.

Has anyone expienced any bad side effects after including yogurt in their Atkins plan, ie Stalls, feeling sick, anything at all?????

Thanks,
Kansas5

For those of you that are depending on yogurt as a source of calcium, you may not want to do the yogurt cheese. The liquid that is being strained away contains all of the calcium. I have eaten this before, and it is good. I just wanted calcium counters to beware.