Today, I’m going to take you through the pros and cons of Greek yogurt and recommend how to buy it.

For starters, Greek yogurt is, quite simply, yogurt that has been strained to remove the liquid whey. It’s as easy as filtering yogurt you’d buy at the grocery store through cheesecloth—but you likely don’t have time for that. I don’t think Greek yogurt is necessarily a bad food and here’s why:

Pros:

Digestibility
Greek yogurt is made by straining out the most of the liquid whey and lactose. This is why for some people (not all) who are lactose intolerant, they can still consume Greek yogurt without any issues.

Protein Content
Because a lot of the lactose (milk sugar) is removed, there is a higher protein content, and lower carbohydrate content. One serving typically has 15-20g of protein. As a breakfast or snack food, I’m always advocating higher protein/lower carb so this fits the bill nicely.

Probiotics
Depending on the brand you buy, if it contains “active/live cultures” then it’s also providing gut and digestion benefits. However, for this to hold, the label must read “contains” instead of “made with.”

Cons:

You’ll notice that some of the cons are similar to the pros…but let me explain why!

Flavoured Greek Yogurt
If you are eating your greek yogurt plain, unsweetened, and adding your own fruit, chia/flax/hemp, then GO YOU! However, if you’re buying the greek yogurt that has the berries or flavour pre added, then it’s no better than your every day Activia. Some of the flavoured yogurts have 18g+ of sugar.

Probiotics
While there are still gut benefits to the probiotics in Greek yogurt, the quantities tend to be significantly less than something like kefir. This isn’t the end of the world, as long as you recognize you should be eating other fermented foods, or taking a probiotic in addition.

Dairy
Although a lot of the whey and lactose is removed, it is still dairy, and the form of protein, casein, along with residual lactose and whey can still bother many people’s digestion and in turn cause headaches, skin issues, etc. If you feel that you don’t have any of these problems, then this isn’t an issue.

Brands I’d Recommend – Organic where possible

Liberte Plain, Organic
Dannon Oikos Plain Yogurt
Chobani, Plain
Stonyfield Organic, Plain
President’s Choice Organic, Plain

Mandy King is a Holistic Nutritionist and Gluten Free Guru who shares her expertise with She Does The City. For recipes and nutrition tips, visit her website, HEAL.