Maybe you’ve heard—flavored yogurts can contain a lot of added sugar. Or maybe you haven’t heard and you’re unwittingly eating a lot more sugar than you bargained for.
A few months ago, I ate low fat flavored Greek yogurt at least one or two times daily. Then, I took a nutrition class and learned that my delicious, “healthy” treat could have as much as 24 grams of sugar in a single serving. When the recommended daily sugar intake is 40 grams or less, that’s a lot.
I also learned that fat isn’t all bad; it helps keep blood sugar levels more even when eaten in combination with protein and carbohydrates. The instructor of my nutrition class recommended full-fat yogurt – as long as you stay within your total daily recommended fat gram intake. That sounded decadent to me.
You may be thinking – “But, plain yogurt doesn’t taste good!” And I won’t disagree, although, I have a few friends who eat plain yogurt as it is and love it. I like my flavors and have found a way to get my healthy high-protein Greek yogurt and eat it too. I put myself in charge of the added ingredients list.
Got 5 Minutes? Mix Up Your Own Yogurt Flavors.
1. Start with 1 cup of 2% plain yogurt—I use Fage.
Get creative, but stay away from the sugar bowl. I’ve listed a few of my favorites below. Check the ingredient list of anything you add to be sure there are no added sugars.
I usually mix up a couple at a time and store in single-serving Tupperware bowls. They’re great for lunch, a quick snack, or make a smoothie. Just toss 1 cup yogurt, 1/2 – 1 cup almond or coconut milk; and 6 ice cubes into the blender. For a heartier snack, add ½ cup cooked plain oatmeal (not instant).
A 1-cup serving of plain Fage yogurt contains:
- Calories: 150
- Protein: 20g
- Carbohydrate: 8g (8g natural sugar. Contains no added sugar)
- Fat: 4g (3g Saturated fat)
2. Flavor it with your own ingredients.
Pumpkin Pie
- 2 TBSP pumpkin puree
- 1/4 tsp Penzey’s Pumpkin Pie spice*
- 1/16 tsp Stevia (or to taste)**
- 4-5 chopped pecans
You can also create your own Pumpkin Pie spice mix with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove.
Apple Pie
- 1 TBSP applesauce (no added sugar)
- 1 tsp apple butter (no added sugar)
- 1/4 tsp Penzey’s Apple Pie spice*
- 1/16 tsp Stevia (or to taste)**
- 4-5 chopped pecans
You can also create your own Apple Pie spice mix with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom.
Chocolate Coconut
- 1 tsp Penzey’s Dutch cocoa
- 1 TBSP raw coconut flakes (or to taste)
- 1/16 tsp Stevia (or to taste)*
Berryilicious
- ½ scoop Strawberry and Kiwi NutriDyn Greens
- 5-10 berries (any combination of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
Piña Colada
- 1/4 cup fresh pineapple
- 1/8 cup raw coconut
- 1/8 tsp rum extract
- 1/16 tsp Stevia (or to taste) *
*Penzey’s Spices has a great collection of spices and many of them contain no added sugar.
**Stevia is many times sweeter than sugar and it only takes a small amount to equal the sweetness of a teaspoon of sugar. See the Stevia conversion chart.
As you experiment and make your own favorite flavors, I’d love to hear what you’re whipping up. I’m experimenting with Carrot Cake.