This time up: Stonyfield Organic Greek lowfat yogurt.
I've been aware for some time now that Stonyfield had a Greek yogurt in its product line besides Oikos ( Stonyfield owns Oikos, by the way... ) but I hadn't found it in my local DC area grocery stores until this week. There is no 0% fat option - only "low fat" - which in the case of the honey vanilla flavor I tried, means it has 3.5 grams of fat for the 6 ounce cup. Not horrible, but not non-fat, either.
At 190 calories per cup, it is on the high end of the calorie scale - but if calories aren't a concern for you ( lucky!! ) then not to worry. One thing I did like, however - is the potassium count for this yogurt: 530 mg, or approximately 15% of your daily recommended intake. ( For comparison, Oikos brand lists its potassium count for a serving as 220 mg, and Yoplait doesn't even mention potassium levels at all on their cup! ) However, there is always a downside - and in this case, it is the sugar content ...28 g. That alone for me is a deal breaker.
Upon opening the cup ans inserting my spoon, I was significantly surprised because this brand is thick. Really thick. It is so thick, in fact, that upon withdrawing my spoon, the yogurt stretched thin between the cup and my spoon, broke, and left a significant peak of yogurt where my spoon had been. Wow! The taste is very creamy, with a slightly oily mouth-feel that I didn't find objectionable, but is not present in the other brands I've tried previously. It is sweet, too. Really sweet - and not particularly tangy...perhaps a 2 out of 5 on that "tang scale" of mine.
Stonyfield Greek yogurt is good - but as far as Clean Eating goes, the sugar content makes this a brand I doubt I'll buy again. I prefer a less sweet yogurt, and I personally find 28 grams of sugar to be too much for something I will eat and recommend to others. Yes, it is thick and creamy - and the potassium level is excellent...but unless they reformulate this to lower the sugar content, it will be a no-go for me.
The second brand I tried this time around was Voskos 0% fat organic Greek yogurt honey flavor. I was instantly pleased with this brand upon opening. With a light stir, the yogurt was thick and creamy - exactly as I think Greek yogurt should be. It also had the tangy freshness I've come to expect from Greek yogurt versus "regular" yogurt - and I'd rate it a solid 3.5 out of 5 on the tangy scale. It wasn't too sweet, but it was really satisfyingly creamy. At 130 calories per cup and 17 g of sugar, I find Voskos to be similarly in line with the nutrition of most of the brands. The sugar level is moderate for a Greek yogurt. Since I eat no sugar in the rest of my diet, I feel that the morning sugar grams are tolerable, and can be "burnt off" fairly quickly and easily. Would I eat this before bed? No - but I would first thing in the morning when I have 12+ hours of activity before me. And with just 3 ingredients: organic skim milk, organic honey, and live yogurt cultures, I find myself drawn to this brand - a definite brand that will make a return performance for this Clean Eater.
