Did you just say Greek yogurt?

By Hubert Cormier, nutritionist

Greek yogurt has made a phenomenal breakthrough this year. It is one of the most nutritious foods currently available in the supermarket. Greek yogurt is also recommended by many nutritionists because it is packed with protein, contains no fat and is satisfying with only 120 calories per 5 ounce serving. Still not convinced? Today, in this blog, I’ll comparegreekyogurt to foods from the Protein Foods Group from MyPlate and you will quickly see why this yogurt should be in your fridge!

First, all comparisons were made against reasonable serving sizes based on the recommendations from MyPlate. Given the impressive amount of protein in a 5 ounce serving of greek yogurt, it makes sense to compare it to other common protein rich foods. This will make it easier for you to make substitutions when comparing the different values. (See all values in the “How greek yogurt fits in” table above).

Does the smell of filet mignon make you salivate? Remember that a 2½ ounce serving contains 152 calories, 20.4 grams of protein and 7 grams of fat. Filet mignon is also a source of iron containing 2.23 milligrams per 2½ ounce serving. Like all meat, filet mignon is not a calcium rich food with only 20 milligrams in a 2½ ounce serving.

Do you prefer poultry? A 2½ ounce serving of chicken breast provides you with 110 calories, 22.4 grams of protein and 1.6 grams of fat. Poultry contain less iron than red meat. This serving of chicken provides only 0.81 milligrams of iron. If you like to put chicken in your salads, you can also substitute it with canned tuna which has a few less calories (87 calories for the same serving size). Canned tuna contains half as much fat as chicken, (0.6 grams), but it provides a little less protein (around 19 grams).

As for legumes, like beans and lentils, a reasonable serving size is about half a cup (4 ounces). This portion provides around 8 grams of protein, 0.5 grams of fat and 119 calories. Legumes also provide a valuable amount of iron (2.75 milligrams per 4 ounce serving!). However, this is non-heme iron (found in plants) and is not absorbed by the body as well as the heme iron we find in meat and animal products.

Eggs are also a great source of protein. A reasonable serving is equivalent to two eggs, containing 141 calories, 12 grams of protein and 10 grams of fat. However, because the fat is concentrated in yolk, it is possible to reduce it by only using the egg whites.

And what about greek yogurt? A 5 ounce serving of plain greek yogurt contains 120 calories, 11 grams of protein, 0 grams of fat. Out of all the protein rich foods mentioned above, greek yogurt is most comparable to tuna. Greek yogurt really does have exceptional nutritional value and can be easily added to your diet by eating it as a snack, in a smoothie, as a dip, in a tzatziki or by adding it to your favourite recipes. Of all the protein rich foods mentioned in this blog, it contains the most calcium with 179 milligrams per serving. This is because greek yogurt is made from skim milk, a great source of calcium.

 What do you think of Greek yogurt? Let me know your favourite recipes and your favourite flavours!