Greek Yogurt: A Gift from the Protein gods

I LOVE Greek yogurt! I was skeptical to try it at first basically just because of the name. Nothing against the Greeks...just to me, Greek equaled something I had never tried before. But come to find out, it has nothing to do with Greek style food or anything like that...it simply gets it's name from how it is made. Greek yogurt is strained three times as opposed to only two times as in regular yogurt, removing more liquid which gives it the thick, creamy texture.

Enough of this history stuff! Onto why I like it...

The thing that really got my attention about this Greek yogurt and made me try it was the massive amount of protein it packs into each container. In just a one cup serving of this yogurt, you can get up to 22 grams of protein! As we already know, protein helps keeps you feeling fuller longer and helps maintain muscle mass.

It also contains probiotics. Probiotics are a form of good bacteria that help to strengthen the natural bacteria living in your body that aid in maintaing balance in your digestive system and boosting your immune system.

The texture is much better than that of regular yogurt. That extra straining process which makes it so much thicker than normal yogurt makes it rich and decadent. The thicker,richer texture also makes you feel like you are eating more thus helping you to feel fuller while eating less.

It is very versatile! Greek yogurt can be used in savory and sweet dishes. You can use it as a substitute for butter or oil when baking a cake, use it instead of sour cream for a dip, or even on your sandwich instead of mayonniase.

Below is a conversion chart from Chobani showing you how to substitute Greek yogurt for other items and how much to use.

My favorite way to eat Greek yogurt is with fruit. Pineapple and Greek yogurt is my go-to breakfast.

Just a half a cup of Greek yogurt and a half a cup of pineapple holds me over for hours!

I originally got hooked on the fruit with the Greek yogurt when I tried the Chobani "Fruit on the Bottom" cups. But nothing beats having chunks of fresh, sliced fruit!

I will go ahead and give you one warning. Plain greek yogurt (which is what I eat with my pineapple) tastes nothing like the yogurt many of us are used to. It is tangy and a little tart but when mixed with fruit is the perfect combination. Or when I have used it in place of sour cream for a dip, I couldn't even tell the difference!

Try out some Greek yogurt and let me know what you think! Now that you know some of the benefits of Greek yogurt...what have you got to lose?! :) Pin It Now!