What is the best brand of plain nonfat yogurt?
Okay, I have decided to kick the sugar habit. No more flavored yogurt for me. I have been told to lower cholesterol, no more full fat yogurt for me.
Is there a brand of nonfat unflavored yogurt out there that is particularly good?
Also, any of you out there just eat the stuff plain? I have never enjoyed plain undoctored yogurt, but I'm not big on artificial sweetners either. Can I learn to love it plain?
omotosando
Jun 24, 2007 01:06AM
For me, the easiest brand to stomach plain is Fage.
After you're used to that, try the Trader Joe's Greek Style (blue tub).
They're easier to eat with a little honey, or tangy fruit like berries or peaches. For example, I wouldn't do it with bananas to start because it'll really showcase the yogurt's tanginess.
The others are all a lot more tangy to me, which is harder to eat alone. But lately I've really enjoyed muesli or Special K Red Berries cereal with Strauss nonfat, which is pretty watery and almost a milk substitute for me. Stonyfield is pretty good too.
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fage 0% - tastes like whole milk yogurt
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ah, yogurt.... I could write a book on it.
current day yogurts have morfed into some pretty strange stuff.
In the good old days, yogurt was simply milk with live/active culture.
Now adays, most brands have skimped on the cultures, and simply add some thickeners ie starch, tapiaco, etc.
Then to add insult to injury, they've added artificial sweetners and flavorings.
Then they add gobs of gummy so called "fruit" that is mostly corn syrup and possibly some artificial flavorings.
THEN, they try to promote yogurt as 'healthy'. With all this extra stuff added, you might as well drink a shot of milk, but then add a few tablespoons of sugar and starch and artificial stuff. gee that sounds healthy!
ok, enough of my ranting. now to your question:
I like Pavel's LowFat Russian yogurt ( I sneak into Safeway, incognito, just for this one item)
No thickeners, no sugar. no sweetners nothing artificial.
Simply: MiIk, Living Cultures, vitamin a, vitamin d. that's it :)
They have regular, lo-fat, and lo-fat vanilla.
Not sure if they have nonfat.
I eat it plain. But you could always add your own fresh fruit or a bit of jam/preserves. That way you control the amount of fruit and/or. (Most yogurt brands that have so called 'fruit' actually have more sugar than they do fruit.)
As you get use to it, you can always decrease the amount of fruit/jam.
Happy tastings.
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Thanks. I will pick up some Pavel's. Were you always able to eat it plain, or did you have to acquire a taste for it. I like yogurt (not put off by the sourness like some), but plain is going to take some acquiring of a taste.
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I found plain yogurt to be a rapidly acquired taste -- but still, an acquired one. Say, eaten over fresh cherries and granola...
Fage is great, but if you like a thinner yogurt I'd look to local organics. On the east coast, that would be Seven Stars (for really thin, very delicious) or Hawthorne Valley or Butterworks if you like the cream top version.
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Pavel's is great and can be used on bake potato too
once you go to plain it's hard to go back.
Depending on where you live I don't know if this is available outside of Calif.
any of the Straus products are great!
http://www.strausfamilycreamery.com/
I love Redwood Hills Farm, made from goats milk. the vanilla is good too
http://www.redwoodhill.com/
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I also love Pavel's - the lo-fat vanilla is great. No sugar (I think), just vanilla for a soft, mellow yumminess. My Whole Foods used to carry it and doesn't anymore. Sadness.
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I'll second or third the recco for Pavel's low-fat, it's really good. I like Fage but Trader Joe's is not always convenient for me, but I can find Pavel's at most of the other stores in which I shop. Plus it's more economical than Fage, which can get pretty pricey if you eat yogurt every day, like I do.
I can not abide by non-fat yogurt, it always seems to leave a metallic aftertaste in my mouth. Even the non-fat Fage did, but it was the least offensive of all the non-fat's I've tried. Fage is without a doubt the smoothest, creamiest and thickest yogurt and well worth trying, but I always seem to gravitate back to Pavel's after a couple weeks of Fage. I like Pavel's low-fat because it is not as mouth puckeringly tart as many other yogurts and it has no additives.
I can eat plain yogurt straight, although I usually have it with fruit, or use it with fruit and cereal instead of milk. A lot of people like to drizzle honey on yogurt, it does seem to be a match made in dairy heaven. An interesting and tasty alternative to honey that I've been using lately is blue agave nectar. It's a liquid sweetener that is extracted from the heart of the blue agave plant, the same plant that is used to make tequila. Agave nectar has a very low Glycemic Index rating, 19, and only 4 gms of carb in a 1 teaspoon serving. I'm using a brand called Sweet Cactus Farms and I've been very happy with it. http://www.sweetcactusfarms.com . A teaspoon or so on plain yogurt is probably about all you'd need to perk it up. Try the Pavel's, I don't think you'll be disappointed, it's a good product.
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Just picked up some Pavel's Non-Fat at Whole Foods. And some Fage 0%, since there does seem to be an overwhelming consensus on Fage. The yogurt experiment will start.
Thanks for the tip about agave nectar. Wonder where it is sold? I wanted to order online, but the minimum order is a case of 12 for $58!
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Hi, omotosando!
Regarding the agave nectar -- perhaps this is something that Whole Foods might order for you, or maybe they already carry it? If they order it, then you might be able to purchase just one small container. Or, if you are near another health food store, they might have it.
If you are ever near Erewhon Natural Foods Market in L.A., they would probably carry it:
7660 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles #323.937-0777
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I'm in San Diego and I got my agave nectar at a locally owned store called Windmill Farms which is kind of a downscale Whole Foods or Wild Oats. In addition to the usual food stuff, they also have a wide range of health/beauty aids and supplements, both alternative and traditional. If Whole Foods or Wild Oats doesn't carry it try markets specializing in health food products. The brand I recommended wasn't the only brand on the shelves. If worst comes to worst you could probably Google agave nectar and come up with some other options. I think I paid around $4 for my bottle.
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Any whole foods would carry this...or health food store for that matter.
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I also love Fage. It's a Greek yogurt, so thick and creamy. A little on the expensive side for yogurt, but really a treat. I think Stoneyfield is the best "regular" yogurt. Stay away from store brands, they are usually nasty!
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Another vote here for Fage. While the non-fat is very good, I personally prefer the 2% -- and the whole milk is so rich it is almost liking eating dessert. Who knew plain yogurt could be so good!
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And still another vote for Fage 0%, that stuff is magical! A little expensive, though; others on these boards have said draining Dannon Plain Non-Fat Yogurt in a sieve or cheesecloth for a few hours yields a very creamy product also. Have not tried that method, though.
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Make that three votes for Fage. This stuff is so good that I happily eat every type from the non-fat version all the way to the whole milk version.
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Another vote for Fage. A few slices of strawberries, or whatever fruit you have on hand, some honey, some granola... that's breakfast for me every day.
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Gotta jump in the Fage bandwagon. So thick and creamy. Great for breakfast. Had some this am with fresh raspberries and honey. So good. Also great as a base for a marinade- Can't go wrong. Always first item on my list at Trader Joe's.
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I always buy fage 0% and it tastes like full fat to me. I like to add thawed out mixed berries and sometimes a drizzle of honey.
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Any of the "all natural" or "organic" brands.
Now that I said that steer clear of Dannon's "all natural" - all naturally chemicals. YUM! Stoneyfield Farm's is pretty good, as is Horizon. And Fage? It's great! I'm not as keen on the fat-free as the lower-fat or full-fat versions. But none of them have the nasty chemical additives.
Or just make your own!
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I vote for Stonyfield's nonfat as well, although I usually get the French Vanilla as plain is a little TOO plain for me. I mix it with fruit and walnuts for breakfast. It's the only French Vanilla I've ever tried that doesn't have a weird aftertaste.
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The Dannon plain that comes in the big white tub has nothing added to it. Ingredients are: Grade A Milk & live cultures.
The others have additives for sure, but just wanted to add that this one is okay as far as not having synthetic ingredients.
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odkaty, i believe you are completely mistaken. Dannon's all natural has only 2 ingredients - milk and pectin. Pectin is the same stuff my Grandma used to make homemade jams'. Yeah, no chemicals.
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Pectin is a by product that occurs naturally in a lot of fruits. Most pectin used commercially is from grapes. Apples are very high in it and every wonder why cooked cranberry sauce thickens and gels so nicely? Natural Pectin again. Pectin in the sense you are thinnking of is not a "chemical"
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That's true, but IMHO, yogurt with added pectin is no longer yogurt, it's jello.
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exactly! the added pectin does something funky to the yogurt - it's no longer a viable "starter" for making your own. At least none of the times I tried it (before reading the label, duh!)
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Candy, I absolutely agree with you and was actually trying to make the same point, but I must have been a little unclear :)
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Fage 2%!
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Well, I've gotta vote Fage. Just discovered it at the start of the year, and it's been my unguilty pleasure every night with honey and walnuts, sometime pecans. I cannot say enough how satisfying it is. I started telling everyone at my local grocer's about it, and now it is NEVER in stock and I have to go to the "specialty" store to get it. I often wonder if the nutrients, especially fat content is accurate as listed. It's just too good to be true.
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I like Nancy's Organic. It's the family farm of the late Ken Kesey, writer of "Cuckoo's Nest". But maybe it's only available in the Northwest.
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Depends on where you live....
In the NYC area Ronnybrook makes the best! All of their products are great.
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Fage 0% is really good, but it is expensive and sometimes hard to find/out of stock. Fage I can eat plain. However my basic yogurt of choice is Trader Joes plain nonfat. No additives, just milk, dry milk and cultures. It does separate so it's a good one for draining. I usually have it for breakfast with fresh fruit and a bit of cereal.
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mmm, yogurt, I do adore thee. As a college student however I can't afford a Fage habit, so I usually pick up stonyfield or TJ's house brand if I'm over there. It is, as other people have said, an excellent canvas- berries or stone fruits, this time of year, also honey/maple syrup/molasses/pomegranate molasses if you simply must have a sweetener. Personally I like it in a smoothie (with frozen bananas and berries, plus spices) or just plain with ginger/cinnamon/jamaican allspice/orange peel. Excellent with puffins or barbara's shredded spoonfuls. If you like savoury, you can play up the tang with a light mint chutney mixed in (I use an afghani one) and maybe some cucumbers if you like; serve with whole wheat pita or poppadums. If you like spices, seriously, play around!
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Emmi is good too, though a bit sour. I like the texture though. Brown Cow's not bad either.
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No one has mentioned Wallaby yogurt! I love the lowfat plain, buy it in the large containers, two per week. (The nonfat isn't to my taste, but neither is Fage 0%, I must be picky.) Fage 2% is also good, but so much more expensive that I usually buy Wallaby unless I have something particular in mind to do with the Fage.
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I like Wallaby and have been very impressed with it. It's w-a-y more affordable than Fage :-)
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I will second Leonardo's recommendation for Nancy's organic nonfat plain yoghurt. A friend of mine turned me on to this recently, as he first had it when living up in Oregon. I live in Texas and it is sold at Whole Foods and other natural grocery stores. So good with a little coconut and honey mixed in, or some peanut butter and carob chips, but it's also great all by itself. So thick and creamy, I couldn't believe it was nonfat.
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Has anyone tried that yogurt...I'm not sure of the name but it says "Greek Gods" on it?
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brown cow, cream on the top
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My yogurts are Emmi and Fage. I do not like Wallaby nor do I like T.J.'s (their Greek yogurt is loaded with fat, unless you get the 0% which I think tastes awful.)
You can teach yourself to eat it plain. I started out by putting honey on it and now I've scaled back to just a little drizzle. Usually I eat it with fruit anyway, and the sweetness of the fruit is enough. American flavored yogurts by and large are full of sugar especially compared with the European varieties.
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I tried Fage 0% for breakfast, plain with nothing added, and was astonished!
Now, it wasn't as yummy as if I had added some sweetener, but it was quite acceptable, and I am sure as I continue to eat it that way, I will grow accustomed to no sweetener.
Plus, I found it quite astonishing that a container of Fage 0 % only has 80 calories, but I found it more filling than the standard container of low-fat sugared yogurt, which I believe has something like 240 calories. I think the thick texture of Fage makes it seem more like a meal than the standard cup of yogurt.
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I noticed that Fage yogurts provide a lower percentage of the RDA of calcium than other yogurts of comparable size. I wonder why that would be? Does anyone know much about the processing and calcium content of yogurt?
I also noticed that Wallaby's nonfat has 50% of the RDA for calcium in a cup serving, while the lowfat contains less, I don't recall exactly how much off the top of my head. 50% is the highest percentage of the RDA I've seen on anything available commercially, and it seems odd--do they fortify it?
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Have you tried goat or bufflao milk yogurt? They also have sheep which is good. I believe that buffalo is naturally lower in cholesterol than cow's milk and higher in calcium content.
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Yeah, I love the Woodstock buffalo milk yogurt, but it's $1.49 for one six ounce container. I save it for making raita and lassi, mostly.
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Yeah...I kniw it's $$$. So is Fage. That's why I make my own (though honestly prefer storebought) or buy the Brown Cow. I really love the coffee flavored buffalo yogurt.
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If you are making raita, I assume you are using unsweetened yogurt? So far, in my locale (Los Angeles), I have only found the Woodstock buffalo milk yogurt in sweetened version. I will keep looking.
The sweetened Woodstock (which I assume would be the same for the plain) has 20 mg of cholesterol, versus 0 mg in the nonfat Fage, but I am still curious about the Woodstock.
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Since I could not find unsweetened Woodstock Buffalo Milk, I just tried the Woodstock Vermont Maple, which is sweetened with maple syrup.
The Woodstock is a thick yogurt, with the same consistency as Fage. However, comparing the Fage 0% with the Woodstock, I vote for Fage hands down. I don't know if it is just the Vermont Maple flavor, but the Woodstock has a very funny taste to me. It is rare that something that has less calories, less fat and less cholesterol tastes better than something with more calories, more fat and more cholesterol, but in this case I find the Fage vastly superior. And the Fage is 80 calories, 0% fat and 0% cholesterol, compared to 180 calories, 9 grams of fat and 20 mg of cholesterol for the Woodstock (although the Woodstock container is 6 oz versus 5.3 oz for the Fage).
I'm sticking with my Fage.
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I found an afterataste with the woodstock as well. I think buffalo milk, like sheep or goats, just has an peculiar taste.
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Yeah, that's true, but that particular taste is really good with Indian meals. I mix it with mango or salt and cilantro to make lassi or with cucumbers for raita, and it's really good. My mother says it tastes like the yogurt she ate in India back when she visited in the mid eighties.
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It's because the whey (the runny stuff that sits on top of the yogurt) is where most of the calcium is. They drain more of the whey off to give the yogurt that thick, creamy consistency which in turn lowers the calcium content.
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Thanks, that makes sense. I never knew that whey was the source of the calcium. Good to know.
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I like Stoneyfield plain non-fat which I drain to make "yogurt cheese."
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Hey, I have used Stonyfield to make yogurt cheese also; it works really well for that! I'm not a big fan of it for eating out of the carton, but it makes a great cheese.... Mix the yoghurt cheese w/ a good dark cocoa powder, a tiny bit of sugar, vanilla, and some espresso or espresso powder, roll into little balls, and you have one of my favorite "healthy" sweets
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Fage and Trader Joe's Greek yogurt have the best texture to me, but Liberte plain has the nicest flavor. Well, it's 2% fat, not nonfat.
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Unfortunately, I do not believe we can get Liberte on the West Coast. I checked it out after seeing another mention and I think they only distribute to the Northeastern U.S.
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Acually, I live in SC and they carry it at our earthfare. It's the east...but the south I guess.
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