sam light Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 I see there is a yogurt thread about frozen vs unfrozen, this is different. The supermarket has a million brands. I know what to look for on the labels, but I don't want to spend 15 minutes standing there reading 20 different labels. What is a healthy brand that you usually buy? Please consider adding why you think its a healthy brand. Thanks Much Link to post Share on other sites
dichotomy Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 Usually any Greek yogurt - and low or no fat. Sometimes unsweetened or sometimes low calorie favored. Greek Lowfat Plain Dannon Light & Fit® Greek Yogurt 1 Link to post Share on other sites
JDPT Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Chobani plain can't go wrong with that. Link to post Share on other sites
CaliGypsy Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Fage plain Link to post Share on other sites
Taramere Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Skyr yogurt - made in Iceland. Thick, like Greek yogurt...very high in protein (higher than any other yogurt I've tried/looked at) but very low in fat. Link to post Share on other sites
amaysngrace Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Humans really shouldn't ingest cow milk. It's unnatural. Get your probiotics another way. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
johan Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 I make my own yogurt. I really think it's the way to go, and is very easy to do. if you have some pint or quart mason jars you can make a full gallon from the healthiest milk you can find for quite a bit less than what you would pay buying yogurt off the shelf. We also buy various flavors of jams and flavor it ourselves, which is another aspect of health and quality you can control. Another advantage, in case you worry about such things, is you can make it so that your yogurt never touched plastic, which is becoming important to me. I buy milk in glass bottles and make the yogurt in mason jars of various sizes. I'm happy to PM the recipe/procedure, or even post here in case anyone is interested. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
losangelena Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 I only get unsweetened, full-fat or 2% Greek yogurt (it's full of protein) of any brand. Don't be afraid of full-fat dairy. That said, the Noosa brand is effing delicious. Especially the key lime and to coconut flavors. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Aniela Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 I make my own yogurt. I really think it's the way to go, and is very easy to do. if you have some pint or quart mason jars you can make a full gallon from the healthiest milk you can find for quite a bit less than what you would pay buying yogurt off the shelf. We also buy various flavors of jams and flavor it ourselves, which is another aspect of health and quality you can control. Another advantage, in case you worry about such things, is you can make it so that your yogurt never touched plastic, which is becoming important to me. I buy milk in glass bottles and make the yogurt in mason jars of various sizes. I'm happy to PM the recipe/procedure, or even post here in case anyone is interested. Could you post it here? I've tried to make it twice, in an instant pot. It worked, but I apparently need to use less starter - my first batch turned out more like cream cheese, when strained, and the second batch I still ended up with less than I expected. Link to post Share on other sites
Aniela Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 I only get unsweetened, full-fat or 2% Greek yogurt (it's full of protein) of any brand. Don't be afraid of full-fat dairy. That said, the Noosa brand is effing delicious. Especially the key lime and to coconut flavors. I love Noosa. Raspberry or blueberry, for me. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
johan Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 (edited) Step 1: Go buy yogurt labeled as "live culture". Something natural. Step 2: Go buy milk. I prefer whole milk, but 2% works ok. Step 3: Heat the milk on the stove to 185F. I use an instant digital thermometer with a probe in the milk, sitting on a glass jar lid or small plate submerged in the milk so the probe isn't measuring the heated bottom of the pot. I set the thermometer to alarm at 183F. The skin that forms on the surface of the milk doesn't make much difference, although it does sometimes show up in the yogurt. You can prevent it with frequent stirring. Step 4: Heat the oven to ~113F. I just set the temperature to bake, and let it warm for 20 - 30 seconds at a time, watching the temperature on a digital thermometer until I get to around 117F or so, the few extra degrees allow for the cooling that will occur when I put the yogurt in. Step 5: Wash and sterilize the yogurt containers. Washing would probably suffice, if you're careful about it and protect the surfaces that will contact the yogurt from air and contamination. Sterilization can be done in a few different easy ways, which you can look up. Step 6: Cool the milk to around 115F. Letting it cool just by sitting is fine. Maybe you can speed it up somehow, but it isn't necessary if you have time. Step 7: Put about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the yogurt you bought into the 115F milk and mix it thoroughly. Step 8: Put the milk/yogurt mix into the container(s) you want to use for storing the yogurt. I use mason jars. You can use just about anything, big or small. The bacteria care about the temperature. Step 9: Put the filled containers into the warm oven (~113F) with the light on. I have baking stones in mine, which helps keep the temperature more constant. Not required. Step 10: Adjust the oven temperature to at least 113F, but not more that 118F. Turn on the oven light. You want the temperature to stay between 108F and 113F. Cooler makes the fermentation time needlessly long. Warmer jeopardizes the culture. Step 11: Come back in 9 hours or so. Cover, seal, store, eat the yogurt. Steps 3 to 10 take me roughly an hour, but the actual labor time is maybe 20 minutes. Edited August 13, 2016 by johan 3 Link to post Share on other sites
quankanne Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 my go-to is the WalMart brand of light Greek yogurt, the vanilla is my favorite. that said, yogurt is tricky, because even the Greek "good for you" stuff is loaded with sugar, done to make sure the stuff sells. So while it's touted as healthy, unless you do your homework, you're eating stuff that's not really good for you. a high protein-low sugar ratio is what you're looking for in any food, and the WM light Greek seems to have the best value, taste, P/S value for my needs. I did try a purple label "name brand" whose name I cannot think of, and it was good, but that was just a one-time purchase since I'm hooked on the WM stuff. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Bialy Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Humans really shouldn't ingest cow milk. It's unnatural. Get your probiotics another way. Hear, hear. Cow's milk is for calves to grow into 900-lb cows. I don't want to be a 900 lb cow. For probiotics, I stick with cold kombucha tea, pickles, olives, certain types of nut milk. A few times a week. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
SpiralOut Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I make my own yogurt too, either with cow milk or soy milk. I got fed up with reading all the labels and finding loads of sugar and/or artificial sweeteners in almost every brand. Some of them even have gelatin. I am now experimenting with Kombucha (made at home) in the hopes that it will be an easier way to get those good bacteria. Kimchi is also good for you, if you get the brands with live cultures in them (or if you make your own). 3 Link to post Share on other sites
amaysngrace Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Hear, hear. Cow's milk is for calves to grow into 900-lb cows. I don't want to be a 900 lb cow. For probiotics, I stick with cold kombucha tea, pickles, olives, certain types of nut milk. A few times a week. Apple cider vinegar mixed with warm water is a good choice too 1 Link to post Share on other sites
introverted1 Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 The supermarket has a million brands. I know what to look for on the labels, but I don't want to spend 15 minutes standing there reading 20 different labels. What is a healthy brand that you usually buy? Please consider adding why you think its a healthy brand. Thanks Much If good health is your goal, you are going to have to put the time in to researching nutrition and reading labels. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
SpiralOut Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 (edited) If you want healthy yogurt from the store, your best bet would be an organic brand that is "plain" and that has live bacteria in it. You may need to go to a health food store to find something like that. I'm assuming that by "healthy" you mean something with no added sugars or artificial flavourings. And beware of anything labelled as low-fat or no-fat. Usually the manufacturer will add extra sugar to make up for the decreased fat. Edited August 15, 2016 by SpiralOut Link to post Share on other sites
Author sam light Posted August 22, 2016 Author Share Posted August 22, 2016 Thanks everyone. You've helped narrow my search. Link to post Share on other sites
SammySammy Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 I wish I could eat Greek yogurt. I've tried and it just does not taste good to me. Kefir, on the other hand, is loaded with probiotics and is delicious. Strawberry kefir Link to post Share on other sites
Aniela Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 I wish I could eat Greek yogurt. I've tried and it just does not taste good to me. Kefir, on the other hand, is loaded with probiotics and is delicious. Strawberry kefir That reminds me: I found frozen kefir (instead of frozen yogurt) at Giant Eagle, in the past. I like kefir, too - I'm going to try making water kefir soon. Link to post Share on other sites
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