Hello!
You may have seen many clean recipes for dips, smoothies, baked goods or even curry which call for Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt. Why is that so?
Generally, yogurt comes from milk that has been cultured with healthy bacteria which are known as the Probiotics. This causes the yogurt to thicken and produces a slightly tangy taste. Greek yogurt are normally strained through a cheesecloth 3 times to remove liquid whey which gives it a thicker consistency compared to regular yogurt which was not strained, resulting in a runnier texture. When used for cooking, Greek yogurt doesn’t curdle as much as regular’s, giving it a creamier and smoother texture for dips and dough.
Nutritional stats:
| Greek Yogurt | vs | Regular Yogurt |
| 2.5g/oz. If you consume 5 oz, that’s a whopping 12.5g worth of protein! | Protein | 1.5g/oz, that’s nearly twice as less compared to Greek’s! |
| Calcium | 3x more compared to Greek’s | |
| Low content, suitable for diabetics. | Carbohydrate | Normally have high sugar content, especially the ones with artificial flavours |
| Half the amount of regular’s | Sodium | |
| Thick and creamy. Strained few times for maximum removal of liquid whey | Texture | Runnier. Regular’s aren’t strained, hence have higher content of liquid whey |
Plain, non-fat version of Greek and regular yogurt have similar calorie count per serving. Of course, the amount of calorie in either yogurt increases when sugars are added for flavouring.
The only downside is buying Greek yogurt burns an extra hole in our pockets. This is largely due to the extra straining process required compared to regular’s which carries larger volume of liquid whey. In short, more yogurt is required to strain to produce Greek yogurt, a more concentrated source of protein. Regular yogurt are usually packed with emulsifiers and thickeners (to bind them together), hence the price drops.
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| Greek yogurt, looks thicker, doesn’t it? |
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| Regular yogurt with runnier texture |
Some may prefer the taste of regular yogurt cause it’s sweeter as Greek yogurt might appear too tart for one’s taste. Well, both tasted equally good to me :B
That all said, Greek yogurt has been a fast growing favourite among fitness junkies and health nuts. Stir in some nut butter, honey, granola, cinnamon or mixed fruits, and there you have it, a protein packed breakfast, dessert or just a lil’ treat. 🙂 But NOTE: Some brands selling “Greek yogurt” has been added with corn starch to thicken and improve the texture. So a friendly reminder right here, always identify the ingredients labelled before purchasing. 🙂
Ahahah wahhh Calista so healthy! But such an educational blog, ahaha I will follow! 🙂
Haha aww thanks Tiff! 🙂 means alot! <3
On nom nom nom nom nom 😀