The Yogurt Challenge

I have really been enjoying yogurt and granola for breakfast lately.  It is easy to grab and eat at the office, very filling, and tastes great!  I have been using Cascadian Farm granola cereals.  They have several great flavors. 

I was not sure which yogurt was best to accompany the granola.  I had some specific criteria: low in calories, protein, and quantity (enough that I would feel full).  I went with the vanilla or a similar flavor as a control and because it’s what I like with my granola.  I had several candidates…

The fat free Yoplait has been my standard go to yogurt since I was little.  It’s what my mom bought and there are so many flavors I never really tried anything else.  For breakfast purposes it does not measure up.  It does have low calories at 110 per container.  The quantity is pretty good too at 8 oz. but it doesn’t keep me feeling full long enough with only 6 g of protein. 

Sticking with Yoplait, I tried their version of Greek extra protein honey vanilla flavor.  It has the highest calorie count and protein at 150 calories and 14 grams per serving.  This means it also had the highest amount of sugar at 18 grams.  This one definitely kept me full, but it tasted the worst.

Moving away from Yoplait with a very bad taste in my mouth, I decided to try the Archer Farms brand, Target’s store brand.  It was acceptable at best.  I tried the honey almond flavor.  It was the lowest in calories at 80 calories in a 6 oz. serving, and had 6g of protein.  It also had the lowest sugar content at 9 grams.  I really did not enjoy the taste much and I was hungry again just a short time later.

Another drawback to the Yoplait, Archer Farms, and Yoplait Greek, was the artificial sweetener.  I am very sensitive to them, tasting it in just about any food, and pretty much every drink.  I get headaches from a lot of beverages and overall do not like the way food or drink taste when artificial sweetener is used. 

The winner is obvious at this point…

Dannon’s Greek yogurt (soon to be Dannon’s Othos).  I purchased the vanilla flavor. It is only 6 oz. per container but really fills me up with the high protein content, 12 g per serving.  It fits into my calorie budget at 110 calories per serving.  The sugars are pretty high at 16 grams, but nothing is perfect.  The best part is there is no artificial sweetener, and it tastes great!

What is your favorite yogurt?