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Three Reasons To Avoid Yoplait Greek Yogurt

March 29, 2011   108 Comments

Snack Girl really doesn't want to pick on General Mills (the owners of Yoplait), but I feel I must.

Is Yoplait Greek Yogurt Healthy?

Their entrant into the Greek yogurt world "Yoplait Greek" promises twice the protein of leading yogurt, 0% fat, gluten-free, no artificial flavors, and no artificial sweeteners.

Right there, I should be giving them a medal because those are big steps for Yoplait (see here: So What's Inside Yoplait Yogurt Anyway?). Their Greek yogurt also uses sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.

So, why avoid it?

1. This isn't true Greek yogurt. How do I know that? Well, I am taking an educated guess from their ingredients list see here:

yoplaitingredients

Do you see the "milk protein concentrate"? I was informed by a customer service representative that it is strained from milk. But, the problem is that OTHER Greek yogurts such as Fage, Chobani, and Oikos the ENTIRE yogurt has been strained to get the consistency thicker.

Also, there is gelatin and locust bean gum in the ingredients list which are used as thickeners in food products. Yoplait is Greek STYLE yogurt - why is the word "style" missing from their packaging?

Take a look at the ingredients list of Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt:

oikos2

Stonyfield Farms (which produces Oikos) didn't have to use additives because they made a true Greek yogurt by straining the yogurt.

2. The sugar is a whopping 18 grams per serving! Oikos managed just 11 grams to make their yogurt. Yoplait has over 50% more sugar per serving. And if you are wondering if the Oikos isn't sweet enough - my 4 year old adored it!

3. It tastes terrible. So this reason is a bit subjective, but I tasted Oikos and Yoplait and there was really no comparison. The Yoplait tasted too sweet and wasn't as thick as the Oikos.

I paid $1.00 for Yoplait and $2.00 for the Oikos yogurt. And, right here, we have a problem because $2 for a single 5 ounce package of yogurt is a lot. But, Oikos is organic - made without the use of pesticides or petroleum based fertilizers AND it tastes so much better.

My suggestion is to spend more on your yogurt, support the green (and healthier) choice, and if it is too expensive - just eat less yogurt.

What do you think of Yoplait Greek Yogurt?

Other posts you might like:

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Recently, Snack Girl went to the yogurt aisle and tried Yoplait Greek yogurt and wrote this award winning review: Three Reasons To Avoid Yoplait Greek Yogurt ....

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First 20 Comments: ( See all 108 )

Thanks Lisa, for this very detailed info about one of my all time favorite foods - yogurt. So frustrating that this company would get into the 'healthy greek yogurt' market, making a step in the right direction, but only go halfway. If big companies like General Mills would step it up to the real deal, others would soon be inspired to follow. Thanks for the opportunity to point this out to them here on your blog....

Your timing is so perfect on this. I bought a container of All Natural Brown Cow greek yogurt this morning, and as I was eating it I noticed the 17 grams of sugar and wondered if that was high, and what Snack Girl would have to say about it ha. Perfect!

I'll go back to the Fage!

I totally agree with your assessment here. The Yoplait Greek yogurt is not even close to the taste/texture of the other Greek yogurts you mentioned. The consistency is too similar to regular yogurt and I literally felt "cheated" when I tried it.

This also makes me wonder what you think about Hungry Girl, another snack/dieter blogger/author. She pushes the use of a lot of fat-free and low-fat items, and I'm thinking yoplait is on the list of her favorites.

I haven't tried Yoplait's "Greek" yogurt, but doubt I would've even if I hadn't read your review! With naturally healthy and delicious foods like yogurt (or nut butters, or juices) any time a company adds a bunch of other ingredients, I am leery. My tip for being able to actually afford Greek yogurt? (b/c it really is pricey)- buy the big tubs instead of the single serving packages- much cheaper!

oh.

i bought 4 of these yesterday (with two coupons--love my coups) and i don't think they taste that bad (i got 2 of the honey, one strawberry, and one blueberry). I prefer sweetened yogurt--the plain stuff tastes too much like sour cream to eat by itself. I tried mixing it with some fruit preserves, as you suggested, but if those have sugar in them anyway, what's the difference?

Good call, Lisa! We're yogurt lovers and I used to just buy whatever was on special. Since deciding to be more dedicated about healthy eating, I switched to Stonyfield products, including the Oikos Greek (my absolute favorite). Hubby doesn't care for the Greek, so I get Stonyfield's regular fat-free for him. I think being free from chemicals and other additives is worth paying the price difference and since you can earn free stuff with codes from their lids, it's like getting a little something back.

I agree with you 100% I did not like the yoplait greek. It was not thick at all and that is what I look for in my Greek yogurt. I will just have to wait for Chobani sales!

Right on! The yoplait, I have to say, tastes very chemical to me, and I really like their regular yogurts.

One thing you can do to save $$ is to buy regular plain yogurt and strain it yourself. Use a coffee filter in a colander; or even paper towel. Let it sit overnight. Throw out all the liquid whey..and Voila! Greek yogurt! for a bit cheaper.

I'm so glad you posted this. A while back I tried Yoplait because I was in a rush and they didn't have anything else at the store I was at. I thought it didn't taste very good or thick. I too noticed the sugar and was surprised since i normally eat the Trader Joe's non-fat Greeek yogurt and there is hardly any. Thank you for writing this! Now I know why it didn't feel right, I'm never eating it again.

I tried the yoplait greek about a year ago because I had a coupon and I totally agree with you! It had more sugar, much less protein, and I didn't like the taste. Dannon makes a good greek yogurt - it's the same price as yoplait and the same nutritional stats as oikos!

Thanks for pointing out the sugar content in this yogurt. I used to buy a yogurt that was really cheap but then one day I checked out the sugar and it was almost 30g per container! I decided it wasn't worth it to save a few pennies so now I either buy plain Greek yogurt and flavor it with low-sugar preserves or buy the fruit-flavored Greek yogurt like Chobani.

Thank you for bringing this up!

I love Stonyfield's yogurts! They also have the highest amount of live active cultures in their yogurts, which are incredibly beneficial. :)

Thanks for this post! Also a good reminder about why I pay more for the organic, natural options. :)

What do I think? I think I won't be giving up my Chobani anytime too soon ;)

Great post and insightful as always! I prefer making my own yogurt now - not sure if you've tried it? (might make a good post! Even if you suck the first time, like I did). It takes time, & I'm still getting used to it, but it's WAY cheaper & easier to make organic/to taste. I got the recipe from Stay At Home Babe, and post it here. If you haven't made your own yogurt before, it's worth it. :) http://fitvillains.tumblr.com/post/4049516605/homemade-yogu…

I love Oikos and regular stonyfield farm yogurts but I totally second the "it's easy and cheap to make really good yogurt at home" comment above.

I'm crazy about FAGE yoghurt; also all natural and it's really great. Chobani is also wonderful; I never tried the Yoplait, but since there are so many good ones on the market, I didn't think about it.

I tried this the other day out of curiosity and I came to the same 3 conclusions. I never trust big brands that make a "healthy" new product to mimic the trends. Nice try Yoplait....

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