Why Americans are Obese: Nonfat Yogurt

July 7 2011 by in Industrial food-like products, Weight loss, Why Americans are obese

Here is another awful light product I recently found in an American supermarket. It’s called Light & Fit nonfat yogurt. Ironically it’s an excellent option for anybody who wants to gain belly fat.

Let’s take a closer look.

Ingredients and nutrition facts

No fat (0g per serving)… but loads of sugar (14g) and starch.

Check out the ingredients for the whole freakish story. The nonfat yogurt is made from non fat milk (with a high percentage of milk sugar) by adding modified food starch and fructose (fruit sugar) among other things. Then they add some natural and artificial flavors, some preservatives and coloring and three (!) different artificial sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame K and sucralose).

No natural fat… but lots of added sugar, starch and sweeteners. If you want to stay fit then stay away from this garbage. It may turn you into an obese sugar junkie, just like cigarettes may give you cancer.

A better idea

Do you like yogurt? Check out this more natural high fat version:
LCHF-breakfast in the summer

Why Americans are obese

Why Americans are obese, part 2

The Dreamfields Pasta Fraud

LCHF for beginners

26 comments

1
Milton
July 7 2011
The problem I find with products like this is that they simply don't taste very good. There appears to be two or three 'natural' sugars and three artificial sweeteners? How can that possibly be palatable? Ugh.

If you really want to be depressed, go to the aisle where they have the salad dressings and check the ingredients list.
2
Spring
July 7 2011
I notice the last ingredient is another synthetic chemical...Red #40 How can this product possibly be marketed as "healthy"?
3
DeniseT
July 7 2011
Here is a great article about the current obesity rate in Colorado versus the rest of the U.S. In it, they state that the CURRENT obesity rate in CO (which is lowest) would have ranked the MOST obese in 1995. That is only 16 years ago. http://www.denverpost.com/ci_18429992?source=bb
4
Heidi P.
July 7 2011
Thank you for the link to "LCHF-breakfast in the summer" for a good alternative. I could eat eggs and bacon every day, but my husband needs something new.

I used to buy this kind of yogurt & all the "commercial crap that will make you thin" but I'm never going back!
5
Debbie C.
July 8 2011
The sad thing is that it's almost impossible to find any decent yogurts in American supermarkets. When Fage Total Greek yogurt first appeared I was thrilled. A fantastic full-fat yogurt. It was hard to find, but worth the effort. Now almost every store carries Fage, but the carry almost exclusively the 0% fat, occasionally the 2%. The full-fat version is almost impossible to find anymore. One reason I don't eat yogurt much, though I may have to start making my own again soon.
6
Crystal C
July 9 2011
@Milton

I completely agree with the salad dressings! I don't get depressed, but simply angry. Knowing that vegetable oils (canola, soybean, etc.) are terrible oils for you to consume, I always look for olive oil based salad dressings. There are NONE out there that only contain olive oil. Each one that I looked at that said "Made with Olive Oil" I looked at the ingrediants right away and the first ingrediant is always canola or soybean. What's the point of calling it olive oil if its the fifth ingrediant on the list?

Now I make my own with olive oil and some vinegar or lemon juice. My favorite "dressing" is egg yolks. Delicious!
7
Margaretrc
July 9 2011
@Debbie C., "I may have to start making my own again soon." I regularly make my own using grass fed whole milk. Then, when I'm ready to eat it, I add some cream. I started this series with a bit of Trader Joe's goat's milk yogurt (which is full fat). It comes out nice and thick and creamy (more like Greek yogurt than when I used other starters) time after time and I haven't had to buy yogurt in ages. If it ever "wears out", I will use the same kind of starter again.

Likewise, @Milton and @Crystal, I don't buy store bought salad dressings. Even in the health food stores, they generally are made with unhealthy oils and some kind of sweetener. The only thing I put on my salads is oil (either a blend of coconut, olive and sesame or just olive) and (usually balsamic) vinegar. It's all I need, and it's always on hand.
8
Freckles
July 15 2011
Scary stuff...
9
Kim B.
August 13 2011
I agree with Debbie C. I rarely can find full-fat yogurt. I love Fage, but it is only to be found 0-2% fat. Target has just started carrying a Greek Gods brand, full-fat, thick and creamy style. I'm so sick of low-fat/fat-free stuff.
10
Misty
August 13 2011
I am converting clients daily from these chemical concoctions to real, full fat yogurts. Take charge! Add your own flavorings for optimum results and your best taste bud tantalization!

For those having difficulty locating full fat, request it from your grocer. They might be able to order it for you and yogurt has a pretty good shelf life so purhcase 6 containers at a time.
11
Ouis
August 13 2011
By the way--Braggs makes a great olive oil bottled salad dressing---a teeny bit of honey, but otherwise great ingredients and tastes wonderfully--
12
Mary Titus
August 13 2011
So eating this yogurt is like eating a deep fried Twinkie. I found a plain yogurt made with whole milk. I put it on blueberries or I use it in salad dressing.
13
Vivian
August 15 2011
This stuff is bad, bad!!! I make my own or eat Fage. :) I will never understand how anyone thinks this is healthy????
14
skipper
January 11 2012
This is bad and this is NOT Danone (that's how it's spelled). It's Dannon. Any idea what it might mean?
15
gallier2
January 11 2012
Dannon is the American variant name for the Danone brand. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danone
16
Brad Midgley
June 2 2012
The Greek gods plain full fat yogurt is awesome. I add some stevia sweetener and sometimes a little fruit. Yogurt is back!
17
Zoika
August 3 2012
The FAGE is the best yogurt out there by far and the only greek yogurt that is actually made by Greeks!

btw, even the 0% Fage is healthier that the one you describe, here is the list of ingredients:

Fage 0% ingredients:
Grade A Pasteurized Skimmed Milk, Live Active Yogurt Cultures (L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casei).

That's it! No sugars, starches etc.

Reply: #18
18
Reply to comment #17 by Zoika
GuyJeb
September 5 2013
Completely agree with you.

Only one grocer sells Total Fage (not the 2%, not the 0%, the plain regular) without sugar and with regular fat included.

They seem to be out of it most of the week.

It is so difficult to find real yogurt in USA, that I'm thinking I might need to just start making my own..
19
Melinda
November 27 2013
Whole Foods market has a sheeps milk yogurt that is heavenly. Full fat and more nutrients than cows milk yogurt. It's expensive, but well worth it.
20
Rhys
June 11 2015
What's wrong with a plain organic nonfat Greek yogurt. Here we have Strauss. The label puts the protein content higher than the carb content. Is there something wrong with being nonfat if they don't compensate with garbage? I'm overweight and have 2 stents. The nonfat seems safer and allows me to have a protein rich dessert with organic blueberries with a lower caloric load.

Reply: #21
21
Reply to comment #20 by Rhys
Zepp
June 11 2015
Well.. the big problem is that it is low fat!

If they dont have fat in it, there are either carbs or protein.

Protein is not a energy source its a building stone.. then you end up feeding moste sugar anyway.. you have to eat more for the same calories!

If the it going to be mostly protein.. and there is an surplus of amino acids, they mostly converts to glukos anyway!

Soo that the problem.. if one avoid fat one ends upp living on sugar, thats the big problem.
22
Jen
March 15 2016
Eating fat doesn't make you fat. Eating sugar does. When you take the fat out of something, you increase the glycemic load (even if you don't add ANY SUGAR), which causes your body to react poorly and convert more sugar to fat.
23
RonnieO
September 8 2016
I finally found a yogurt I really like: The Greek Gods Greek Yogurt, Traditional Plain. High fat, no added sugar, delicious when sprinkled with a mixture of cinnamon and stevia, which sort of replicates how I first encountered yogurt a long time ago.
24
Emily Summer
October 7 2018
It is very easy to make your own yogurt....delicious! Stop buying the commercial garbage. If you have an Instant Pot, use the yogurt setting.
25
nick
December 5 2018
Aside from the sugar, how is low/non fat yogurt bad for you? There are similar yogurts without any sugar, but with much more protein (17g instead of 7g). It's essentially just a huge chunk of protein. All the concerns raised here pertain to high sugar, and not to low/non fat.

Reply: #26
26
Reply to comment #25 by nick
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
December 5 2018
Foods that are high in lactose AND in protein have been shown to raise insulin far more than other foods of the same carb count which is counter productive.

Why Americans are Obese: Nonfat Yogurt

Ingredients and nutrition facts

A better idea

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