What's the big fat deal?

Greek yogurt seems to be gaining all kinds of popularity recently. So, I figured I'd find out for myself - What is the Big Fat Greek Deal?


Yoplait Greek Yogurt - Honey Vanilla and Strawberry

Price: $1.00  (on sale)
Where purchased: Schnucks
Overall rating: 3/5

As clearly displayed on the Yoplait Greek label, their big deal is "twice the protein of regular yogurt." This particular brand also boasts 0 g fat, 130 calories, 18 g of sugar, and no artifical sweeteners. Yoplait Greek is also made from cow's milk - which is apparently typical in Greek yogurts sold in the U.S. We Americans don't typically care for sheep's milk.

I can see why Greek yogurt would be ideal for cooking. It has a thick texture and doesn't get that extra liquid that you sometimes find in regular yogurt. But as far as eating straight from the carton goes... I'll stick with the regular yogurt. While I like that you can pack extra protein into the same number of calories (kinda gives you that same phenomenon that egg whites do - extra protein for very few calories), I found the thick texture to be undesirable and the taste was not particularly great either. While the flavor of the honey vanilla wasn't bad and closely resembled a traditional vanilla yogurt, the strawberry flavor tasted very artificial and lacked the necessary sweetness needed to counteract the natural bitterness of the yogurt. I also find the price to be a bit ridiculous. I do understand that it takes more milk to make 6 oz of Greek yogurt than it does to make 6 oz of regular yogurt and thus a higher price is needed... but come on. I can't be spending over $1 on every cup of yogurt I eat!

So, I'm giving this product a 3 out of 5. I do like the nutritional aspects of it - and we all know I love my protein - but I just can't sacrifice the money, texture, and taste to continue buying it. So don't get wrapped up in the Greek yogurt hype and the marketing if all you are looking for is a good-tasting, smooth-textured, somewhat healthy yogurt. I'd stick to the Stonyfield Organic or similar brand if I were you.