Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Greek Vs. Regular

I was first introduced to greek yogurt by a "Health Nut" friend who said it was better for you. I immediately took his word for it and was planning on trying it. When I got to the grocery store, I discovered that it cost almost 3x's as much, so I passed it up. And stopped thinking about it.
When I began training for my first half marathon in late summer, I realized my body was needing more than what I was giving it. Not calorie wise, but protein and nutrient wise. I remembered the greek yogurt and decided to try it, despite the cost. And boy did I fall in love!
I don't eat it everyday. It's just too expensive. I eat it three times a week based on work out. I eat it after body pump and after my long run. The main reason I choose Greek Yogurt over regular yogurt is for the protein benefit, in hopes that it is helping to restore and rebuild my muscles.
For days when I am not working out and crave yogurt, we keep te regular stuff in the fridge, because I love the pie flavors! :)

The nutrition basics are as follows:

Dannon Greek Yogurt (plain)- 80 calories, 0 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbs, 15 grams of protein, and 50 mg of sodium

Dannon All Natural Yogurt (plain)- 80 calories, 0 fat, 12 grams of carbs, 8 grams of protein, and 150mg of sodium

Benefits of greek over regular (all natural): Lower sodium, lower carbs, more protein, much better taste and texture (in my opinion)

Benefits of regular over greek: more calcium, and often times less calories and fat, more flavor options

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