Rating of the best low-fat yogurts and homemade recipes

What is yogurt

This is one of the subtypes of fermented milk products.
It comes with additives (fruits, juices, sweeteners, flavors, preservatives) and without them, thick and liquid (drinkable), creamy, low-calorie and low-fat. The chemical composition of a 150-gram serving, in addition to beneficial bacterial cultures, includes 25.5 mg of magnesium, 260 mg of calcium and 300 mg of potassium. The name is translated from Greek as “thick,” but the drink did not originate in Greece. There are many versions of its origin, but the most plausible is considered the following: this type of fermented milk arose thanks to nomads who transported milk in vessels (skins) made of goat skins. During the journey, bacteria got into the drink, it was constantly shaken and fermented under the sun's rays. The result was a tasty, healthy product.

Modern yoghurts began to be produced in the countries of the Balkan Peninsula, where the beneficial properties of thermophilic streptococcus and Bulgarian bacillus were discovered. Now they are added to condensed or pasteurized milk for its fermentation, but previously the drink was left in its pure form and waited until the fermentation process took place naturally under the influence of existing bacteria.

Yogurt fasting and diet menu

There are several types of yogurt unloading.

Option 1

• morning: green apple, unsweetened tea;
• lunch: 150 ml yogurt with dried fruits, tea;
• lunch: 150 ml yogurt with muesli, ½ grapefruit, 100 ml tea;
• afternoon snack: 200 ml yogurt, ½ grapefruit;
• evening: ½ mug of tea, 150 ml of yogurt, a handful of dried fruits.

Option 2

• morning: yogurt with berries or fruits (100 ml), ½ cup of tea;
• day: yogurt with fruit (200 ml), ½ cup of tea;
• afternoon snack: the same as lunch, but fruits are replaced with berries;
• dinner: the same as for lunch.

The last option for losing weight involves eating every 3 hours. Each type of diet prohibits the consumption of sugar. But it can be replaced with a small amount of honey - 0.5 teaspoon per glass of drink is enough to add sweetness to the product. In between meals, you are allowed to drink plain water, unsweetened tea, herbal decoctions or rosehip infusion.

For unloading, choose yogurt with a fat content of 1-1.5%. It can be prepared at home using sourdough and milk.

You may also be interested in: What to drink tea with when losing weight

What is good for weight loss

When figuring out which yogurt is best for weight loss, you need to find out what qualities the product has and how it promotes weight loss. So, the beneficial properties of lactic acid drink include:

• improving the functioning of the digestive system and metabolism;
• normalization of intestinal microflora, blood pressure;
• prevention of constipation, cancer;
• cleansing of waste and toxins;
• strengthening the immune system, teeth, bones;
• prevention of osteoporosis, the occurrence of fungal diseases;
• elimination of food poisoning;
• reduction of cholesterol in the blood;
• elimination of inflammation of the genitourinary system;
• replenishment of calcium deficiency.

Composition of fermented milk drink

The composition of fermented milk, useful for weight loss, contains a minimum of lactose, which many people cannot tolerate, and contains lactase, an enzyme involved in the hydrolysis of the disaccharide lactose. Thanks to these qualities, the drink is better suited for those who have poor digestibility of whole milk and other dairy products containing lactose. In addition, yoghurts contain:

• vitamins: A, B2, B3, B6, B12, PP, C, retinol and choline;
• minerals: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, manganese, iodine, chromium, sodium, zinc, fluorine;
• ascorbic, fatty and organic acids.

Calories and nutritional value

Fermented milk products are made from different milks (natural, reconstituted, normalized), and they may also contain additives. The calorie content of the finished drink depends on the source raw material and ranges on average from 50 to 250 kcal/100 g. The nutritional value varies based on the percentage of fat content of the product, and for yoghurts from 1.5 to 3.2% is:

• proteins: 3–5 g;
• fats: 0.1–15 g;
• carbohydrates: 4–16 g.

Shelf life

Only natural products containing live bifidobacteria and lactobacilli can bear the name “yogurt”. The shelf life of such a drink is a minimum of 5 days, a maximum of 2 weeks, but it is better to store it for no more than 7 days. On some jars, manufacturers indicate that the product can be stored for up to 30 days. This is only possible when natural products are salted (fish, lard), very sweet (jam, marmalade) or contain vinegar.

Fermented milk drinks do not belong to any of the above categories, so such information should alert you. The organisms used to ferment raw milk do not live that long, which means that shelf-stable yogurt contains preservatives or has been heat-treated. As a result of this, many bacteria die, the drink loses its beneficial properties, and health improvement and weight loss are unlikely to be the result of its consumption.

Fruttis XL

The XL line appeared in 2021, and at first these were spoon options, and in 2021 drinking ones appeared. A distinctive feature of Fruttis XL is its large packaging format; drinking yoghurts weigh 330 g.

Flavors

This line has only 4 flavor variations:

• strawberry and mint
• coconut and mango
• pineapple and turmeric
• apple and tarragon

Each product contains pieces of coconut jelly.

Compound

Here is the composition of yogurt with strawberries and mint:

• normalized milk
• filler
• skim milk powder
• leaven

The fat content of yogurt is 2%, calorie content is about 70 kcal.

Low-calorie and low-fat yogurts

Regular low-calorie yogurt is a fermented milk product with a minimal percentage of fat content, having an average calorie content of 60 to 110 kcal/100 g, but not all of them can be drunk for weight loss. In the store you can choose and buy low-calorie fermented milk from several manufacturers:

• Frugurt (70 kcal);
• Neo Imunele Natural (63 kcal);
• Activia natural (75 kcal), regular (90 kcal);
• Miracle (99 kcal);
• Danone thick thermostatic (49 kcal);
• Greek from Ehrmann (66 kcal).

People seeking to lose weight believe that it is better to drink low-fat yogurts, but their usefulness is very questionable. At the same time as the fat content in drinks is reduced, the amount of salt in drinks is reduced, replacing it with potassium chloride, and water and sugar are added instead of fat. Low-fat products are more liquid, so to obtain a thick consistency, a thickener such as starch is added to it, which prevents the breakdown of fats. It turns out that some ingredients are replaced by others, no less harmful, which will not contribute to weight loss.

Despite all the above factors, you can drink fermented milk drinks while on a diet. The main thing is to pay attention not to the name or brand of the manufacturer, but to the energy value and composition of the purchased product. If there are no harmful components in it, then the beneficial properties of low-fat and low-calorie yoghurts are the same as those of natural ones:

• strengthening the immune system, teeth, bones;
• assistance in digesting food;
• prevention of constipation, osteoporosis;
• lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.

Such fermented milk can cause harm only if it contains dyes, various food additives, sweeteners and fats. The last component will certainly become an obstacle on the path to a beautiful slim figure and flat stomach. In addition, people who have an individual intolerance to at least one of the components of the drink should drink yoghurt with caution.

Best lists

As you can see, not a single drinking yogurt contains sugar, milk powder, preservatives or vegetable fats. However, three out of five copies are worthy of special attention due to their other advantages over competitors:

"EPICA" - a lot of protein

Epika yogurt stands out among others due to its high content of milk protein - one bottle contains 10% of the daily requirement. This is not to mention the natural composition and good organoleptic properties. As consumers note, the taste is similar to Greek yogurt and kefir at the same time. The fermented milk product gives you a feeling of fullness for a long time and has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract. One of the best healthy snack options for both athletes and ordinary office workers.

"Valio" - the lowest calorie

Those losing weight should pay attention to drinking “Valio” without filler. The product is low-fat and has a low calorie content - only 32 kcal per 100 g. As befits natural “live” yogurt, it contains lactic acid microorganisms, the concentration of which is maintained within the expiration date. Not everyone likes the typical sourness in natural yoghurts - here it is minimal, the taste of the product is quite neutral.

"Activia" - price-quality ratio

Perhaps the most popular drinking yogurt on the market with a simple and understandable composition and excellent organoleptic characteristics. In terms of price-quality ratio, this fermented milk drink is the leader today; the price per bottle starts from 45 rubles. All other participants in the rating are more expensive, and some of them are even twice as expensive. “Activia” is a real classic with almost standard taste and consistency for “pure” yogurt, which is available in any grocery store.

Home

Despite the huge variety of fermented milk products provided to customers in large retail chains, only homemade yogurt will be truly beneficial for health and weight loss. By preparing the drink yourself, you can be sure of its naturalness and freshness. For this you will need sourdough and milk. You need to be very responsible when choosing it: powdered, for example, will not ferment at all. If you are not sure of the quality of a store-bought product, it is better to purchase regular cow's milk, raw.

Sourdough and bifidobacteria

To ferment milk, you definitely need a starter; dry versions can be bought at a regular pharmacy. The usefulness of yogurt lactic acid culture depends on the number of lacto- and bifidobacteria contained in it. The following types of powders can be found on sale:

1. Evitalia. Includes 4 billion bacteria, vitamins A, C, E, group B, microelements (magnesium, calcium, iron) and antioxidants. Treats dysbacteriosis, normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and has an anti-inflammatory effect.
2. Narine. Contains simple and acidophilic lactobacilli, which help strengthen the immune system and get rid of dysbacteriosis.
3. Bifidumbacterin is a powder consisting of many bifidobacteria. Helps restore intestinal microflora and has a beneficial effect on the entire body.
4. VIVO. Consists of lactic acid streptococci, 3 types of lactobacilli, Bulgarian and acidophilus bacilli. Helps eliminate digestive system disorders, eliminate gastrointestinal diseases, eliminate toxins, and accelerate metabolism. Yogurt prepared with VIVO starter perfectly satisfies the feeling of hunger.
5. Lactina. Includes Bulgarian bacillus, heat-labile streptococcus and yogurt lactobacilli. The finished product prepared with Lactina has a mild fermented milk taste.

In the store you can buy live starters made from whole cow's or sheep's milk and Bulgarian stick. Their shelf life is no more than 20 days, while dry ones are stored from a week (in the refrigerator) to 1.5 years (in the freezer). Live starters produce a drink with a thinner consistency and a sour taste, while dry starters produce a thick drink with a more delicate, pleasant taste. This determines the popularity of bacterial cultures - dry ones are used more often. If the shelf life of the starters is normal and storage conditions are observed, then both types will be beneficial to health.

Recipe

Boil a liter of raw milk. If you use plain cow's milk, let it settle first, then skim off the top fatty layer that will separate during this time, and only then boil the drink. It is also better to remove the foam - it contains fat, which will increase the calorie content of homemade fermented milk and will hinder weight loss. Next, cool the milk to 40 degrees - high temperatures will lead to the death of bacterial cultures. Porchdok works:

1. Dilute the starter according to the instructions, pour into the milk, stir.
2. Pre-pour boiling water over all tools and utensils to disinfect.
3. Pour the mixture into a thermos, wrap it and put it in a warm place for 8–12 hours.
4. Open the container, pour the drink into a glass container, and cool in the refrigerator.
5. The resulting product should have a thick consistency and a neutral odor.
6. You can use a yogurt maker to make homemade fermented milk.

Example of a fasting day

Low-fat yogurt will be a good product on which you can unload:

• For this you will need 1-2 liters. a drinkable dairy product that you need to drink throughout the day.
• Divide the volume into 6 equal portions.
• Don't forget to drink water.
• If you are very hungry, add fruit to your diet, for example a couple of apples.

One fasting day will help cleanse the body and relieve heaviness.

Low-fat diet yogurt is a product that you can eat, but you should not indulge in it often. After all, everything is good in moderation. Use it for variety in your diet or prepare delicious, and most importantly, low-calorie desserts using milk.

Which yogurt is the healthiest?

Only natural, fresh fermented milk products, stored under the right conditions, without thickeners, preservatives, or other harmful additives, will be beneficial to health and will not harm it. The main thing is not to consume products with a high percentage of fat, large amounts of carbohydrates and sweeteners if you are trying to lose weight. What is the difference between drinking, natural, fruit dietary and creamy yoghurts, and which one is better to use for the diet? These questions can be answered by studying each type in detail.

Drinking

There is no difference between drinking sour milk in a bottle and regular milk in a jar, except for consistency. The first is often used for snacks, making cocktails, smoothies, the second is more suitable for dressing fruit and vegetable salads, cereals and creating desserts. For those who use such products for weight loss, it is better to choose the second option, because in liquid form a person drinks 3 times more fermented milk than he eats from a jar.

As a result, the body will receive a much larger amount of calories, and the feeling of hunger will disappear for a short time. The body will perceive this snack as liquid and after a short period of time will require normal food, so it is better not to use drinking products for the diet. Such drinks are produced by the brands “Activia”, “Prostokvashino”, “Galicia”.

Diet yogurt with fruit additives

If your goal is to lose weight, then diet yogurt with fruit additives will not be suitable for this. The small percentage of fat content indicated on the package hides many simple carbohydrates. They are present in the form of starch and sugar, which certainly will not help you lose weight. Often such a product is packaged in small jars (80 g each), and the calorie content of the serving is low, but you will not get enough of it , and you will consume extra calories. Dietary sour milk with fruit additives is offered by Dolce.

Creamy

The process of preparing creamy sour milk involves adding cream to milk and sourdough. They give the drink a thicker consistency and a delicate taste. As a result, the fat content of the finished product is high and ranges from 4.5 to 7, and sometimes up to 10%, and its calorie content is about 250 kcal/100 g. It is better not to use such bio-yogurts for weight loss. They are produced by the Campina and Ehrmann brands.

Natural

The most suitable product for a yogurt diet is a natural one. It contains no unnecessary ingredients, thickeners, sweeteners or preservatives. It is better to prepare such a product yourself, since store-bought ones often contain various additives and extra calories. If you do not have this opportunity, carefully study the label - the amount of fat in the product should not exceed 2 g. Example - Greek yoghurts from the Ehrmann or Savushkin brands.

What to serve with

Yogurt goes well with a variety of foods, so it won't be difficult for you to come up with a new dessert.

However, give preference to low-calorie foods.

With bran

Bran is a dietary product that benefits the body. Thanks to dietary fiber, they cleanse the intestines of toxins and waste. By consuming bran with yogurt, you normalize digestion.

For a healthy drink, mix 0.5 l. low-fat yogurt with 3 tsp. bran.

Drink a low-fat shake during snacks between meals.

With buckwheat

Buckwheat contains fiber and dietary fiber, which help cleanse the intestines and improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Based on it, you can prepare a tasty and nutritious porridge that does not require cooking:

1. Take half a glass of buckwheat and pour 1-1.5 glasses of low-fat yogurt over it.
2. Leave the cereal overnight at room temperature.
3. During this time it will swell and become edible.

With oatmeal

Only oatmeal cooks faster than buckwheat:

1. Take the cereal and pour low-fat yogurt over it.
2. Choose proportions based on your own appetite. The main thing is that the cereal is completely covered with the dairy product.
3. Leave the mixture in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, after which the delicious porridge is ready.

With flax seeds

Flax contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for the human body. They regulate the functioning of the intestines and digestion, and also monitor the beauty of hair and nails.

Make a nutritious dessert using low-fat yogurt with 1 tsp. flax seeds, and you will feel favorable changes in your body.

With fruits and berries

A real dessert is made from low-fat yogurt with various toppings in the form of berries and fruits. Use whatever supplements you like.

Apples, kiwi and banana, strawberries and raspberries are perfect. Experiment and get new tastes!

With cottage cheese

Many people like to add sour cream to the cottage cheese to give it a softer consistency. But it is better to choose low-fat yogurt, as it has less fat content and will not harm your figure.

Just 2-3 tbsp. l. will make the cottage cheese tender and tasty.

With granola

Granola is a breakfast cereal made from nuts, oats and honey, baked until crisp. The dish is often used as muesli for weight loss.

If you choose a dressing, pay attention to light yogurt. It complements the ingredients perfectly.

Yogurt diet

For a yogurt diet, it is better to use a homemade drink or a store-bought one, but without additives, with a minimum amount of fat (natural). The daily dose of bio-yogurt is 500 ml, which should be divided into 4 doses. Recommendations:

• In addition to fermented milk, you are allowed to eat fruits rich in fiber (bananas, peaches, pears, apples), vegetables, dried fruits, boiled fish and meat.
• Add buckwheat, oatmeal, cottage cheese, and kefir to your diet.
• It is important not to forget about water balance (1.5-2 liters per day); in addition to still water, you can drink tea (black, green), fruit juices, preferably freshly squeezed.
• The duration of such a weight loss system should not exceed two weeks, since during this time there is a sharp decrease in daily caloric intake and the body experiences stress.
• In a week of a yogurt diet, you can actually lose an average of 5 kg of excess weight.

For 7 days

The great advantage of a weekly diet using bio-yogurt is its balanced, satisfying diet, delicious dishes, and a properly selected complex of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. An approximate menu for seven days could be like this:

Kefir-yogurt diet

In addition to the above, there are yoghurt-curd and yoghurt-kefir diets. The latter is recommended to be observed as a fasting day, since its diet consists only of fermented milk drinks, green tea and clean water. In one day of such weight loss you can get rid of 500-700 g of excess weight. A sample menu for the day might look like this:

Cocktail Fruttis

The cocktails are distinguished by bright, original packaging. They are sold in a 265 g plastic cup equipped with a folding straw.

Flavors

Cocktails are presented in only two flavors:

• feijoa
• mandarin

Despite the fact that these are monoflavors, judging by the reviews of the Fruttis yogurt cocktail, they are quite original.

Compound

The complete list of components of a feijoa-flavored cocktail looks like this:

• normalized milk
• whey powder
• water
• sugar
• glucose-fructose syrup
• filler (drinking water, concentrated feijoa juice, hydroxypropylated distarch phosphate thickener, carotene dyes and copper chlorophyll complexes, flavorings, acidity regulators citric acid and sodium citrates)
• thickeners hydroxypropylated distarch phosphate and pectins
• leaven

Fat content of the product is 2.5%, calorie content is 80.

Delicious and healthy dishes

A wide variety of dishes are prepared using yogurt, which are also allowed during weight loss. Let's look at the most interesting recipes.

Banana ice cream

To prepare the treat, take 100 g of natural yogurt, a pinch of ground cinnamon, several fruits and a sugar substitute. The fruits are cut into small pieces and placed in the freezer for several hours.

Then they are ground in a blender along with the fermented milk product. To improve the taste, you can add vanilla, nuts or peanut butter to the ice cream.

You may also be interested in: Is ice cream ok on a diet?

Salad

For the dish you will need the following ingredients: celery (3 stalks), green apple (3 pieces), cottage cheese (150 g), yogurt (200 g). Vegetables are cut into small pieces and seasoned with yogurt. Cottage cheese cut into cubes is placed on top of them.

Fruit smoothie

Ingredients: orange juice (100 ml), homemade yogurt (150 ml), milk powder (2 tbsp), honey (1 tbsp), vanilla extract (to taste). All ingredients are mixed in a blender until smooth and consumed immediately after preparation.

You may also be interested in: Is it possible to drink juices while dieting?

Main conclusions

Yogurt is possible with a diet and proper nutrition. It promotes weight loss by accelerating metabolism and normalizing digestive processes. However, only a product that does not contain thickeners and preservatives added to extend shelf life will be useful.

The optimal composition of a fermented milk product is sourdough and milk.

When correcting the figure, preference is given to natural yogurt prepared at home. To do this, you will need milk and starter culture, which can be purchased at the pharmacy. Recently, it can also be purchased in stores; such products are in no way inferior to pharmacy ones. During cooking, the ingredients are heated to a temperature of no more than 40 degrees, otherwise all the beneficial properties of yogurt will be lost.

Nutritionists consider fasting on yogurt one of the most gentle. However, they do not recommend resorting to a fermented milk diet for people suffering from diabetes, oncology and diseases associated with high stomach acidity. It is also not recommended to resort to such a diet for those who have inflammatory bowel diseases, especially in the acute phase.

Consumer Information

World of shopping - choose quality

The healthiest yogurt is a lactic acid product, which after fermentation should not be subjected to heat treatment and should contain lactic acid bacteria that live for almost 10 days at a temperature of 0 to +10 degrees.

We find shelves with yogurt in the supermarket and begin to study its label. We are primarily interested in the composition of the product. Most often you can see the following ingredients: milk in various forms (normalized, reconstituted or skim), dyes, sugar, flavorings, stabilizers, acidity regulators, fruit additives, etc. But is there any benefit to such a product? At best, this is an ordinary dessert drink and, as you understand, there is no benefit in it.

Real and healthy for our intestines is the so-called “live” yogurt, the one in which live bacteria are present. They are on the packages

World of shopping - choose quality

designated as “living” or “active” crops. Just don’t confuse the sign “live and active cultures” with the words “made from live lactobacilli,” this is how an unscrupulous manufacturer tries to deceive the buyer, and it has nothing in common with real yogurt.

Healthy and natural yogurt is a perishable product. The shelf life of such products is no more than 10 days. Some manufacturers, through heat treatment, which kills living bacteria, make thermalized yogurt products with an extended shelf life, reaching up to 3-4 months.

There are few true admirers of natural yogurt, since it contains no sugar at all. Most buyers prefer products with additives from berries or fruits, and to prevent these additives from fermenting, they are deprived of all vitamins by processing and become useless.

Remember that the most natural yogurt is the one that contains only two ingredients: pasteurized or skim milk and live cultures of lactic acid bacteria, but fruit yogurt is not a real product, as it is full of calories and contains sugar or its substitute.

World of shopping - choose quality

Often yogurt contains harmful and dangerous ingredients, so you should not buy products that contain ingredients called “Flavor identical to natural” - this is a purely chemical product.

Also, do not buy yoghurts based on vegetable oil, an analogue of margarine and guar gum, these are quite harmful ingredients for our health.

If possible, avoid products that contain pectin, sodium citrate and food gelatin; they do not add anything useful to the product.

The presence of starch in yogurt is a clear sign of counterfeit.

There is a simple way to check the naturalness of the product; to do this, take a couple of spoons of yogurt and put it in a cup, add a few drops of iodine. If blue spots appear, it means there is starch in the composition.

Remember that lactic acid bacteria do not affect the consistency of the drink in any way; it can be either thick or liquid.

“Craftsmen” have appeared who, under the guise of yogurt, are trying to sell customers a water drink with added dyes and flavors.

You can also tell the healthiest yogurt by its packaging. If the container is deformed and wrinkled, we can talk about a violation of the product’s seal, and this is already dangerous for your health. When purchasing, give preference to packaging with a plastic lid; these are not damaged during transportation.

It is very important for the buyer to remember that real and natural yogurt is labeled with the name “yogurt”, and when the manufacturer violates the production technology, he uses a trick and calls his products names like “yogurtovich” or “frogurtik”, etc. From this article you learned which yogurt is healthier, but whether to include it in your diet or not is up to everyone to decide for themselves.

From this article you learned which yogurt is healthier, but whether to include it in your diet or not is up to everyone to decide for themselves.

Remember. If you were sold a low-quality product and the store refuses to return your money, contact your local branch of Rospotrebnadzor of the Russian Federation.

World of shopping - choose quality

Anecdote on topic!!!

A man comes into the store. He stands at the counter and looks at something for a long time.

Then he asks the saleswoman:

– Tell me, what is this so beautiful thing you have here, with such a wonderful and cute label?

- This, man, is the healthiest yogurt.

- Aaaaah... Well then, please give me a bottle of vodka.

Happy and quality shopping!

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What are the benefits of yogurt

As we all know, this dairy product contains a large number of beneficial bacteria, which has a beneficial effect on the body. Now let's take a closer look at how this manifests itself.

Firstly, thanks to the presence of those very nutritious bacteria, yogurt is well absorbed by our body. Also, due to the presence of bacteria, B vitamins and vitamin A appear in yogurt. The former have a positive effect on the nervous system, improve brain activity, and vitamin A improves immunity, improves vision and the quality of the skin. Therefore, by consuming this dairy product regularly, you will always have a good mood, a beautiful appearance and will get sick less.

Do you have problems with bowel movements? Then, here too, such a fermented milk product will prove to be an indispensable assistant. With its help, normal microflora is formed in the intestines, unnecessary acidity is eliminated and digestion returns to normal. It also helps fight various stomach diseases, such as gastritis. And even people who are intolerant to milk protein can use it, since this element breaks down and is well absorbed.

It is also worth noting that our body, and in particular the intestines, accumulates toxic substances. This occurs due to the presence of putrefactive microorganisms. By constantly consuming yogurt, the vital activity of such microorganisms in the human intestine stops or is minimized. What helps to cleanse oneself from toxins and poisons will prolong one’s life and improve one’s health.