What's in your yogurt?

  When you grab a yogurt from the fridge you probably feel like you're grabbing a healthy snack, right? You're on the right track but if you're grabbing any fruit on bottom/ flavored yogurt you are not snacking as smart as you'd like to think. Although these grab and go yogurts seem like a good choice they contain a shit load (crap ton if you use the metric system) of added sugar! But not to worry, not to worry, there is a simple, tasty, low cost way of fixing this very detrimental problem.
  Yoplait boasts that you could lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks by following their 2 Week Tune Up "nutrition plan" and with total retail sales in 2010 at approximately $65 Billion, it is safe to say we're buying it.

I think Richard Simmons says it best, "Please, PLEASE don't...You need to EXERCISE!!"

  Let's look at a Yoplait Light Blueberry, 6oz serving:
100 cal, 0g fat, <5mg cholesterol, 85mg sodium, 250mg potassium, 19g carbohydrates, 14g sugar, 5g protein. Ingredients include high fructose corn syrup and aspartame, no wonder the sugar is almost double the amount plain yogurt has. And if you happen to grab any of the Orginal flavors, you're looking at an astounding 26g of sugar . The American Heart Association suggests women should consume no more than 25g of sugar per day and men, no more than 37.5g. So be careful when you go to grab a flavored yogurt, just one could put you over your daily allowance! These are the adult versions of yogurt, children's flavors are even worse, Go-Gurt has 10g sugar per 2.25oz!! But that is a whole other monster I'll rant another time...
 
  There is a way to have yogurt and eat it too, greek yogurt! I mean plain fat free greek yogurt, not that fruit on bottom crap that yoplait makes with 20g of sugar per 6oz serving. The most cost efficient way to buy it is in the large tub and it is perfect to scoop out over berries. I'm not gonna lie, it does get a little boring over time but I've found healthier way to enjoy flavored yogurt; make it yourself! It's simple, healthy, delicious and has a lot less sugar!

Blueberry Vanilla Greek Yogurt

1 (32oz) container PLAIN Greek Yogurt

1 cup blueberries

2 tsp Real vanilla extract

Run the blueberries thru a food processor, 

add 1/2c. yogurt, pulse 3-4 times, 

mix well with remaining tub of yogurt, that's it! 

Per 6 oz serving: 103 cal, 0 fat, 11mg cholesterol, 60mg sod, 180mg pot, 10g carbs, 9g sugar, 16.5g protein

Blueberries and vanilla are known to be very high in antioxidants and have an impressive array of health benefits from neutralizing free radicals to preserving your peepers. Greek yogurt makes Yoplait look like the red-headed  step child, with double the protein and half the sugar and carbohydrates.

BOOM! Restored health to your yogurt!