Sugars in yoghurt

@ellerbracke

The only yogurts without added surgery are the plain ones , like you mentioned. I happen to like Stoneyfield plain Greek yogurt and use it in place of sour cream on occasion. Used to eat it with fruit for breakfast but not so much anymore. People are fooled by yogurts and I don’t think too many read labels. I also buy less gluten free products than I did because so many include sugar. I try to stay away from wheat products. I’m a big label reader and have dumped a lot of products I used to buy over the years.

I have my one piece of dark chocolate at night and don’t keep sweet things in the house. I do make paleo banana muffins and they include about 1/4 cup of maple syrup or honey. Great for breakfast. Read the catsup labels....sugar or added fructose...although I did find one without sugar. It’s maddening but I think people are becoming more aware of the added ingredients like sugar and stabilizers and unpronounceable things. There are more and more items in the supermarket though, that are either organic or labeled natural, whatever that means.

If we don’t buy that junk, they won’t make it. Unfortunately I don’t see the obesity epidemic slowing down in this country. I realize a lot of bad food choices are due to economics. I was in the Dollar General Market store yesterday picking up paper products and saw so many older people my age grabbing the $1 frozen meal sale....looked at the back of one....omg...is it even food? People do their major food shopping there.

Eating healthy is not cheap . We have too many options and eat too much so it’s better to spend the bucks on the best fuel for your body and have less.
It’s a matter of thinking for yourself and not giving in to family or friends pressure and their lifestyles. Be a role model.

I got off the track but I am passionate about food and sugar ages you anyway. It’s easy to get away from sugar once you start to appreciate what good food tastes like and notice the difference in how you feel. Seventy percent of our medical problems start on the gut.

FL Mary

@imallears : you’re a kindred spirit. Would it please you to hear that I’m still harvesting fresh radishes, baby kale, fresh dill and chives from my vegetable patch, in spite of 2 low-20 degree nights recently? I covered stuff up, and got rewarded. Fall crop of sugar snap peas is 15” high, hoping it will have time to bear before the real cold blasts start. So my garden gives me healthy food, as well as decent outdoor exercise. 2 for 1!

@ellerbracke
That’s awesome! We had a garden in Long Island. Trying to sustain one here in FL is nuts. I wish I could snap up some of those peas. Right from the garden to your tummy...can’t get any better.

FL Mary

Great responses. Here’s mine...
I’ve tried to eat healthier by cutting out wheat, sugar and red meat. Found out that it’s much cheaper too. I buy fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. Use mainly dry legumes and sometimes tofu and fish. Started baking with overripe bananas for sweetener and substituted chickpea flour for wheat in all cooking and baking- much success. I find nuts are expensive but I do indulge for nutritional reasons. Water is my favourite beverage with one coffee every morning.
Will share tried and true recipes for anyone interested.

Trying to garden in South Texas is crazy too - so we rely on the Farmers' Markets. There are agricultural areas near us, and the produce that is not "standard" enough for the packers to ship across the country is picked up each day by produce stand holders and sold cheaply at market.
That often means we get giant stalks of celery or broccoli & huge heads of cauliflower & cabbage for $1-2. Plus sweet mangoes, tomatoes, greens, onions, peppers, carrots... The nearest butcher caters to our low-income, large family neighborhood (most of our county) so we buy bulk chicken, pork & beef. We split with our neighbors and eat like royalty for about $10/person per week. Oh, and don't forget fresh tortillas - nothing like the grocery store sells. My mouth is watering!
My friend calculated her solo grocery bill last winter was $150/month including food for her small dog. We spend that much in a week at home for 2 of us - without a dog.
Sue

Stoneyfield yoghurt (plain) is the foundation for my morning smoothie habit. I'm trying to improve diet by adding lots of fresh produce but consider the morning smoothie [with mango chunks, protein powder, a pinch of cinnamon, crushed flax and some almonds] as kind of 'a daily deposit in the health account' in case the rest of the day's eating is not as nutritious or disciplined.

My question is does anyone make yoghurt at home and does it really taste a lot better than the commercial stuff as I've read?

@callalloo

I also use Stonyfield Organic Greek Yogurt plain …top it with any organic fruit and a sprinkle of a no grain cereal that I get a Costco. I tasted homemade yogurt once…very strong taste and would take getting use to. It might be what yogurt is suppose to taste like but I prefer a milder taste. I also use the stonyfield in place of sour cream.
Frankly, although I try to make most of my food from scratch and processed as little as possible, I wouldn’t go through the process of making yogurt at home. I don’t use it every day. By the way, there are no added sugars to this plain yogurt but the label says 5 grams of naturally occurring sugar …which is just over a teaspoon….in the 30 ounce container.

FL Mary

I love homemade yogurt, but not well enough to go through the process of making it. I would rather spend my time elsewhere. Unsweetened yogurt from the store is comparable in nutrition, so I don't feel like I am missing anything.
Just my opinion.
Sue

It only takes me around 5 to 10 minutes of work to make the yogurt after watching how @LeeAase makes his yogurt -- https://www.social-media-university-global.org/2020/05/best-yogurt-ever/. It did take me multiple trys before I got the cook time down with the inexpensive yogurt machine (108 degrees for 14 hours). Basically I grind up 4 BioGaia tablets (Lactobacillis reuteri bacteria) and a spoon of the previous batch of yogurt. Mixing it with a little bit of heavy cream. Then I pour in a quart of organic half & half and a little extra heavy cream to top it off. Stir it a few minutes and pour it into 8 small yogurt glasses with lids to go into the yogurt machine.

It's a thicker yogurt but my wife likes it with fresh blueberries or raspberries.

@johnbishop More power to you .I buy Greek yogurt at store