chobani

Greek yogurt has become increasingly popular in the fitness and healthy living communities, Chobani especially.  I was recently contacted by the company to review some of their products because of their Canadian launch and I was certainly eager to learn more.

The first question out of my mouth was “does this dairy come from factory-farmed cows?”  I was assured by Chobani’s PR company that the dairy used in their Greek yogurt come from free-range cows  from carefully selected dairy co-ops and while they are not certified organic, the dairy does not come from factory-farmed animals.  Alright, bring on the samples! 

I tried pomegranate and a friend had black cherry.  It was thick and delicious without being overly sweet.  I really enjoyed the taste and the serving size was just enough (comes in individual 6 oz cups and larger containers.)

So what’s the deal with Greek yogurt anyway?

In Greece and the surrounding Mediterranean countries, Greek yogurt is not called Greek yogurt but strained yogurt.  It was brought to North American by a Greek company and voila, Greek yogurt.

It is made by extensive straining removing most of the liquid whey, lactose and sugar giving it its thick consistency.  This process also cuts the amount of sugar while increasing the amount of protein.  Pretty fantastic.

Here’s the catch.  North American society has a fear of fat.  We think fat makes us fat.  Which is not true but we’re scared if we consume fat we’ll gain weight.  So what do we do?  We remove the fat from our foods.  And because we remove fat, we need to add sugar for flavour.  So it is important to read labels to learn how much sugar you are consuming.  Chobani sweetens their yogurts with evaporated cane sugar which is less processed than refined white sugar, however it is still an added sugar.  If I were to purchase this again, I would probably opt for the full-fat plain yogurt to reduce the sugar.

Chobani’s PR company also confirmed that “natural flavours” is their technical term for the essences and concentrates that are separated from the real fruit during preparation.

Visit Chobani’s website for information on where to purchase their products.

References
1. Prasso, Sheridan.  “Chobani: The unlikely king of yogurt.”  CNNMoney. 30 Nov 11. 6 Jan 12. <http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/29/smallbusiness/chobani_yogurt_hamdi_ulukaya.fortune/index.htm>
2. Haupt, Angela and Kurtis Hiatt.  “Greek yogurt vs regular yogurt: which is more healthful?”  U.S. News Health.  30 Sep 11. 6 Jan 11. <http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/diet/articles/2011/09/30/greek-yogurt-vs-regular-yogurt-which-is-more-healthful?PageNr=1>