You sit down at your desk, grab a yogurt container from your lunchbox, carefully pull back the foil lid, and see a familiar sight. A thin layer of clear liquid is sitting on top of the creamy goodness below. You have two options here: pour it out or mix it in. So what do you do?
Although it may gross you out, what you should do is grab that spoon and stir it all together, and here's why. That liquid is known as whey [1] (yes, like Little Miss Muffet's curds and whey). Although it consists mainly of water, whey also contains a little bit of protein, potassium, and calcium. Stirring in the whey not only adds nutrition to your yogurt but also offers a creamier consistency.
If you don't like seeing the whey separated at the top, try this instead. Before pulling off the lid, shake the container, like you do with orange juice. Then when you open it, the whey and yogurt will already be mixed up for you. This is also a good trick if you prefer yogurt with fruit on the bottom. Then just scrape the lid on the edge of the container to avoid wasting any yogurt.