FitSugar

Food Review: Yo-Plus Digestive Health by Yoplait

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:00:00 -0700

I love yogurt and am fascinated by functional foods. Now I know probiotics might be trendy, but this healthy bacteria seems to benefit many people with digestive issues.

I was curious to try Yo-Plus by Yoplait ($3.50 / 4 pack). No only does it contain Yoplait's Optibalance bacteria mixture, this yogurt has added fiber in the form of inulin as well as vitamins A and D. Yoplait claims that the added fiber helps keep the good bacteria happy, and don't we all really want plentiful and happy bacteria living in our guts.

To see how this yogurt tastes and how it compares with Acitiva by Dannon, just read more.

Yogurt 4 oz.	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Cholesterol (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)	Calcium %	Fiber (g)
Dannon Activia	110	2	5	17	4	15	0
Yoplait Yo-Plus	110	1.5	10	16	4	15	3

Since I have a healthy fear of sweets, I was delighted that this vanilla yogurt didn't overwhelm my palate with sweetness. The texture was fine, too, nice and smooth even with the added fiber. I don't really suffer from excessive bloating or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), so I cannot speak to the health claims of "natural regulation." I do appreciate getting three grams of extra fiber in my diet, but am used to yogurt being made with milk and active cultures, aka bacteria. This yogurt contains among other ingredients: modified corn starch, whey protein concentrate, kosher gelatin, and tricalcium phosphate. Not that these ingredients are necessarily bad, but I think of yogurt as a simple, unprocessed food. But I guess to make a food multitask on such a high level you have to add a few things.

If you have the time, you can print a coupon to save $1 when you buy a four pack of the Yo-Plus. You have to load the "coupon printer" in order to print. If you use a Mac, I found it easier to print when using Safari as my browser.

Yogurt Breakdown

FitSugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:30:00 -0700

Yogurt is so healthy for us. It's a great source of calcium, protein, vitamin D, and live cultures that help with digestion. It's also good for your mouth, has been shown to lower BMI, and can help with bad breath. Not only that, but yogurt contains tyrosine, an amino acid that converts into the feel-good chemicals dopamine and adrenalin, which clear your mind when you're stressed, and can give you an energy boost. Who knew yogurt could be this beneficial?

There are so many different brands and kinds of yogurt out there. Want to see how they all compare? Then read more

Here's the nutritional info for one 6 ounce cup of strawberry yogurt unless otherwise specified. It's interesting to see that some yogurts are healthier than others.

Yogurt	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Cholesterol (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)	Not-So Healthy Ingredients You Should Know About
Breyer's Light (8 oz)	110	1.5	5	10	8	Gelatin, aspartame, red 40, blue 1
Breyer's Creme Savers (8 oz)	240	3.5	15	36	7	Dried corn syrup, artificial cream flavor, gelatin, artificial color, red 40, blue 1
Breyer's Smart!	170	1.5	10	28	6	-
Brown Cow No Fat	130	0	0	24	7	-
Brown Cow Low Fat	150	2	5	25	6	-
Brown Cow Cream Top	180	6	20	27	5	-
Cabot Nonfat	130	0	5	19	8	-
Colombo Light (8 oz)	120	0	less than 5	15	7	Aspartame, high fructose corn syrup
Colombo Classic (8 oz)	230	2	15	42	7	high fructose corn syrup
Dannon All Natural (Vanilla)	150	2.5	10	25	7	-
Dannon Fruit on the Bottom	150	1.5	5	26	6	Fructose syrup, high fructose corn syrup
Dannon la Crème (4 oz)	140	5	15	18	5	Fructose syrup
Dannon Activia (4 oz)	110	2	5	17	4	Fructose syrup
Fage Total Classic (7 oz)	260	20	35	6	12	-
Horizon Organic Fat Free	180	0	5	33	9	-
Horizon Organic Lowfat	150	1.5	10	27	7	-
Liberte	160	4		12	12	-
Silk Soy	160	2		22	4	-
Stonyfield Farms Fat Free	140	0	0	26	7	-
Stonyfield Farms Low fat	130	1.5	5	22	6	-
Stonyfield Farms Whole Milk	190	6	25	24	6	-
Stonyfield Farms Oikos (Vanilla, 5.3 oz)	110	0	0	11	15	-
Stonyfield Farms O 'Soy	150	2	0	21	7	-
Wallaby Organic Nonfat	140	0	10	20	7	-
Wallaby Organic Lowfat	150	2.5	15	21	7	-
Whole Soy & Co.	160	3	0	21	6	-
Woodstock Water Buffalo Milk	174	9	22	19	5	-
Yoplait Light	100	0	less than 5	14	5	Aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, red #40
Yoplait Original	170	1.5	10	27	5	high fructose corn syrup
Yoplait Whips (4 oz)	140	2.5	10	21	5	high fructose corn syrup
Yoplait Thick & Creamy Custard Style (vanilla)	190	3.5	less than 5	28	7	high fructose corn syrup

Yoplait Lids for Lives Campaign: Cool or Not?

FitSugar — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 03:00:00 -0700

I am all for retail philanthropy. I buy (and giveaway) pink ribbon products with a portion of the proceeds going to breast cancer research and support. Truth is, that some purchases don't really add up to much of a donation for your breast cancer organization of choice; it just seems like you should give money directly to the source.

The Yoplait Lids for Lives campaign definitely has its heart in the right place, but it seems a little more like a marketing tool than a fund raising project. All you have to do is eat Yoplait yogurt with a pink lid and save the lid. Wash the lid and flatten it. Put it in an envelope. Mail the lid or lids to El Paso, Texas. Then Yoplait will donate 10 cents for every lid you send in to the Susan G. Komen for a Cure foundation.

I don't know about you, but I think I would like to just send the Susan G. Komen for a Cure a check directly. I guess if you already eat a lot of pink capped Yoplait yogurt this program makes sense.

What do you think:

Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:00:51 -0700

Enjoy the last of Summer corn with a healthy souffle - Shape
Keep the hotness going with the short shorts workout - Vital Juice
Weight loss helps a British woman discover her breast lump - That's Fit
Soothing a sweet tooth with Yoplait Delights Parfait - Daily Spark
What's your biggest post-workout beauty pet peeve? - Fit Bottomed Girls
Would you delete Facebook photos after losing lots of weight? - Shape Up
Jordin Sparks grabs a racket at Arthur Ashe Kids Day - Fit Celeb
How do you kick a candy habit? - Healthy Bites

Yogurt Breakdown

FitSugar — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 11:30:00 -0800

Recently I did a post on Stonyfield Farms 2-a-Day yogurt. And scratch5 made a comment that sparked a question in my mind - How do all the yogurt brands compare?

Keep in mind that some yogurts contain modified food starch, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and other not so healthy ingredients, so check the label.

Here are some popular brands of yogurt, with their calories, total fat, sugars, and protein. I compared them all in Strawberry flavor, but realized that not all yogurt comes in 6 oz containers (I specified if they didn't):

Breyer's Light (8 oz): 110 cals, 1.5g fat, 10g sugar, 8g protein
Breyer's Creme Savers (8 oz): 240 cals, 3.5g fat, 36g sugar, 7g protein
Breyer's Fruit on the Bottom (8 oz): 240 cals, 2g fat, 39g sugar, 8g protein
Brown Cow No Fat: 130 cals, 0g fat, 24g sugar, 7g protein
Brown Cow Lowfat: 150 cals, 2g fat, 25g sugar, 6g protein
Brown Cow Cream Top: 180 cals, 6g fat, 27g sugar, 5g protein
Cabot Nonfat: 130 cals, 0g fat, 19g sugar, 8g protein
Colombo Light (8 oz): 120 cals, 0g fat, 15g sugar, 7g protein
Colombo Classic (8 oz): 230 cals, 2g fat, 42g sugar, 7g protein
Dannon All Natural (3.3 oz): 110 cals, 1g fat, 19g sugar, 5g protein
Dannon Fruit Blends: 170 cals, 1.5g fat, 30g sugar, 6g protein
Dannon La Creme (4 oz): 140 cals, 5g fat, 18g sugar, 5g protein
Fage Total Classic (7 oz): 260 cals, 20g fat, 6g sugar, 12g protein

Want to see the rest? Then read more

Horizon Organic Fat Free: 140 cals, 0g fat, 27g sugar, 7g protein
Horizon Organic Lowfat: 170 cals, 2g fat, 30g sugar, 7g protein
Liberte: 160 cals, 4g fat, 12g sugar, 12g protein
Silk Soy: 160 cals, 2g fat, 22g sugar, 4g protein
Stonyfield Farms Fat Free: 140 cals, 0g fat, 26g sugar, 7g protein
Stonyfield Farms Low fat: 130 cals, 1.5g fat, 22g sugar, 6g protein
Stonyfield Farms Whole Milk: 190 cals, 6g fat, 24g sugar, 6g protein
Wallaby Organic Nonfat: 140 cals, 0g fat, 20g sugar, 7g protein
Wallaby Organic Lowfat: 150 cals, 2.5g fat, 21g sugar, 7g protein
Whole Soy & Co.: 160 cals, 3g fat, 21g sugar, 6g protein
Woodstock Water Buffalo Milk: 174 cals, 9g fat, 19g sugar, 5g protein
Yoplait Light: 100 cals, 0g fat, 14g sugar, 5g protein
Yoplait Original: 170 cals, 1.5g fat, 27g sugar, 5g protein
Yoplait Whips (4 oz): 140 cals, 2.5g fat, 21g sugar, 5g protein
Yoplait Thick & Creamy Custard Style: 190 cals, 3.5g fat, 28g sugar, 7g protein

Ya-Ya For Yogurt

FitSugar — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:00:00 -0700

Yogurt, be it peach flavored or plain, be it the thick Greek style or the thin European style, is one of my favorite foods. This simple food offers so many health benefits that it is easy to see why I am ya-ya for yogurt. I have tried many types of yogurt and reviewed a few. I have also compared popular brands side by side. So if you need a little refresher course in yogurt, check out the posts below.

Strengthens Immune System	Good for Your Tummy	Creates Calm Energy
Review: Yo-Plus Digestive Health by Yoplait	Nutritional Comparison of Popular Brands	Review: Fiber One Creamy Nonfat Yogurt

A Week in Review: FitSugar Roundup

FitSugar — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 04:00:00 -0700

In case you've missed it, here is what we've been talking about.

Help me, help you. Pretty please take my survey.

America Ferrera said she's the curvy one, not Jessica Alba.

Speaking of healthy celebs, Matthew McConaughey is fit on land and water.

Just one minute to a healthier you.

Why don't you run a marathon, in segments?

Need motivation? Photograph your progress.

I'm curious, do you think The Biggest Loser is motivating or depressing? And also, what do you think about Yoplait's Lids for Lives campaign?

Try this fun yoga pose that also works your core and back: Balancing Lotus. If you like yoga, then check out my video to learn how to get into Scorpion pose from Forearm Stand using an exercise ball.

What is Melatonin anyway?

And what's the difference between a strain and a sprain?

It's time to stop using the excuse, "I'm too tired."

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is coming to an end, but you can still take my quiz on prevention and treatment.

Halloween is coming, scary I know. Check out my Halloween survival tips.