3 Useful Yogurt Hacks for Feeding Your Family

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Two Good, Activita and Dannon. Although the thoughts and ideas contained in the post are my own, I was compensated by the sponsor for this post.

3 Useful Yogurt Hacks for Feeding Your Family

Are you into yogurt?! Yogurt is one of our family’s favorite foods...and here are 3 useful yogurt hacks that are making my life a LOT easier right now. It’s all about going back to basics, skimping on the sugar and helping support your gut health.

Back to Basics with Plain Nonfat Yogurt

Take a tour down the yogurt aisle at your local grocer, and I bet you’ll be blown away. There are so many yogurt options available today, it can be overwhelming to know which one to choose!

For most of my recipes I bypass the majority of options in the yogurt aisle and make a beeline for good old fashioned plain nonfat yogurt. And here’s why: plain nonfat yogurt provides high-quality protein and calcium...all important nutrients for growing children.

We have 7 young children at home, so for cost-containment I prefer to buy my plain nonfat yogurt in 32 oz quart containers. I use Dannon Plain Nonfat Yogurt, it works great as a snack on its own but I also incorporate it into recipes for meals.

One of our favorite family meals is chili mac: meat and bean chili served over whole wheat macaroni. I add a dollop of Dannon Plain Nonfat Yogurt or Dannon Plain Whole Milk Yogurt for the little ones to the top - it’s a great way to cool down the hot food for kids while adding some more nutrition to their dish.

My kids are all age 2-5, so nonfat dairy products are appropriate for their age range. But if you’re feeding babies and children age 2 and under, stick to whole milk products like Dannon Plain Whole Milk Yogurt. Babies need that extra fat for their brain development and because the Dannon plain yogurt has no added sugar, it’s an ideal first food for babies too.

Skimping on the Sugar

As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and a big fan of yogurt, one of my biggest pet peeves is the amount of added sugar found in so many yogurt products.

Now we all know the main ingredient in yogurt is milk and milk does contain naturally occurring sugar called lactose.

Two Good Greek Lowfat Yogurt is unique in that the yogurt making process removes some of the sugar from the milk…but still leave all of the creamy, delicious goodness you expect from high quality yogurt!

What you’re left with when you eat Two Good lowfat yogurt is a breakthrough lower sugar option with 80% less sugar than the average Greek yogurt (1).

There is 0g added sugar (2) in Two Good, and it’s slow-strained down to 2 grams of total sugar per serving. Each 5.3 oz serving contains 3 grams of total carbohydrates, 12 grams of protein, and 2 grams of total sugar…and I have tried all 10 flavors and can personally attest to its delicious taste and creamy texture!

(1) Two Good: 2g total sugar per 5.3oz. Average Greek yogurt: 11g sugar per 5.3oz.

(2) Not a low calorie food.

Supporting Your Gut Health (3)

It’s always a good time to check in on gut health, with a friendly reminder that probiotic yogurt can help support your gut health (3).

One of the brands I’ve used for years is Activia and I love their newest offering, Activitia Less Sugar & More Good probiotic yogurt products. Activia is the probiotic pioneer, backed by more than 20 years of research and gives you billions of live & active probiotics.

Recently I’ve been drinking Activia Probiotic Dailies, a lowfat yogurt drink packed with Activia’s billions of live & active probiotics to help support gut health (4). These yogurt drinks come in 4 flavors and they make it so easy to support gut health (4) as part of your self-care journey.

In fact, Activia products may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive discomfort when consumed twice a day for two weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Minor digestive discomfort includes bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort and rumbling.

So whether you’re looking to add a little extra nutrition to your meals, satisfy your snack craving with a lower sugar option or help support your gut health (4), yogurt is a great addition to your diet!

Special thanks to Danone North AmericaTwo Good, Activia and Dannon for sponsoring this blog post. For more information visit Two Good , DANNON , and ACTIVIA website.

(3) At least 40% less sugar than regular Activia Greek nonfat yogurt. Activia Less Sugar, More Good: 9g total sugar; Activia Greek: 16-21g sugar (varies by flavor) per 5.3 oz

(4) Activia may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive discomfort. Consume twice a day for two weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Minor digestive discomfort includes bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort and rumbling.