By Irene Hayton

On the Eating Alive Program we recommend that you choose plain yogurt over the flavoured ones that are so popular on TV and in print ads right now. Flavoured yogurts are touted to be so healthy because of the beneficial bacteria that they contain. However, the fact that they also contain sugar defeats the benefits of the healthy bacteria because the sugar actually feeds any intestinal yeast that you may have and the yeast competes with the good bacteria.

If you don’t like plain yogurt because of its taste, then you’re in for a treat if you try Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is thicker and creamier than regular yogurt because it is strained three times instead of two. Greek yogurt also contains more protein, fewer carbohydrates, and less sodium than its regular counterpart. The only drawback is that it also contains less calcium.

Greek yogurt is also better to use in cooking because it doesn’t curdle when heated. And because it’s so thick, it’s great to use in dips and sauces. See this month’s recipe for Onion, Mushroom, and Spinach Sauce. Or use it in place of regular yogurt when making Tzatziki and other dips.

If you prefer a sweeter taste when eating plain yogurt, add a small amount of natural sweetener such as honey, pure vanilla extract, or cinnamon. Or stir in some chopped fruit. I like to add frozen raspberries to plain Greek yogurt and eat it once the berries have thawed. I find that it doesn’t need any added sweetener.