In the last month or so I’ve spoken to almost all of my clients about food and the dietary changes they’d need to make to reach their goals. Workouts and daily activity are crucial for cardiac, bone and muscle health, but if we’re talking just strictly about weight loss then we need to acknowledge that the foods we eat or don’t eat are going to have a much bigger impact on our results than just exercise alone.
Foods are made up of combinations of fats, carbohydrates and proteins and they are not all created equal. Yogurt is a staple of most diets and nutrition plans, but depending on the brand we are going to get varied calorie profiles that can hugely impact your day. Let’s take a look at 3 different brands:
The first one is a common ACTIVIA Vanilla ProBiotic yogurt. It is ‘healthy’, low in fat, has probiotics for the gut, and is an okay choice! For a single serving (170g) we are looking at 130 calories, with 2.5g fat, 22g carbs and 6g protein.
Next up we have my favourite SKYR Greek Yogurt. For a similar serving (175g) we are looking at 20 calories less, 0 fat, only 8g of carbs and almost 4x the protein at 21g. This means we are getting no fats, not too much sugar and about 10-20% of our required protein for the day in less than a cup of yogurt versus the ACTIVIA. I add in frozen raspberries for the sweetness and a scoop of chocolate protein powder isolate (25g of protein, no fats or carbs) to beef it up to 46g of protein (1/3 of my requirement for the day in 1 small snack).
A third option we have is a vegan dairy-alternative, Coconut Milk Yogurt. You can’t see the total calories but for a similar serving it’s 154 calories, double the fat of the ACTIVIA, slightly more sugar, and completely devoid of protein. While it is high in vitamin B12, calcium and magnesium this yogurt is mostly oil and sugar.
This is an example of how just a small change in the brand of yogurt you buy can make a big impact on your diet and nutrition without a big overhaul. My challenge to you this week is to look for small changes in your daily nutrition that you can implement THIS WEEK. Make it sustainable, quick and achievable.
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