This may sound like a silly question but when I went to the grocery store last week I was dumbfounded as to what brand yogurt to buy that is legal on Phase 1 or Phase 2. THere were so many but all had sugar in it. We start Phase 2 Monday and DH would like taking yogurt with him to work. TIA
If you check the nutritional listing, ALL yoghurt will have sugar. It's actually lactose which is OK.
Check out the INGREDIENTS which should not show sugar, corn syrup, cane syrup or other sucrose sugars.
I can't help you with the brands because they are probably different but, here in Canada, Silhouette, Astro and Danone all make low fat and sugar-free yoghurts.
Vicki -try making your own yogurt. It's really tasty..you can make it as low fat as you want and flavor however you like and it's cheaper.
I would be happy to tell you an easy way if you wanna try..takes about 4 hours of you being home time though.
Chari
In phase 1, I eat Dannon plain fat free yogurt and then I add Splenda and cinnamon. In phase 2 you can add flavored yogurts so I eat Blue Bunny Light or Kroger Lite. Those brands seemed the best from the ones my stores sold.
The guidelines that the others have given should help.
Vking, I found that though you can have several kinds of yogurt in Phase 2, most had a list of really strange ingredients, including gelatin! (You can try Carb Control, any made with nutrasweet instead of sugar...Blue Bunny does make a really good one) Anyways, I decided to eat Stonybridge Farms Organic Plain yogurt, either lowfat or fat free. In Phase 1, I add SF syrups to flavor it and top it with ground flaxseed. In Phase 2, I add a dollop (like 2 tsp) of SF jam and mix that up with a packet of splenda in a cup of plain yogurt. Then I put 2 Tbsp of wheat germ on top. My nutritionist said the wheat germ would give me some mineral or something that I needed and would help with weight loss...I think it just tastes yummy!
Vicki - here's my recipe for homemade yogurt and I will pm you the link I learned from after much research on the net...cuz I can't post a link here, I don't believe.
I make yogurt in the crockpot, there are many other was , but have found this to be easy. I bought a rival crockpot with removable crock and high/low/warm setting...whatever you have will work but this is best.
You must have a thermometer!
Ingredients Needed:
Milk: Any type of milk will work for making yogurt. Whole, low-fat, skim, evaporated, raw milk, pasteurized, sheep or goat's milk, or powdered milk. Each type will vary the taste of the yogurt somewhat. You can mix milk too. By adding cream, half-and-half, or evaporated milk to powdered milk, for example, you can produce a thicker, creamier texture and richer flavor. Many recipes request additional powdered milk per quart of any type milk used just to give the yogurt better texture. Whatever type of milk is used, I find the yogurt texture is better if it is scalded first to 180 F.
The Basics
For your first attempt, enjoy this basic recipe. Remember, you can substitute any type of milk as desired. This recipe yields about 1 quart of yogurt.
4 cups low-fat or skim milk
1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk (or 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon non-instant)
3 tablespoons plain yogurt, room temperature (I use Stoneyfields organic yogurt) I buy the whole milk yogurt and scrape the cream off the top.
I also add 1 package knox to make it thicker 20 calories in the whole package, you can leave this out.
I also add some splenda.
Scald the milk. Pour 4 cups milk into saucepan (spray the bottom with non-stick cooking spray to prevent milk from scorching). Attach thermometer. Heat milk to 180-200 degrees F. or until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Stir often to further prevent scorching.
Cool the milk. Remove scalded milk from heat. Stir in the powdered milk. (this is where I stir in splenda and gelatin also) Let cool to 105-110 degrees F. To speed up the cooling process, you may transfer the milk to a chilled jar or bowl and refrigerate for several minutes. Remove film from top and discard.( I put it in the sink with cool water)
Stick your thermometer in and watch it when it gets close to 120f or so pour it in the crockpot.
I strain it into crockpot in case some of powdered milk does not dissolve.
When temp reaches close to 110f add starter, too high temp will kill it (115f)
to low it will die (98f)
Add the starter. Place the plain yogurt in a small bowl and stir until creamy. Add 1/3 cup warm milk(from crockpot), and mix until smooth. Stir starter mixture into remaining milk. Mix well.
Cover. Incubate 3-5(almost always only takes 3 hours for me) hours at a constant temperature of 110-degrees F(This is the most important step, not below 98f and not above115f). Do not shake or disturb during incubation. After 3 hours, check to see if yogurt is set by gently tilting the container. If yogurt is set and firm, pour into containers and place them in refrigerator and chill for 6 hours before serving.
To keep temp right when it falls to 108f or so turn crockpot to warm, when temp reaches 112f or so turn crockpot off. Repeat...
Great Expectations
Finished yogurt should be rich and custardy with a creamy texture and slightly tart flavor; though, homemade yogurt is typically sweeter than its commercial counterparts. If you desire a thicker yogurt, try this trick. Place several layers of clean, white paper towels atop chilled yogurt. The paper towels will absorb the whey that separates from the yogurt (this is a natural occurrence). However, whey is nutritious, high in vitamin B12 and minerals. Stir it back into the yogurt or drain it off for use in bread making or in other recipes calling for water.
I pour it off for thicker yogurt.
I make fruit compote to add to plain yogurt.
Sounds hard but not once you get the hang of it!
So you can make it as lowfat as you want it to be.
Let me know how it goes!
Chari
Thanks Chari. I will wait til after the holidays as I need a thermometer and right now am strapped for money. It sure does seem like alot of work but I guess I will see. Thanks again.
You are welcome Vicki- I know it does seem like alot of work but really it's not.
I did hear of someone doing the whole process in the crockpot. Scolding the milk , cooling and incubating, would take a very long time though.
The hardest part is making sure temp stays right. I did have thermometer with an alarm...that was great..when temp reached 112 it went off.
It's broke , now I have a pyrex digital...works fine. It was 10 bucks at walmart.
I would be happy to hear how it goes!
I check in here often.
Good luck!
Chari
What brand of Yogurt??
(You can try Carb Control, any made with nutrasweet instead of sugar...Blue Bunny does make a really good one) Anyways, I decided to eat Stonybridge Farms Organic Plain yogurt, either lowfat or fat free. In Phase 1, I add SF syrups to flavor it and top it with ground flaxseed. In Phase 2, I add a dollop (like 2 tsp) of SF jam and mix that up with a packet of splenda in a cup of plain yogurt. Then I put 2 Tbsp of wheat germ on top. My nutritionist said the wheat germ would give me some mineral or something that I needed and would help with weight loss...I think it just tastes yummy! 
