Activia Greek Yogurt

When I grocery shop, I don’t pay much attention to the stuff I don’t normally buy. I bring my list and make a beeline to my yogurt, ignoring everything else on the shelf. I do a lot of my shopping at Walmart (gag) so I’m usually in a rush to get in and out of there before I have a mental breakdown. So today when I went looking for Activia Greek, I for once, actually had to experience the enormity of the yogurt aisle.

There are so many horrible yogurts out there.

I’ve been trying to figure out how to let you guys down easy with this whole Activia thing, but I’m thinking of just going the tough love route and hoping you thank me for it later.

So here it is. The very first thing you should look at on any pre-packaged food is the ingredients…

This label is from the strawberry one. I would have reviewed the plain one, but Activia doesn’t offer a plain Greek yogurt. Hm.

First what I like about this yogurt:

Strawberries! (Actual strawberries!) Real is always better than artificial flavoring.

And now what I don’t like about it:

• This tiny container contains almost an entire day’s amount of sugar. The American Heart Association strictly recommends no more than 30 grams of sugar per day. If you’re watching your weight, keep it between 20 and 25. Activia Greek? 18 grams of sugar.

• Their patented Bifidus Regularis has of course never been proven to regulate your digestive system or improve digestive health. Yogurt in general contains probiotics that improve your digestive health. So there’s that.

• Lots of additives and preservatives. It’s a very “processed” version of Greek yogurt.

• And not to be too snooty, but it’s not organic (so that means preservatives, artificial additives, hormones and antibiotics given to the cows that produce the milk, etc etc.), and it doesn’t advertise that it’s non-GMO (companies are proud when they don’t use GMOs so they usually label accordingly), so I think it’s safe to say that genetically modified organisms (possibly from both the milk and the strawberries) are part of this yogurt.

I’m not a yogurt lover, and I’m sure this one is delicious, but there are so many other options out there that can offer you more than Activia Greek does. Eating this is like eating a spoonful of real Greek yogurt mixed into a snack pack pudding.

This is one of the best Greek yogurt out there:

It’s organic (so no GMOs, additives or synthetic preservatives here!) and ready for the ingredients?

CULTURED PASTEURIZED ORGANIC NONFAT MILK.

CULTURES: S. THERMOPHILUS, L. BULGARICUS, L. ACIDOPHILUS, BIFIDUS, AND L. CASEI.

The cultures are the probiotics, the natural bacteria that’s been proven (unlike Activia’s made-up one) to promote a healthy digestive system

Stonyfield also carries a chocolate version made with carob (a healthier alternative to cocoa powder) instead of chocolate. Keep in mind though, any time you get the flavored yogurts you’re asking for a ton of sugar.

A better idea would be to buy plain Greek yogurt and add your own fruit and some honey or Stevia to sweeten it. Even throw in a hand full of granola if you’re feelin’ saucy.

This next one is the same thing, but not organic.

I’m sure it’s probably cheaper, too. Dannon and Stonyfield are the same company, but Stonyfield does organic. I’ll continue to give good options in both organic and non-organic foods since I know not all of you are on the organic bandwagon. (…yet)

These aren’t the only two good Greek yogurts out there, so  as a RULE: check your ingredients. See if you can identify what’s in there. The ingredients shouldn’t be much more than milk. Check the sugar. Look for organic if you’re snooty like me. Compare labels.

It’s a war zone out there.