Beyond being healthy, eating yoghurt can be a great snack for weight loss because of its protein con tent. It helps keep you full so you’re not starved an hour after you eat.
However, there are a few common yoghurt mistakes that can turn this weight-loss weapon into a secret calorie bomb.
Here are the habits to avoid, so you can reap its full health benefits:
1. Focusing on calories
Calorie counting can be helpful when you are trying to control your food intake, but it may be misleading when it comes to having packaged yogurt, which claims to be low in calories. Rather than looking at how many calories a tetra-pack contains, make sure you check the protein level, too. A yoghurt packet may claim it has 100 calories but only six grams of protein. In that case, you would probably be better off choosing one that has more calories but 12 to 15 grams of protein so it’s easier to stay full until your next meal.
2. Not measuring portions
Eating off a big container may lead you to over-serve yourself. Don’t just figure portion sizes with your eyes -actually measure them (like you would do, if you were eating ice cream) to make sure you are not going overboard. Most single-serve containers measure six large tablespoons, so stick to a small bowl.
3. Adding too many extras
Buying plain yoghurt and adding your own extras is a great idea in theory, but this could also mean that you are sabotaging your healthy-eating efforts. People add honey to sweeten, cereal for some crunch, and nuts and fruit for flavour. All of these things can be great additions, but come with a disclaimer. Fruit and dairy can cause acidity. With nuts (since they are rich in proteins), it is very easy to turn that bowl of yogurt from a snack into a meal without realising. First, decide if you’re having yoghurt as an in-between snack or as a full-on breakfast. If it’s just a snack, stick to a cup of yoghurt, with a light sprinkle of nuts. If you’re using it as a breakfast, add a serving of cereal, and few nuts.
4. Going for fat-free
Fat-free yoghurt is a big sham. All yoghurt will have naturally occurring sugars as a by product of coming from milk, but some have larger amounts of added sugar to boost taste. If the total sugar content of one serving is above 18 grams or if sugar is the first ingredient on the label, try a different kind. Nobody needs to do fat-free unless they actually prefer the taste of it. And while doing that, check the ingredients list to make sure you are getting enough protein and not too much sugar.
5. Seeking out probiotics
Given that plenty of studies suggest probiotics are beneficial, profit-hungry food companies are bound to brand them as the latest `IT’ product Don’t be fooled into thinking that just because a label mentions probiotics, it is healthy. It is possible to eat too much yoghurt. While it’s fine to hop on to the probiotics train, there’s no need to start loading your diet with yogurt to get your fill.
6. Turning them into frozen desserts
So your yogurt has the potential to dress-up disguise for an unhealthy snack (especially those you find at various yoghurt parlours). They can be very misleading.
They might have full-fat yoghurt, and they are usually packed with granola. Even more, the layers of granola break up the yoghurt and make it easy to think you’re eating less than you actually are. If you’re in a rush and craving a dairy fix, go for regular packaged yoghurt or eat what is prepared at home.
