Dear Dave,
I just LOVE Greek yogurt although my coach is advising that I skip it. Whats so bad about it?
Aimee, WI
Dear Aimee,
Greek yogurt has been surging in popularity and gaining substantial market share from its American-style competition. The main difference is a textural one; greek yogurt is much thicker than regular yogurt. It is made from between 3 and 4 times more milk than regular yogurt, and is usually nonfat or very low fat.
MILK – it does a body ______?
The plain truth is that many people are sensitive to dairy products. You can remove the fat, strain it, skim it, and dress it up but making anything from milk is a dairy product! The concept that removing a component of a food will make it ‘good’ for you is a very dangerous one. There is another word for this: PROCESSED FOOD.
PROBIOTICS ARE GOOD – YOGURT HAS THESE!
All fermented foods contain live cultures that may assist with digestion. The issue remains the same: If your body has ‘issues’ with dairy, and the only thing enabling you to consume dairy are those live cultures, you’d be doing yourself a huge favor by skipping the dairy altogether.
BUT IT’S NONFAT!
Right….so is Olestra (remember anal leakage-inducing potato chips?) The fact is clear that dairy is a HIGH FAT food, until the fat is removed. Remember paragraph #2? Removing fat from a fatty food = PROCESSED FOOD. Do you go to a laboratory to get served breakfast?
BE HONEST – DO YOU REALLY LIKE YOGURT?
I know some people insist YES I LOVE IT! Now – lets be clear on something….is sugar, honey, maple flavor, corn syrup, or anything artificially sweet listed on the ingredients? The vast majority of yogurt consumed in the US is sweetened, in most cases greatly so. For many people yogurt has become a ‘healthy-sounding hiding place’ for sweets.
Messing up your breakfast for over 3 years, 
DAVE
Katie Surjan
March 4, 2013
Great article David, thank you for sharing your wisdom!
dawuersch
March 4, 2013
Dear Dave,
Pleast take this one step further and comment on “made-at-home” yogurt and yogurt starters. Thank you.
David Cohen
March 5, 2013
Making foods at home is a great way to keep things cleaner but back to the dairy issue…commercially available milk is processed. Homogenization is the PROCESS that keeps it from separating, and any removal of fat is another PROCESS. If your body is sensitive to commercial dairy making yogurt with it is not a great idea. There is a movement towards RAW dairy in many areas, but it is a huge issue with heavy political implications. The short story is that many people believe that RAW, UNPROCESSED dairy works better in their bodies. However it is literally illegal to sell raw dairy in most states and raw dairy purveyors have resorted to forming ‘underground’ distribution networks in order to avoid prosecution.
As for yogurt starters – I have seen several perfectly clean, high quality ones. The major concern is the dairy one, and although I do enjoy the occasional raw cheese or milk myself I have found that my body does not like ‘prolonged exposure!’ Listen to your body – not commercials!