I was at the yogurt section of the supermarket yesterday and noticed a new product by Yoplait called YQ.  The packaging says it is 99% lactose free, has 15 to 17 grams of protein per serving and claims to not have the tart, tangy or chalky aftertaste of Greek-style yogurts.

Could this be true?  Food labels can be tricky to navigate or be misleading so I took a closer look.  I started with the plain flavor.

Plain

Calories 110

Total Fat 3g

Saturated Fat 2g

Total Carbohydrate 2g

Sugars 1g

Protein 17g

Ingredients: Pasteurized Grade A Ultra-Filtered Milk, Yogurt Cultures (L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus)

No misleading packaging here.  This is a great snack option since it really has 17 grams of protein and only 1 gram of sugar.

Next up, the flavored – blueberry, coconut, lime, mango, peach, strawberry and vanilla – yogurts.  The flavored yogurts have more calories and sugar than the plain.  All of the flavors have different ingredients but the same nutrition facts so we’ll take a look at Peach as an example.

Peach

Calories 130

Total Fat 2.5g

Saturated Fat 1.5g

Total Carbohydrate 9g

Sugars 9g

Protein 15g

Ingredients: Pasteurized Grade A Ultra-Filtered Milk, Peaches, Cane Sugar, Sea Salt, Pumpkin Juice and Carrot Juice (for color), Pectin, Natural Flavor, Yogurt Cultures (L. bulgaricus, S. thermophiles)

YQ by Yoplait has not incorporated the new food label yet so we don’t know how much of the 9 grams of sugar is naturally occurring and how much is added.  By looking at the ingredient list, milk and peaches which have naturally occurring sugars are the first two ingredients so most of the 9 grams of sugar is naturally occurring.  Cane sugar which is an added sugar is the third ingredient so we do know that some of the 9 grams is added.

If you see this product while shopping give it a shot!  It packs a lot of protein in one serving while keeping the sugar in check. While plain is your best bet nutritionally, if you don’t like the tart taste of plain try adding your own fresh fruit or try the flavored yogurts, all are a great snack option.