What is the Truth about Activa?

You’ve seen the ads.  Dannon would have you believe their yogurt with active cultures in the greatest thing since sliced bread.  I am on a road trip to Colorado launching my book for dietitians at the annual American Dietetic Association conference.  This morning while having breakfast at the hotel I had the chance to see what Activa actually contains and here is the ingredient list:

Cultured grade A reduced fat milk, strawberries, fructose syrup, sugar, whey protein concentrate. corn starch, modified corn starch, kosher gelatin, natural flavor, carmine, sodium citrate, malic acid and active cultures

One serving is four ounces and contains 110 calories, 19 grams of total carbohydrate (more than a medium slice of bread), 4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fat and approximately 150 grams of calcium.

Let’s compare a regular Greek or plain yogurt – the same serving contains 70 calories, 4 grams of carbohydrate, 2 grams of fat and approximately 200 grams of calcium. 

Here is the ingredient list from a plain yogurt:

Grade A pasteurized skimmed milk, live active yogurt cultures.  2 ingredients, the same cultures, 75% less carbohydrate and more calcium.

Why the hype about Activa?  Marketing.  Why choose an alternative plain yogurt? Less sugar including fructose corn syrup, corn starch, and additives and the same great cultures to help with healthy gut flora for less cost and more nutrition.  If you need the sweetness add some fruit, a little honey or some raw nuts for crunch.  Your gut and your body will thank you!

Plain Yogurt?

Since breakfast can be challenging, here is one more easy option that takes less than 5 minutes to prepare and can hold you for 3-4 hours or until lunch. Plain yogurt is a great food to have on a daily basis since it contains 400 mg. of calcium per cup serving besides providing healthy bacteria for your gut.

As opposed to European yogurts, most plain American yogurts are bitter and tasteless, at least until recently. A few years back this pattern started to change with several companies selling European-style yogurts with a thick creamy consistency.

One of my favorites is from Greece called Fage. The plain Fage 2% contains the best nutritional mix with high levels of protein, a little fat and a moderate amount of carbohydrate. It comes in large containers, and small ones that travel well.

Another favorite is Strauss plain yogurt. Strauss is a small company that carries all organic products including plain low-fat yogurt and whole milk yogurt. Both are good options that come in large containers only.

Spega La Natura is an Italian yogurt that comes in small glass jars which are handy for re-use around the house. This yogurt is easy to take to work for a snack or small meal.

All of these brand mix well with fruit and nuts or seeds, or the Healthy Nut Mix (see blog 4/1/09) from my upcoming book A Recipe for Life by the Doctor's Dietitian which will be available in September.