Q: So I have started drinking this yogurt smoothie… what can you say about its nutrition facts? How much can I drink in a day?
A: Thanks for the question. There have been a lot of new yogurt and yogurt smoothie products in the last few years, so it could be helpful to know what makes them different.
As a general rule, adults need three servings (cups) of dairy a day. This smoothie is seven ounces, which is close enough to a cup to count as a serving. So, you could drink three in a day if you wanted this to be all of your dairy.
But I don’t know that you are getting the most bang for your calories with this smoothie. Here is a table comparing the smoothie to some other dairy options.
|
Smoothie (7 oz) |
2% Milk (8 oz) |
Yoplait Greek (5.3 oz) |
Yoplait Original (6 oz) |
Yoplait Light (6 oz) |
|
|
Calories |
170 |
122 |
150 |
170 |
90 |
|
Fat (g) |
4.5 |
4.8 |
1 |
1.5 |
0 |
|
Protein (g) |
5 |
8 |
11 |
5 |
5 |
|
Sugar (g) |
24 |
12 |
19 |
26 |
10 |
As you can see, the yogurt cups are lower in fat, but that is because they are made with 1% or skim milk, while the smoothie is made with 2% milk. With the exception of Greek yogurt, everything has less protein than a cup of milk. The light yogurt has less sugar only because it uses artificial sweeteners and started with less than one cup of milk.
Bottom line: I think the smoothie is probably fine every once in a while. Variety is the spice of life, so consume lots of different dairy products. Drinking skim milk or eating a Greek or light yogurt might be a slightly better option, but if you don’t like those, then I think the smoothie is fine.
Thanks again for the question and happy drinking!
This post is not an endorsement for any product. Yoplait products are used as an example only. No compensation was received for this post (unfortunately).
Have any nutrition questions? Need help with meal planning or a special dietary need? Send your questions to me at kimberlykmarsh(at)gmail(dot)com, and I will answer them in upcoming posts!
This is really interesting. What’s the deal with Greek yogurt? I love it, but I was reading something the other day about how most Greek yogurt has as much sugar as a candy bar, and so I might as well be eating a Snickers. I guess I don’t buy that argument completely, but is it true? Is my delicious Greek yogurt not good for me (full disclosure, I’m eating it fairly rarely, 1-2 times a week)? Should I go back to light yogurt? Or just drink a glass of milk instead?
Thanks for the comment! If you are worried about the sugar in Greek yogurt, compare the sugar in yogurt to the sugar in milk. Milk naturally has sugar, so that accounts for 5-7 grams of the Greek yogurt’s sugar. The Greek yogurt does have more sugar than the light yogurt, but it also has more protein. The Greek might be a slightly better option than light, but whatever your taste preference is would be my determining factor. The whole goal is to get some lowfat dairy, which either yogurt or drinking milk will accomplish. As for comparing it to a Snickers, here are how the numbers compare. The Greek yogurt I used in the example had 150 calories, 1 g fat, 11 g protein, and 19 g of sugar. A Snickers bar has 280 calories, 13.6 g of fat, 4 g of protein, and 29 g of sugar. The Greek yogurt has less calories, less fat, more protein, and less sugar. So, no, I wouldn’t switch to a Snickers.