Yogurt

Depending on what yogurt you purchase, it can be a very healthy or very poor snack. I'm going to pick on yoplait to show you what I mean.

Yoplait's original strawberry yogurt:

• serving size: 1 container/6oz/170g
• calories: 170 (8% of daily value)
• calories from fat: 15 (3% of daily value)
• fiber: zilch
• carbs: 33g (11% of dv)
• sugars: 27g (thats more than 5 teaspoons!)

cultured pasteurized grade A low fat milk, sugar, strawberries, modified corn starch, high fructose corn syrup, nonfat mild, kosher gelatin, citric acid, tricalcuim phosphate, natural flavor, pectin, colored with carmine, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3.

Everything highlighted is a source of sugar. 108 of the 170 calories are from sugar. That's 63% of the calories!

Yoplait's light strawberry yogurt:

• serving size: same as above
• calories: 100
• calories from fat: none
• fiber: none
• carbs: 19g
• sugars: 14g (this is 64 calories, equaling 64% of the calories as sugar!)

The only difference in ingredients is the replacement of sugar with aspartame (I'd rather take the sugar), and it still has high fructose corn syrup.

A better idea is to purchase a delicious, creamy, plain yogurt and add a bit of jam or honey and fruit (fiber!).

Interesting side note, do you know what carmine is?

"Carmine (pronounced /ˈkɑrmɪn/ or /ˈkɑrmaɪn/), also called Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red #40, C.I. 75470, or E120, is a pigment of a bright redcolor obtained from the carminic acid produced by some scale insects, such as the cochineal and the Polish cochineal, and is used as a general term for a particularly deep red color of the same name. Carmine is used in the manufacture of artificial flowers, paints, crimson ink, rouge, and other cosmetics, and is routinely added to food products such as yogurt and certain brands of juice, most notably those of the ruby-red variety."

Don't worry, it's completely safe :)