Many tend to eat snacks between the main meals, and yogurt is one of the foods that contains great nutritional value to be a good snack, but many yogurts in the store contain high amounts of sugar, so some prefer Greek yogurt, so what is Greek yogurt and what is the difference Between it and plain yogurt?

The difference between Greek yogurt and regular yogurt

Both Greek yogurt and regular yogurt share that they both contain the same ingredients, which are fresh milk, in addition to some types of beneficial bacteria, such as: Streptococcus thermophiles and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, but they differ in the method of manufacture:

• Plain yogurt: It is made by heating milk and then adding beneficial bacteria, then leaving the milk to ferment and reach an acidic acidity (Ph 4.5), so it may taste slightly sour when consumed.

• Greek yogurt: It is made by removing the whey in addition to other liquids from regular yogurt, and this reduces the total volume of yogurt, so it takes a larger amount of milk to make it, so it is thicker than regular yogurt.
  With the difference in manufacture, the nutritional value varies, as Greek yogurt contains twice the amount of protein, and almost half the amount of carbohydrates and sugar found in regular yogurt, and we will talk next about the nutritional value of Greek yogurt.

Nutritional value of Greek yogurt

When whey is removed from Greek yogurt, some of the lactose is removed; Which reduces its total content of carbohydrates and sugar, but the protein remains intact; Therefore, Greek yogurt provides a higher amount of protein. In addition, Greek yogurt is an important source of:

• magnesium: Which helps in many processes within the body, such as: muscle movement, protein formation, and regulation of the nervous system.
• Vitamin B12It is one of the most important vitamins that the body cannot manufacture, and helps prevent anemia, prevent osteoporosis, and reduce depression.
• iodine: It is important during pregnancy; It helps the development of the nervous system of the fetus during pregnancy.

Benefits of Greek Yogurt

Eating Greek yogurt is good for health because it contains important nutrients for the body, which help in the following:

• Reducing the risk of osteoporosis and maintaining bone health; Because it contains calcium and protein.
• Reducing the feeling of hunger and reducing weight; Because it contains protein, as some studies have found that people eat less throughout the day after eating a meal rich in protein, and this leads to consuming fewer calories in general, which is considered one of the benefits of Greek yogurt for slimming.
• restore a healthy bacterial balance within the stomach; Because it contains probiotics, but some recent studies have indicated that there is a discrepancy in people’s response to this type of bacteria.
• Maintaining good mental health, as a study found that workers who ate about 100 grams of yogurt containing probiotics suffered from less anxiety, depression and stress than those who did not eat it. This is probably due to the gut’s ability to make neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine.
• Reducing blood pressure, but this is not conclusive, as studies have found that there is an effect of Greek yogurt that contains probiotics on lowering blood pressure, but there are other studies that have found that those who suffer from weight gain do not affect their blood pressure.
• Reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as researchers found in a study conducted that eating yogurt with no other dairy products helps reduce type 2 diabetes.

Greek yogurt uses

There are many uses for Greek yogurt in eating, as:

• It is a great ingredient for sauces and dips alongside meals
• It can be used as a substitute for mayonnaise in some recipes
• It can be added to soup as a substitute for cream
• It can be spread on bread instead of butter
• It can be eaten with fruits or honey, which gives a better taste and higher nutritional value. One of the benefits of Greek yogurt with honey is that it keeps the skin young and prevents wrinkles.

Possible side effects of Greek yogurt

In the previous paragraphs, we talked about the benefits and uses of Greek yogurt, but on the other hand, there are damages that must be taken into account as well, including:

• May cause inflammation in some people with lactose intolerance.
• An imbalance in the secretion of hormones, as some dairy distributors use additional growth hormones to increase milk production from cows
• Dairy products naturally contain hormones, and this may cause an imbalance in the hormones.
• The possibility of acne, due to the presence of casein protein, which is a predominant protein in dairy products.
• People who are sensitive to gluten may suffer from autoimmune diseases.
• may cause weight gain; Because some people tend to put sugar on it because of its sour taste, in addition to removing natural fats from dairy products, which means the need to use other additives in order to give yogurt an attractive taste and texture, which some may see as one of the benefits of Greek yogurt for weight gain.

In the end, whatever kind you prefer, plain yogurt with more calcium and more sugar and carbohydrates, or Greek yogurt with more protein, sugar and fewer carbohydrates, you should eat yogurt regularly because it helps digestion, weight loss, bone health and the body in general.