How yogurts and ‘milks’ mess with your head.

The big news in Olympic history before the games even started was the yogurt embargo. Yogurt, specifically US shipments of Chobani Greek (style) yogurt, was banned from Russia because of paperwork issues. If Americans were outraged about the politics of this ban on yogurt-eating liberty, fair enough. But trust me, the impact on athletes’ nutritional status and performance was non-existent. Did Gold miss medaling for figure skating due to it? Hardly. Did Ligety capture two golds in spite of his yogurt free diet? Absolutely.

Yogurt's impact on you.

Did you know? That individual yogurt you’ve been buying isn’t what you thought it was. Yes, you too have had limitations placed on your yogurt.  Same price, with even greater costs, as you’ll see, so keep reading.

I was rushing down the aisles of Stop and Shop last week, hitting the perimeter for the essentials. Produce, bread, eggs and yogurt, to name a few— were on the list. Not a regular ‘Stop and Shop shopper’, I was struck by the relatively low prices on the yogurt, the Greek yogurt, the Chobani Greek yogurt, specifically. So I grabbed some arms’ full and dropped them into my cart. But before moving on, I took a double take. The packaging was subtly different, though not strikingly so. Same shape, ever so slightly different label design. They were slightly cuter, even.

And then I realized. The container was once again downsized, this time from 6 ounces to 5.3. And the calories were similarly reduced. Yes, yogurt has slimmed down once again. The tag line should read “now with less calcium (only 15%!), fewer calories, and other nutrients you were expecting—all for the same price!”

What yogurts used to be.

When I was an elementary school kid, I remember buying individual containers of yogurt—Dannon at that time. They were 8 ounces, and they certainly weren’t lite—these were the olden days, where the only diet product with artificial sweeteners was an awful tasting cola called Tab. It’s possible they were low fat, but not fat free—that also didn’t exist back then, to my knowledge. And they were in the mid to upper 200 calorie range. At that time, it wasn’t odd to have a yogurt—along with a fruit or a muffin, let’s say, for a quick lunch or breakfast. And that might have been just fine.

That was then. But now?

While I hate to talk calories, I think it’s important here: prepackaged yogurts these days are the caloric equivalent of an 8 old glass of skim or low fat milk. That’s right. We're talking a standard paper cup size,  the equivalent of 2/3 of a 12 oz soda can portion. Would you expect a small glass of low fat milk, by itself, to be an adequate meal? How about for someone you really care about? Do you have a double standard here—okay for you, not for them? I consistently see patients consuming it with the expectation that it ought to be enough.

You and the Olympians.

The consequence on the yogurt-deprived American athletes may have been on their psyche—they may be accustomed to doing things the same way perceiving that if they change, they won’t get the same results. But truly, unless they are vegetarians dependent on the high protein content of Greek-style yogurts, protein malnutrition would not threaten a medal.

This one's 8 oz still!

But the impact of the manufactures’ sneakily shrinking serving size is much greater for you. You eat one and expect it to satisfy like it used to. Or if you, like me, grew up in the era of fuller fat yogurts, you may still be in the mode of considering a yogurt a meal or a significant part of one. No, we simply can’t rely on portion sizes to dictate our needs! (Read more on this topic: http://dropitandeat.blogspot.com/2010/08/size-matters-but-not-how-you-think.html and http://dropitandeat.blogspot.com/2014/01/role-modeling-with-lean-cuisine-diet.html)

Milking it

While we’re on the subject of dairy, let’s talk about milk, or rather, beverages mistakenly referred to as milk. Think rice, coconut, hemp, and almond beverages. Beverages, because referring to them as milk misleads us. There is nothing milk like about them, except, perhaps, the shade of grey/off white. Sure, they may be fortified with calcium or vitamin D (although not all are, in fact), but when you pour a glass of milk-beverage you expect that it’s going to satisfy like a glass of milk. Yet many of these beverages are little more than fortified water or fail to match milk nutritionally.

You’ve already heard my rant about almond beverage.

Some almond milks have as few as 30 calories--I'm not recommended these, and all have only about 1 gram of protein—that’s 7 grams less than a glass of cow’s milk. Soy milk is consistently better matched with cow’s milk for protein (usually at 6 or 7 grams) but may be much lower calorie as well. Coconut water is neither high in protein nor calcium or D, but at least they call if ‘water!’. Hemp milk (yes, really) comes in at 2-3 grams of protein and calorically is a match for 2% or whole milk. Rice milk also matches calorically, but has only 1 gram of protein.

Who cares?

Why address this topic? Because I want you to not be fooled into thinking that these yogurts and milk beverages are adequate. When you get hungry after a pseudo milk drink, I don’t want you to blame yourself. When you are feeling less than satisfied with what you thought was your usual yogurt, think again.

Maybe there's a reason you're scavenging for food!

Start looking around, because these aren’t the only items shrinking. Did you think you plowed through the whole 1/2 gallon of ice cream? Well for the record, most brands (at least here in the US) have shrunk, too. Breyer’s, one of my favorites, now has 6 not 8 cups per container. In fact, it has fewer calories per cup, too—but interestingly, they’ve not advertised that! They have substituted guar or tara gum as a filler, displacing some of the cream and whole milk.

I realize that we all don’t need more saturated fat from cream, and some might benefit from an adjustment in portions. But if you’re noticing you’re hungrier these days with your same products, take a second look. You just may not be getting what you thought. Maybe your body is just trying to tell you something. Perhaps it’s time to start trusting your signals—and taking a second look at the package sizes.

Have you had this experience? Wondering why you’ve been hungrier? Seen other products that have shrunk without telling us? Please share!

Thanks for reading and passing this on!

Struggling to Manage Your Weight? Products, packaging and marketing leads to second guessing your eating.

This is a self-serving post. Really, I need to vent; because these things drive me crazy. They’re not directly harmful—except for the laxatives to be addressed in the next post—but they cause you to stumble. They mislead you. They impact your thoughts about what’s healthy and what’s allowed, and they add to your list of should and should nots.

They impact all of us, regardless of our weight. I’m just starting my list, in no special order, but I hope to inspire you to add to it—your comments, your own pet peeves. Because the more you're aware, the less you'll be mislead by the subtle, unreasonable nutrition messages. And the better you'll get at trusting your self and your body.

Almond milk: Forgive me if you are among the food allergic who can’t consume cow’s milk or soy milk. For you, almond milk is a reasonable option as a milk alternative to help meet your calcium need. But with the exception of its higher vitamin E content, it has little merit; it truly falls short as a milk alternative for those who do tolerate milk and soy. Here’s my issue: it short-changes you, because it looks like a glass of milk. But the calories don't compare, nor does the protein.

Sure, almonds, (as they proudly display on their website for Almond Breeze, one brand of almond milk) are high in protein and fiber and low in sugar. But this so-called almond milk? At 1 gram or less of protein, it is 6 or 7 grams less per cup compared to soy or cow’s milk, respectively. And a total of 1 gram of fiber. So please don’t assume that because it’s made from wholesome almonds that almond milk is anywhere near as nutritious.

Gatorade light: Why-oh-why would you choose light Gatorade? If you are consuming this sports drink for the reason it was developed—‘specifically formulated to help you perform your best’ during sports and training, then why have a reduced carbohydrate and low calorie beverage? Did I mention that calories=energy? The calories, from carbohydrate, are a convenient, easy to absorb fuel while exercising. But the light version is hardly worth it, providing minimal fuel to support physical activity.

And for the record, the electrolytes you get from Gatorade—the 160 mgs. sodium and 45 mgs. potassium from the recently increased serving size of 12 (vs. 8) ounces—is no greater than you’d get from a 12 ounce glass of milk (160 mgs. sodium and 560 mgs. potassium). 

Ok, I know you’re not about to drink milk on your run or bike ride. But unless you’re doing long duration exercise, generally more than 90 minutes, there’s little need for a sports drink anyway. You could easily replace your electrolytes when you get home, perhaps with a serving of pretzels and an orange or banana—a more generous replacement for both sodium and potassium losses. Just add any beverage to replace your fluid losses.

Sandwich thins: Made by Arnold and other companies, these seem innocuous, and are perhaps even viewed as a healthy alternative to sliced bread. And, they’re well liked, it seems. (I can't say personally—I've never tried them).

My problem? Eating one is like having just half a sandwich. And unless you are quite short in stature and quite sedentary, you likely need more than a half sandwich for a meal. Yet they look like they should be enough—there are 2 halves—but also half the calories. And, they provide little surface area to add your peanut butter or Vegemite (shout out to my Australian readers) or tuna or whatever. But if you love them and want to include them, have 2 for lunch! Or else when you get hungry later you’ll be beating yourself up thinking you’re not deserving of eating again!

Skinny Cow: I really love these ice cream sandwiches. But do you want to know a little secret? They’re no lighter than most traditional ice cream sandwiches you can buy (at perhaps a lower cost per bar!) But doesn’t Skinny Cow sound so light? All brands I looked at which are a similar size were within 20 calories (higher or lower)—and not promoted as a ‘skinny’ product. I do love their tag line, though: ‘who gives a lick about calories?’

The orange juice aisle: Maybe it’s just in US suburbs, but supermarket shopping is simply an overwhelming experience—even for me. A recent trip to the market revealed more choices than I could ever care to contemplate. Beyond the pulp options, there are orange juices fortified with calcium, and ones with fish oils (can you imagine?). It begs asking ‘Must one food item, this orange juice, meet all of my needs?’ Can’t we have orange juice for its naturally occurring vitamin C, folic acid and potassium? Must I get everything from this single item?

Similarly, must my pasta be protein fortified—or can’t I have chicken with it? Does it need to have added fiber, or won’t my eggplant, artichoke, peppers, etc. add that? Get the point?

Whey protein powder: Some of you who restrict your food intake and those vegans who plan poorly may truly benefit from boosting your protein intake. Why not use whey protein, the refuse, the left over liquid that remains when making cheese, conveniently packaged and sold at top dollar prices at health food stores, supplement sites and health clubs?

Whey protein boosts your calories—so this might be a positive for those of you trying to add some. But a whey protein shake mixed with water, in spite of it’s high protein content falls short as a meal replacement. And let me remind you about food halos. There’s nothing magical about protein. While your body requires protein to fuel your muscles and maximize recovery, from the looks of the label you might be thinking that you need whey more (sorry, couldn't resist) than you do. Even bodybuilders need little more than 1 gram of protein per kg body weight (or .45 gram per pound body weight). 

Are you a non-body builder? Then .8 grams per kg (or .36 g/lb will meet your need. (For most, a daily total of 50 or so grams is adequate.) No doubt you'll see how over the top these whey protein supplements actually are, and not without their risks. 

Shrinking packages: Why has the portion of yogurt dropped from 8 oz (one cup) to 6 oz, to in some cases 5 plus ounces? And, for the same price? And why did my half-gallon of ice cream slim down in such a deceitful way, denying me the full number of portions it used to have? (It’s now 2 cups short of the old packaging, so if you feared you were plowing through it more rapidly, fear not!) Food manufacturers should not determine what an appropriate portion is, so be sure that you allow yourself to have as much as you truly need. And that's likely to be more than a 100-calorie pack, too!

Packaged nutrients, not foods: Must we be categorizing everything we eat based on nutrient content? Can't we just eat things because we enjoy them? Because they give us pleasure? 'Protein and Fiber'? Really? Looks like sweetened, cluster cereal to me.

I'm just scratching the surface. Gentle laxatives, gelato, bottled waters and other favorites of mine will be addressed in an upcoming post! Please send me your pet peeves, too!