Americans have found a new yogurt. According the to the numbers, Greek yogurt sales are dominating the market and look to continue that pattern.

Currently, Greek yogurt accounts for a quarter of the total U.S. yogurt market. The top two national Greek yogurt companies are Chobani and Fage, and each company is currently expanding their plants to meet the demands. Chobani produces an astounding 1.5 million cases of the thick yogurt every week. Consumers are foregoing the thinner, sometimes watery, version of yogurt for the thick creamy blends of Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt unique texture is achieved by straining off the whey, leaving a creamier yogurt with nearly twice the amount of protein of a traditional.

Many foods have been issued fad status and some of the rapid growth of Greek yogurt may be attributed to that. However, there’s a strong industry belief that Greek yogurt is here to stay. Its rapid rise to fame may speak to its predicted longevity.

In 2005, Hamdi Ulukaya bought an old Kraft Foods plant in New York state. He planned to make the type of yogurt that was common to his home country of Turkey. He didn’t feel the current yogurt in stores was being made right so Ulukaya and his company Agro-Farma began producing yogurt for companies like Stonyfield Farms and eventually, his current company, Chobani, was launched in 2007.

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If you’ve turned on your TV in the past week you’ve no doubt been inundated with ads and messages from some of the biggest packaged food marketers around. The New Year is like Black Friday for the billion-dollar weight loss industry, as this is the best opportunity to catch new dieters. Marketers from commercial diets to pills and yogurt want your attention, and your dollars, as you make an effort to stick to a resolution to better yourself; a resolution that for most people has to do with losing weight.

As you start making changes this week, be a conscious consumer and don’t accept those advertising claims at face value. The more Yoplait, Diet Coke, and frozen foods you toss in your cart, and eventually in to your mouth, the more you’ll continue to fall short of your goals.

Yes, the package says they’re healthier. It even says things like fortified, low-calorie, natural, or a host of others that they get away with via some tricky loopholes in food labeling. They’re nothing more than a clever disguise.

“These foods are ‘nutritious’ because they are fortified by adding a few nutrients,” said Mary Hartley, RD, our resident dietitian. “Because so many other nutrients are removed during processing, they pale in comparison to natural foods. The foods do not contain any particular ingredient to promote weight loss; rather, it is either the small portion, or single serving, or boring repetition recommended by the manufacturer that relatively reduces calorie intake.”

Those fewer calories you’re consuming are also empty calories, meaning they’re void of nutrition. So you’re feeding your body unnecessary calories and not getting anything else out of it.

Some of the biggest culprits falsely advertising their weight loss capabilities, include Special K, Yoplait, diet soda, Slim-Fast, and Lean Cuisines. Continue reading to see why they’re on our list, and what the healthier alternative is.

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Responsibility in advertising is not a theme that seems to be common these days. However, when Yoplait was told by the National Eating Disorders Association that a new commercial could be a trigger for those vulnerable to eating disorders, Yoplait worked quickly to get the television spot removed from the air. A Yoplait spokesperson stated that Yoplait “had no idea” such a response might be triggered by the ad.

In Yoplait’s defense, the inner monologue of the dieter represented in the ad is similar to how many try to bargain with themselves when they are learning to balance calories in and calories out. It is also an illustration of how unplanned food can wreak havoc on any dieting plan.

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Would you eat four candy bars for breakfast? What if your kids asked for this for breakfast, would you let them? The answer is likely no, because it’s candy and we don’t eat that for breakfast. But did you ever stop to think that the things you typically grab for breakfast, for yourself or your kids, might as well be candy? It’s true! Most of our go-to breakfast items have as much sugar as our favorite candies. No wonder our kids can’t concentrate in school and we don’t have the energy to get through a 10 a.m. meeting without bum-rushing the coffee machine.

If you’re looking to make some healthy changes for the new year, we can tell you that changing the way you do breakfast should be a priority. The cliche that it’s the most important meal of the day is very true, and if you can conquer that meal, then you’ll be able to start conquering the others.

We compared 10 of the most popular breakfast items, some of which actually give the illusion of being health foods, to our favorite candies to show you that a cup of yogurt or bowl of cereal is sometimes no better than the treats Santa left in your stocking.
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Yogurt can be one of the healthiest food choices you can make in your diet. Packed with high quality protein, tons of calcium and full of  healthy digestive bacterias, a cup of yogurt can be part of a wonderful breakfast or be the perfect grab-and-go snack.

Be aware, though, not all yogurts are created equally, and many yogurts are so bad for you that they should be classified as a junk food. When faced with a sea of choices in the refrigerated aisle, how can you be certain that you are making the best choice?
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