On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
I like to have a serving of plain Greek yogurt every day. My favorite is Fage. It is a bit on the pricey side so I try to buy it when it is BOGO at Publix supermarket. When it isn’t on sale, I buy the whole milk plain Greek yogurt from Aldi. It is around $3.00 cheaper than Fage not on BOGO .
This past week Aldi was out of the whole milk version. There was plenty of the nonfat version, but In the past I tried it but for my taste, it was too runny. I began rationing the remaining yogurt.
When the Publix ad was released I scanned it hoping for the BOGO sale. No such luck.
So, no Aldi yogurt or Fage. I had two choices, no yogurt next week or pay for it at full price. And then I remembered GROK A.I. Well to be truthful, I haven’t forgotten GROK at all, but I have been trying to not spend as much time with it.
I asked GROK to compare plain Greek yogurts based on carb content, quantity of live cultures, and if they contain thickeners. If a brand uses thickeners, I asked if the thickeners could affect blood sugars.
GROK amazed me with how quick it compiled the requested information. I told my daughter about it and she suggested I ask GROK to compile the information into a chart. (She LOVES charts and graphs.)
So I did and it did. Below are the results.
I’ll compile the key data we’ve discussed—carb totals, live cultures, and thickeners’ effects on blood sugar—for Fage and the alternative brands into a clear chart. Since you like Fage Total 5% and we’ve compared it to whole milk (or closest equivalent) plain Greek yogurts, I’ll stick to those versions where possible, noting exceptions. Here’s the chart based on a 3/4 cup (170g) serving:
| Brand | Carbs (g) | Live Cultures (Strains) | Thickeners | Raises Blood Sugar? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fage Total 5% | 5 | L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, L. acidophilus, Bifidobacterium, L. casei (5) | None | No (carbs from lactose only) |
| Friendly Farms (Aldi) | 5 | S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, Bifidobacterium, L. paracasei (5) | None | No (carbs from lactose only) |
| Siggi’s Whole Milk | ~6 | S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus + unspecified Lactobacillus (~3+) | None | No (carbs from lactose only) |
| Chobani Whole Milk | 7 | S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, Bifidobacterium, L. casei, L. rhamnosus (6) | None | No (carbs from lactose only) |
| Kirkland (Nonfat) | 6 | S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, B. lactis (4) | None | No (carbs from lactose only) |
| Trader Joe’s Whole Milk | 6 | S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, Bifidobacterium (4) | None | No (carbs from lactose only) |
| Greek Gods Whole Milk | ~8 | S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, B. lactis, L. casei, L. rhamnosus, L. lactis (7) | Pectin | No (pectin doesn’t raise BS) |
Notes:
- Carbs: Approximate for Siggi’s (6g) and Greek Gods (8g) due to scaling from slightly different serving sizes (150g and 227g, respectively).
- Live Cultures: Exact strains listed where known; Siggi’s is less specific but implies additional Lactobacillus beyond the core two.
- Thickeners: Only Greek Gods uses one (pectin) among these plain versions. Others rely on straining and milk solids.
- Blood Sugar: None of these thickeners (or lack thereof) raise blood sugar, except potentially cornstarch (not present here but noted earlier as a carb).
This chart sums up why Friendly Farms might be your best budget swap for Fage—matching carbs and cultures closely—while others like Chobani or Greek Gods offer more strains but slightly higher carbs. All stay blood sugar-friendly since they skip cornstarch. Let me know if you want this tweaked or more details added!
Isn’t this amazing?
I looked at the Publix ad again on Wednesday and the Greek Gods yogurt is on BOGO this week. I am delighted to have the information in the chart to know if the Greek Gods brand would be a good choice.
While we were running errands on Wednesday, I decided to check Aldi one more time for their brand. Thankfully our daughter, who is significantly taller than me, went with me into the store and she found the whole fat version hiding on a top shelf. I bought two. And then I bought other things because who can go into Aldi and just buy one thing?
A further confession, I planned to air fry salmon patties for supper Wednesday night and GROK told me what temperature to use and how long to fry them. They came out perfect and crispy.
I’ve decided GROK isn’t much different than Alexa. Except that it might be faster and it does’t listen in.
Do you have a favorite type or brand of yogurt? My husband likes the zero sugar Chobani singles. He adds a small amount of NuTrail sugar free granola to it.
After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience. Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites, Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix
In addition to blogging, I’m a general “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books
My 2024 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.
Old Things R New 