The Best Yogurt for Weight Loss: Recipe Included

The diet landscape is littered with red flags and green flags signaling us to “Try this…don’t try that.” And the FDA just waved a big green flag to anyone looking for an easy, food-based way to better balance their blood sugar and control their weight: Eat more yogurt. This follows an historic FDA decision to put beneficial health claims on yogurt food packages. So what does this news mean for the 37+ million people in this country struggling to balance their blood-sugar levels and shed unwanted body fat? Keep reading to learn how to use yogurt for weight loss and get amazing health benefits, along with a doctor-developed homemade yogurt recipe.

What we know about the FDA’s new yogurt-health claim

All the buzz started when yogurt maker Danone North America submitted a petition to the FDA. Then following six years of contemplation — reviewing the results of more than 30 studies including more than 300,000 people — the FDA granted the first-of-its-kind permission to yogurt manufacturers to print food labels with a qualified health claim on them. Labels can now state that “eating yogurt regularly…may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.”

That’s sweet news considering that type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent diet-related chronic health condition in the nation, with cases steeply climbing each year. Plus, the recommended dose of yogurt—a minimum of two cups (or three servings) per week — seems deliciously doable. What do experts made of the move? “It’s helpful. It’s a step in the right direction,” says Sarah Bonza, MD, who practices lifestyle and family medicine. “I think it is part of the FDA’s ongoing plan to create science-backed guidance on healthy nutritional suggestions.”

Is yogurt good for weight loss?

1. Yogurt strengthens the gut to promote weight loss

“One of the reasons yogurt is believed to have this benefit (as opposed to other dairy products) is because it is a fermented food full of probiotics,” explains Candice Seti, PsyD, a clinical psychologist, certified nutrition coach and certified weight-management specialist. “These beneficial bacteria can help lower the body’s inflammation levels and help prevent insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.” Plus, yogurt’s probiotics also support optimal gut health, another factor known to speed weight loss.

Read more: This yogurt works like a natural sibo treatment

2. Yogurt curbs appetite to promote weight loss

There’s also the hunger-curbing quality of yogurt. “Replacing high-calorie, low-protein snacks with yogurt may make you feel more satiated, helping you meet your weight-loss goals by lowering the overall number of calories you are consuming,” says Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, a certified diabetes educator who helps women lower their blood sugar using the MyFitnessPal app.

3. Yogurt lowers diabetes risk to promote weight loss

Harvard researchers, pooling data from 100,000 people in three long-running studies, showed that eating yogurt daily was linked to an 18% drop in type 2 diabetes risk, according to their findings published in BNC Medical journal.

Another compelling study published in Diabetes Care tested several categories of processed foods to find their hazard for raising blood sugar (and thus diabetes). The results? Most food groups, including refined breads, condiments, sweetened beverages and ready-to-eat meals, were associated with higher type 2 diabetes risk, but yogurt was found to lower the risk.

4. Yogurt delivers total-body benefits to promote weight loss

Yogurt doesn’t just balance blood sugar. It is rich in protein, calcium and vitamin D, all of which support bone and muscle health, which is especially important as we age. Joan Bjornsgaard lost 85 pounds by following a low-carb, sugar-free meal plan that included healthy doses of yogurt.

A note of caution around using yogurt for weight loss

Despite the encouraging tenor of the FDA news, some experts feel the claim is too broad. “Saying yogurt is good for you is like saving ‘beverages’ are good for you. Did you mean vodka, juice, milk? Which one?” contends yogurt expert William Davis, MD, who specializes in gut health and weight loss.

“It is very important for consumers to understand that this is based on ‘limited scientific evidence,’” adds Seti. There’s a link between yogurt and reduced health risk, but not a direct cause-and-effect relationship. And Palinski-Wade shares, “My concern is that consumers may misinterpret the qualified health claims as definitive proof that one food can prevent or treat type 2 diabetes.”

Not all yogurt is helpful for weight loss

Vanessa Rissetto, RD, the CEO of Culina Health, a virtual service that connects patients with registered dietitians, agrees with the concern. “If you want to say plain, nonfat Greek yogurt, or plain 2% yogurt can help with blood-sugar stabilization, I can get behind that,” she says. “However, lots of varieties have a lot of added sugars, which may impact one’s glucose control, especially someone who is prediabetic or type 2/type 1.”

That said, Rissetto eats yogurt herself to stay healthy. She likes plain, nonfat Greek Chobani topped with peanut butter, pistachios, chia seeds or berries for an added dose of healthy fat and fiber.

“The best yogurt is the one you make yourself…the results are delicious and the health effects, spectacular!”

—William Davis, MD

Read more: Try this yogurt with honey

Eating homemade yogurt for weight loss

To get the most out of this news, experts suggest shopping for yogurt with real ingredients, live cultures and low-to-no added sugar. One to try: Oikos Triple Zero Vanilla Greek Yogurt with 15 grams of protein and no added sugar. (It’s sweetened with natural stevia and natural flavors.)

For even better results, a growing number of women are making their own batches of healthy yogurt at home — a practice reminiscent of the sourdough craze during the pandemic. Why? Research suggests that most store-bought yogurts contain low levels of “ho-hum microbes that don’t really do much for our health,” contends Dr. Davis, author of the books Wheat Belly and Super Gut. He points out that most commercial yogurt is often fermented for fewer than 6 hours and might contain 3 billion microbes, whereas homemade yogurt is fermented for 36+ hours and contains 300 billion microbes.

In his tested recipe, Dr. Davis likes using an active culture called Lactobacillus reuteri, which most people have lost in their gut due to antibiotic use and exposure to chemicals. But restoring that strain leads to big health boons, like pushing past fat-loss plateaus and losing up to 8 belly inches.

So what type of results might you experience? “You can lose abdominal fat and restore youthful muscle that you’ve been losing since age 25,” Dr. Davis says. “A lot of people don’t want to hear this, but the best yogurt is the one you make yourself.” Making homemade yogurt, he adds, “is really a simple process…the results are delicious and the health effects, spectacular!”

And it works. Jane Bubnis, 74, tried making yogurt as part of Dr. Davis’ broader health program. She says it improved her skin, anxiety and weight — she lost 51 pounds and dropped 6 pant sizes. It also lowered her blood sugar. She says, “My A1C number is great now. My 35-year-old doctor said it’s better than hers!”

Recipe: Dr. Davis’ healing homemade yogurt

If you decide to whip up a batch of your own yogurt at home, you’ll need probiotic tablets, special fiber, organic half-and-half and a device that can maintain a temperature of 106°F for 36 hours (like a yogurt maker, sous vide machine or a large stockpot with a thermometer). Here’s the recipe…

Ingredients (for 8 servings):

10 BioGaia Gastrus L. reuteri probiotic tablets, crushed

2  Tbs. prebiotic fiber (such as NOW inulin powder)

1  qt. organic half-and-half or coconut cream

1  yogurt maker or stockpot

Directions:

In a bowl, mix probiotics, fiber and 2 Tbs. half-and-half until dissolved (this prevents clumping). Stir in remaining liquid.

Divide mixture among 8 glass jars that fit in your cooking device. Cover jars loosely with plastic or mesh screen top.

Add jars to yogurt maker. (Or for the sous vide cooking method, add to a large stockpot with water an inch or two from jar tops.) Heat the jars at 106°F for 36 hours (48 hours for coconut cream). Then chill and enjoy!

Note: this healthy weight-loss yogurt will taste tart. But you can sweeten it with a bit of allulose.

Read more: What is allulose sugar substitute?”

 Cottage Cheese for weight loss

Enjoy butter and whole milk without guilt