Fitz's Cool Tools: Dannon Light & Fit 0% Plus Yogurt

by Fitz K. (Subscribe to Fitz K.'s posts)
May 8th 2008 2:22PM

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This week I've been sampling Dannon's Light & Fit 0% Plus Yogurt, and I absolutely love it. Before I go any further though, let me tell you how I feel about yogurt. I like it, but only if I feel like I'm getting a high in calcium, low in sugar, legitimately fruit-filled snack. Now, there is always yogurt stacked up in my fridge, because I have two little children. But, rarely do I even open up a cup for myself. Not that I would ever buy my babies anything "bad"... cause I don't. But I regularly expect perfection of the things I put in my mouth. I'm simply not willing to waste 100 calories on a teeny cup of yogurt. I'd rather have two big pieces of fruit.

So! I was thrilled instantly by the calorie count on Dannon's new Light & Fit 0% Plus Yogurt. Each cup boasts only 50 or 60 calories, depending on the flavor. That I can do! The fruity varieties are also full of real fruit chunks. Fresh and healthy fruit chunks, not the icky stuff dumped in from a can. On top of all that, each flavor has proven to be delicious to both my children and me, and then a few of my personal training clients as well.

Before you go give Dannon's Light & Fit 0% Plus Yogurt a try, I encourage you to do a side-by-side comparison of it's nutritional content versus that of other yogurts. I did this a few days ago and couldn't find anything as good. This is the type of thing you want to put in your fridge if you're trying to lose weight. It's a great fix for your sweet tooth, while providing a decent amount of protein, calcium, vitamin D and other important nutrients.

Dannon Light & Fit 0% Plus(click thumbnails to view gallery)

The other move I encourage you to make, is to start utilizing this yogurt as an ingredient in fun recipes. I've detailed a few of my ideas in the photo gallery. Pretend your Dannon's Light & Fit 0% Plus Yogurt is frosting or cream cheese, and play mix & match with other healthy foods. Enjoy!

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Comments (8)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Bethany Sanders 5-08-2008 @ 3:05PM

Great tip, Fitz! We love yogurt too and are always looking for better brands. Can you tell me, though, is this naturally sweetened or sweetened with Splenda? I'm not keen on giving my little ones (or myself) artificial sweeteners.

Thanks!

Semantics 5-08-2008 @ 4:40PM

It is sweetened with Aspartame. NOT a good choice for anyone to put in their bodies. Just another way companies try to say something is good, only to load it with CRAP!!!

Nova11 5-08-2008 @ 4:40PM

Thanks so much for the tip! I love yogurt...and recently tried some "lite" yogurt in my stores brand....it was AWFUL. So awful that my husband came to me this morning with his open cup of "lite" yogurt wanting to know what the heck it was because he hated it. Needless to say i wont be buying that anymore!! I just have such little faith in low-fat yogurts with that yucky sugar substitue in it and lumpy weird looking fruit.

Well, i will give this a try!! Thanks again.

marcie0305 5-08-2008 @ 9:39PM

I looked up the ingredients online and I saw Sucralose which is Splenda. I too avoid artificial sweeteners. We use kefir in our house:

http://feedingblackmail.blogspot.com/2007/08/spending-money-on-activia-or-danactive.html

It's not as thick as yogurt, but basically the same thing, and the brands I find are organic and use real fruit (the blueberry variation is awesome) and/or cane sugar to sweeten. I used to have to go to WholeFoods for it but I am finding it at Kroger and some other local groceries now...and it has a lot more probiotic punch than even Activia or the like.

Thanks :)
~Marcie

Judy 5-14-2008 @ 5:26PM

I'm kind of disappointed to see this. Why not just recommend taking out some regular plain yogurt and throwing in some fruit? It makes it sweet enough without needing extra added sugar - or worse, artificial sweeteners - and only adds nutrients and good stuff. We never buy the individiual serving yogurt anymore, and our big splurge is to buy vanilla yogurt as a treat. I would * much* rather my kids have real sugar than artificial sweetners anytime, but my boys are usually more than satisfied with plain yogurt or with just some fruit thrown in.

How much is Dannon paying for this ad?

fitzness 5-14-2008 @ 7:23PM

Ya know, Judy. What I do here....is not badger folks into being PERFECT. My job as a fitness professional is to get the general public to make BETTER choices day by day, meal by meal, snack by snack. Dannon Light & Fit 0% Plus IS a good choice. Is it perfect? Perhaps not. But for the folks in search of the best flavored yogurt they can grab as a snack on the go....it's pretty darn great. Lots of calcium, protein and flavor for very few calories. If you take time to read the almost 400 articles I've published on AOL you'll notice a theme. Eat plenty of fruits and veggies, lean protein, and lean calcium. Sweat often as well.

Sometimes we run, Judy. Sometimes we walk. Try not to be 'disappointed' in the walkers. Fitz

Judy 5-19-2008 @ 5:00PM

Fitz, I normally love your posts, and that's, I think, why this one disappointed me so. I have no problem with "treats" - I bake goodies at home probably more often than I should, and we all get a little piece or two of dark chocolate every day. But I don't kid myself into calling chocolate chip cookies made with whole wheat flour a health food. I might call it the lesser of 2 evils or a healthier alternative, but it didn't sound to me how your post here was worded. It sounded more like calling this product a perfectly acceptable, have-it-every-day, health food, which - to me at least - it is not.

But everyone's standards are different, too. I'd rather have full-fat yogurt, honestly, because I find it more satisfying, and think the whole "low-fat" thing got a lot wrong. I also avoid artificial sweeteners, especially for my children, with the exception of the gum I sometimes chew (I think the small amount of artificial sweetener is better than putting real sugar on my teeth like that).

I would have probably not given it a second thought, too, if this was listed as a "healthy convenience" food - a better option to grab when on the go, pack in a kid's lunch, or something like that. But when you're encouraging it (as far as I can tell) as something to be eaten at home, I just don't get it. I don't get these little convenience-size packs for home consumption, anyway - many times more expensive than buying a bigger package, and almost certainly more waste, to consider the environmental impact.

I'm all about making better choices, but quite frankly, I just don't see how recommending this is a better choice. Better than what? Something full of sugar and fat? Not necessarily - those little yogurt cups full of sugar and fat should be considered desserts, and I doubt this is how this product will be used. Better than plain yogurt with fruit stirred in? No.

Sorry to seem so critical. I'm certainly not aiming for perfection, either, just don't like seeing these kinds of foods promoted on a "health and fitness" site.

fitzness 5-19-2008 @ 7:32PM

We're just going to have to agree to disagree. I've taught to millions, and I promise you....this product is waaaay better than what most of them are choosing. I don't find a small bit of artificial sweetener horrendous at all. Science proves it's not. I give it an A-.

Fitz