Heidi Klum's Light Yogurt Commercial

There's nothing like supermodel Heidi Klum slurping down a container of yogurt to get non-believers eating the superfood. And that's just what Dannon Yogurt had in mind when it recently launched a TV spot for its Light & Fit yogurt featuring spokesperson Klum, according to a recent MediaPost story.

The commercial, in which a fellow exerciser watches Klum's voracious consumption of Dannon's 80 calorie Light & Fit yogurt, is being used to propel this light yogurt past competitor Yoplait as the best low-cal option. Of course, we're slightly skeptical of this advertising based on Dannon's previous exaggeration of the health benefits of its yogurt products. So while Klum may boost the ratings for Dannon, we're already on board with the benefits of yogurt, since it's a food that doesn't require a hard sell.

A dieter's dream, yogurt's health benefits include being high in protein, calcium, magnesium, B-vitamins and iron, and rich in probiotics. It's also a tasty way to slim down. In 2005, The International Journal of Obesity found that substituting yogurt for other foods significantly improved weight loss, and more recently research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed dairy's positive impact on weight loss.

"On one hand, a diet that is inadequate in dairy, as is the case for most Americans, inclines us to excessive weight gain," said obesity and calcium researcher Michael Zemel, professor and director of the University of Tennessee's Nutrition Institute. "And a diet that includes adequate amounts of dairy foods increases body composition, helps burn more fat, and, when combined with a calorie-restricted diet, greatly accelerates that amount of fat weight and belly fat that you can lose."

While cheese and milk also have some of these fat-burning powers, Zemel said yogurt has been shown to have this positive impact when tested by itself (as opposed to a combination of calcium-rich foods). So whether you fall for Klum's commercial or another low fat option, be sure to add yogurt as one of your staples in 2010. However, it's important to remember that all yogurts – especially the low-cal ones littering supermarket shelves – aren't created equal.

While sticking to a yogurt that's not loaded with excess fat and sugar is important, watch out for brands touting low-cal options at your expense. While single-servings of Dannon Light & Fit and Yoplait Light (80 and 100 calories, respectively) are certainly calorie-light options, they both contain the artificial sweetener aspartame and lack in probiotics. One single-serving of Dannon's Light & Fit vanilla yogurt contains active culture L. Acidophilus, but a similarly-sized serving of Stonyfield Farm's Oikos Greek yogurt (110 calories) contains five live cultures.




Unsure which reigns supreme? Here are some tips to ensure you get the most out of your yogurt. Still need some guidance? Try Stonyfield Farm's Oikos organic Greek yogurt for a snack packed with protein and sans artificial sweeteners.