Everything you need to know about Greek yogurt and how it can meet your nutrition needs

It’s frequently recommended by dietitians and has become a key ingredient in viral recipes, from the two-ingredient Japanese cheesecake and TikTok’s Turkish-style pasta, to baked yogurt toast. But what should we be looking for on the label?

The protein content of Greek yogurt is about double the protein content of regular yogurt. Picture: iStock

Two-ingredient cheesecake. Turkish-style pasta. Baked yogurt toast. Bagels. These dishes have two things in common: They’ve trended on social media — and they’re all made using Greek yogurt. So far, so simple. We know that yogurt is a fermented dairy product and we’re all trying to include more fermented food in our diets, but the emphasis on Greek yogurt can be confusing. Are all yogurts the same or could we be making better yogurt choices?

While we’re ready to bookmark that recipe, put Greek yogurt on the shopping list and get set to trial the latest trend, it gets a little more complicated when we get to the supermarket dairy aisle. There’s just so much to choose from. Yogurts with fruit, yogurt designated for kids. Pots marked high protein, dairy free, low fat and lactose free. Corner yogurts with sprinkles, layered yogurts in jars, drinking yogurts and big 1kg tubs of natural, Greek and Greek-style yogurts. Lots of yogurt, but not all are created the same. They vary in the way that they are made, the nutritional benefits they offer — and the taste. So which one do you choose?