Dessert Alternative: Yogurt

Stonyfield Farm Organic Whole Milk French Vanilla Yogurt is a great dessert alternative. When you remove the lid, you will find a layer of yogurt cream on top to stir in with your spoon, until it is just as smooth as you like. Still, there will be little patches that are creamier and more tart than others as you eat. It's the layers of flavor that I enjoy most: the tipping between earthy vanilla, sweetness, sour cream and back again. The taste is similar to the balance of a slow baked cheesecake batter. I like it best served very well chilled. Try pouring it into a deep colored, small, ceramic bowl. The visual contrast is lovely while you stir. This yogurt is a simple, pure treat. There is no reason to think of yogurt just for breakfast anymore! Your favorite tea or black coffee would also be a good companion to this dessert. You may also want to garnish with berries.

I decided to switch brands several months ago after I noticed my longtime favorite choice contained high fructose corn syrup. I might as well have been drinking soda. It seemed so cruel: an ostensibly healthy selection (with fruit included) was just more junk food in disguise. I think I have made real progress here with Stonyfield's French Vanilla. There are 4 grams of saturated fat per six ounce serving which is 20% of the daily allowance. So it's best to eat just one a day if you have weight concerns. It is also more expensive, by about 25 cents, than the rest of the offerings at the supermarket. But the taste and texture are worth paying a little extra for. And you get to avoid antibiotics, synthetic growth hormones and pesticides found in many other store brand yogurts. This yogurt is a good source of fiber in the form of the probiotic carbohydrate Inulin, which passes through the small intestine intact and helps boost the good bacteria in the gut. Pectin also adds to the fiber content.

It's always a good idea to glance at the ingredients in the foods you consume regularly. Treating yourself well means making informed choices about what you eat and making tradeoffs to get you closer to your ideal health profile. Over time you can improve you diet and you may find yourself drawn to more authentic tastes. A little time spent searching for beneficial things can enhance your life.