Regular Yogurt VS Light: Which Type of Yogurt is Best While Dieting?

With obesity and diabetes currently reaching epidemic proportions, more and more people are dieting in order to drop their excess weight as well as keep their soaring blood sugar levels under control. One thing that confuses many dieters, however, is what they should and should not eat. Some people believe that if they drink diet sodas and eat "light" foods and snacks that they will automatically lose weight. The light products are labeled "light" because they're lower in calories than the regular versions, and because they are usually sweetened with an artificial sweetener as opposed to sugar. So when it comes to yogurt, light is always the better way to go when it comes to weight loss and diabetes control, right? Well, not necessarily, and here are some major reasons why.

Metabolism Problems - Many people who are dieting, whether they suffer from diabetes or not, have a tough time losing weight.This is often a result of years of yo-yo dieting, which has caused a serious flaw in the metabolism, resulting in it functioning at a much slower rate. Individuals suffering from such metabolism problems often need to consume a completely natural diet that is totally free of anything artificial, which will often help to speed up the metabolism to a normal level. So of course this means that all artificial sweeteners are to be avoided.

Weight Loss Stalls - A great deal of research has been done on aspartame, which has been found to stall weight loss in many individuals. This non-nutritive sweetener has also been linked to cravings for sweets and other high carbohydrate foods, which is certainly undesirable whether trying to lose or maintain weight.

Blood Sugar Issues - Artificial sweeteners, specifically aspartame, has been implicated in many out-of-control blood sugar cases, making it more difficult for people that consume foods and drinks containing aspartame to keep their blood sugar under control. Some people who are adamant about drinking diet drinks but wary of aspartame will only drink colas sweetened with Splenda (sucralose), and although this artificial sweetener hasn't yet been identified as a source of trouble for diabetics, it's best to stay away from all artificial sweeteners just to be on the safe side.

Low Glycemic Index - those trying to lose weight will often follow a low glycemic index diet, which is also excellent for diabetics and pre-diabetics. One great thing about yogurt, regardless if it's light or regular, is the fact that it has a low glycemic index. So instead of risking your health by choosing the light, why not choose the regular, which will help you to keep your weight loss and blood sugar in check?

The decision to eat either light or regular yogurt is ultimately up to you. If you prefer to avoid sugar and eat the light and it doesn't affect your weight loss in a negative manner, then great. On the other hand, if you notice that you have frequent weight loss stalls and/or you've seemed to have developed some type of sensitivity to artificial sweeteners, it might be a wise decision to choose the regular. Besides, what's worse? Eating a 150- calorie yogurt containing fresh fruit and sugar, or eating a large slice of chocolate cake smothered in chocolate frosting? Obviously the yogurt is the better, even if it does contain sugar.

References

Aspartame Dangers - http://www.tuberose.com/Aspartame.html

Splenda Exposed - http://www.splendaexposed.com/

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Low Glycemic Dieting (excerpt) - http://books.google.com/books?id=-aoCpB7I9HIC&pg=PA139&lpg=PA139&dq=weight+loss+stalls+%2B+aspartame&source=bl&ots=pP9X2300Uh&sig=hMm1IURvHsMYQSqaTGlfdB95ptc&hl=en&ei=D5ouTbjRKtPngQfYoZyzDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CF0Q6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false