Probiotics and Fage Greek Yogurt: What You Should Know

Greek yogurt provides healthy probiotics for the gut and usually offers twice the amount of protein as regular yogurts. It also has calcium, zinc, and vitamins.

Fage Greek yogurt is among the brands often making "best" lists on consumer sites.

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Greek yogurt is praised for its thicker and creamier texture, but many people want flavor as well, and that may increase sugar content. Plain yogurts usually have less sugar than flavored products, notes The Dr. Oz Show. Many Greek yogurts manage to provide less sugar than competitors.

For protein-rich, gluten-free Greek yogurt, a 7-ounce container of Fage Total 2% Plain Greek Yogurt has 151 calories with 36 calories from fat. Of the 4 grams of total fat, saturated fat accounts for 3 grams. The product also has 8.1 grams of sugars, but has 20.2 grams of protein. It is high in calcium, phosphorus, riboflavin and vitamin B-12 while low in cholesterol and sodium, according to Caloriecount.com.

The same Fage product was named by Woman’s Day as one of the six best yogurts to buy at the grocery store. The taste is aided by a traditional straining method that makes it “one of the thickest on the shelf” for the probiotic-rich yogurt.

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Eat This Not That named Fage Total 2% one of 11 best Greek yogurts for weight loss. It also named Fage one of the nine best brand name yogurts for weight loss. However, it notes to avoid certain flavors that contain higher amounts of sugar.

Sugar may be an issue for consumers who want tasty yogurt along with the benefits of probiotics. Fage Total 0% Plain Greek Yogurt has zero fat and 100 calories, but includes 7 grams of sugar, according to CalorieKing. It is also packed with 18 grams of protein in a 6-ounce cup.

Two class action suits in New York arose in 2014 against Fage and Chobani Greek yogurt companies claiming the producers hid the amount of sugar in the products because some were labeled as “0” percent. However, a similar California lawsuit was dismissed because the percentage referred to fat and not sugar. The lawsuits also claimed that the yogurt products contain more sugar than ice cream bars.

However, plain Greek yogurt remains the best choice for lower sugar content, according to Livestrong.com.

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