Low-fat Greek yogurt is a healthier version of traditional Greek yogurt. Also called skinny Greek yogurt, this low-fat version skims off the vast majority of fat from the milk before the yogurt is produced. If made in the traditional manner, it is also known to be free of gluten and artificial preservatives. It forms one of many low-fat meal choices available to consumers across the world and can be combined with a wide variety of products from meat to salads.
Yogurt is a type of thickened milk. It has more moisture than cheese, but less than creams. Milks can be taken from cows and goats, but traditional Greek yogurt is made from sheep milk. That said, cow’s milk could also be used. Yogurts come in many varieties, from traditional semi-solid yogurts to bio yogurts that are good for the digestive system and sweet yogurts mixed with fruit sauces or bits of chocolate.
The process of making low-fat Greek yogurt involves a number of steps. First, the fat is skimmed from the sheep or cow milk using both a clarifier and a separator. Once this has been done, the fat content of the yogurt needs to be assessed to make sure it meets the requirements of the producers. Low-fat Greek yogurt tends to be about 99% fat-free.
Evaporation is employed to reduce the ratio of liquid to solid. Harmful microorganisms are then removed during pasteurization and then the milk-yogurt is allowed to ferment. Traditional low-fat Greek yogurt does not use artificial thickeners such as gelatin, wheat products or artificial preservatives.
Traditional Greek yogurt is stored in goatskins or clay jars in rural Greece. These are used for transporting the yogurt from the place of production to the shops or to local consumers. Modern low-fat Greek yogurt and those sold in other countries tend to be contained in plastic tubs.
Low-fat Greek yogurt is good by itself or as part of a low-fat diet. Like other low-fat products, their nutritional value and lack of fat is rendered void if combined with high-fat products. Still, it can be mixed with honey, sugar or fruits like strawberries or raspberries to make a tasty snack.
There are many uses for low-fat Greek yogurt in combination with other foods. For example, some Greek dishes and many Hungarian ones use Greek yogurt as a complement to red meats such as pork, beef and lamb. They can also be combined with fruit to make smoothies, poured on a salmon salad, mixed to make dips, or strained and used to make Tzatziki.