Yogurt Question.....

OK, so I just started eating yogurt about 3 or 4 months ago.  Thought it was the best stuff on earth - if mixed with the right about of raspberries!! I can't eat it straight.  Anyway, I am now a vegan (3 weeks now - not one bit of meat, eggs or dairy) and the thought of consuming any dairy - even yogurt frankly now disgusts me.  I went to my local organic food store in search of some non-dairy yogurt.  I stood in front of the yogurt for at least a 1/2 hr trying to decide which one was the best to buy.  I ended up getting none of them.  I have tried plain yogurt - it was bitter, has to be sweetened (which opens a whole other can of worms) and just plain yucky. I ended up purchasing Soyogourt - it's not too bad - but I find the fruit gross and so I try to skim off the fruit.  But the sugar content is thru the roof bacause of the fruit - which is not good for my blood sugar since I have Type 2 Diabetes.  My question after all that: Is yogurt worth it? Is there a good one out there for a vegan diet that is also diabetes friendly? Any suggestions?

hi- i know if has been ages since you posted your question... i've been distracted by moving so havn't been around. Here is the deal from my perspective. The only real benefit of yogurt is the good bacteria colonizing in your gut- right? well, most of the yogurt companies are full of it when they add the notes regarding live cultures, etc... the levels are too low to be truly beneficial even if they are using the "right" types of bacteria, etc... You can get the correct blend of bacteria in pill form (if going vegan, make sure not gelatin caps) from a reputable company and then you are not consuming the dairy and since they specialize in bacteria, they can actually TELL you what benefits to expect when your gut is actually in balance...

I don't want to advertise a particular company, but will tell you that you should only work with a company that ships their product cooled (bacteria are actually sensitive to heat) and NEVER NEVER NEVER buy from craigslist or ebay, etc. because you have no way of knowing how the product was stored...

If you get frustrated trying to research this and want to know which company I use and trust, send me a message or email to falada8@gmail.com. Like I said, I don't want to seem to be advertising any one company but I am also a little knowledgeable because I work for a company that distributes nutritional supplements to alternative medicine practitioners- chiropracters, naturopaths, etc. so know some reliable sources.

as for diabetes, I don't have any specific knowledge regarding a specific diet but know that it is important for the carbs you consume to be complex- which is what you encounter in a vegan diet- mostly veggies, some fruit (i would guess maybe you need to limit it a bit?) and protein from grains and legumes. I would avoid anything processed (hidden sugars- even if "vegan").

It seems you tend to crave sweets? I know that this craving CAN be broken but since I don't know much about diabetes, you might need to do it under the care of a nutritionist, etc. You basically have to eliminate ALL sweets and sweet flavors (NO sugar substitutes) from your diet for about 2 weeks. It can seem impossible at the front end, but I know many people who did it and can now eat a bit of sweet stuff here and there without feeling the need to eat  sweets every day or an entire bucket of ice cream on a really stressful day. It is a physical "addiction" (not sure it is QUITE the right word) and you have to re-set what your body needs... I was just telling a girl i think it sucks when people are told cravings are psychological and they are "weak" if they cave in- they are physical- your body is communicating with you- and a sweets craving tells you something is OFF.

Good luck with everything. Let me know if there is anyting I can do to help...

I also love yogurt and gave it up when I went vegan, but one that I have found that is absolutely fabulous is called "So Delicious".  It's made with coconut milk so its dairy free & soy free.  The plain tastes like coconut and they also have blueberry and strawberry.  I've tried the blueberry and it's really tasty, but the plain is my favorite.  I found it at the grocery store in the dairy-free section of the dairy isle.  I'm not sure of the sugar contents or anything, but you can do an online search and I think their website might have nutritional info and a store locator.  A lot of vendors and manufacturers have that feature now :o)