Dairy and eggs
Greek yoghurt on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 9 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), plain, strained, full fat, for around 95 calories. A small tub, about 170 g (6.0 oz), gives roughly 15 g of protein for 162 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from greek yoghurt alone you would need about 333 g (11.7 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How greek yoghurt sits on a GLP-1
Greek yoghurt is the protein most people on a GLP-1 end up leaning on, because it is cold, smooth, needs no cooking and has no smell. Strained properly it carries about 9 g per 100 g (3.5 oz), so a small tub is a decent half stop. The full fat version is the one to buy: a little fat makes it satisfying and it is far less sour, and sourness is what turns people off when reflux is part of the picture. If reflux is frequent, that is a conversation with your prescriber, not a yoghurt problem to solve on your own.
When your appetite is small
Eat it with a teaspoon, not a tablespoon, and stir a spoon of skim milk powder through it. Milk powder alone takes a 170 g (6 oz) tub from about 15 g of protein to about 19 g and makes it thicker rather than bigger. Sweeten with a little honey or a few berries, not with a flavoured tub, which often has a third less protein and a lot more sugar.
Three ways to prepare it
Plain, with milk powder stirred through
A heaped tablespoon, about 10 g (0.35 oz), of skim milk powder adds 3 to 4 g of protein and makes the yoghurt taste creamier. It is the cheapest protein upgrade in the kitchen.
As a savoury sauce over meat or fish
Yoghurt, lemon, garlic and salt over shredded chicken or a poached fillet. The sauce makes dry protein wet, which is half of what gets it eaten.
Frozen in a small tub with berries
A 100 g (3.5 oz) portion frozen for an hour is cold, thick and slow to eat, which suits a day when you want food to feel like a treat rather than a task.
What to eat it with
Berries, honey, a spoon of nut butter, or a savoury turn with cucumber and lemon. On a small appetite it does its best work as the thing that carries another protein: over chicken, with tinned salmon, or stirred into soup at the end.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greek yoghurt | about 9 g | 95 kcal | this page |
| Skyr | about 11 g | 65 kcal | See the page |
| High protein yoghurt | about 10 g | 65 kcal | See the page |
| Cottage cheese | about 11 g | 100 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, plain, strained, full fat, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Greek yoghurt in Australia, Greek yogurt in the US and the UK, where it is spelt without the h. Watch for Greek style on any label in all three countries, which usually means thickened with starch or cream rather than strained, with protein closer to 5 g per 100 g (3.5 oz).
Questions people ask
How much Greek yoghurt gives 30 g of protein?
About 330 g (11.7 oz), which is two small tubs and more than most people manage in one sitting. A single 170 g (6 oz) tub gives about 15 g, so we treat it as half a stop and add milk powder, nuts or a boiled egg to finish it.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.