This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Fage.
When I was approached by BlogHer to receive and review a free case of FAGE Total Greek Yogurt, I almost jumped up and down in excitement! You see, I’ve been devoted to FAGE Greek Yogurt for over a year now and had already been planning to write a blog post about it. The free case of yogurt was just an added bonus!
So what’s so great about FAGE Total Greek Yogurt? Lots of things! But what’s most important to me is that the yogurt is 100% natural and tastes amazing! FAGE is made without any extra ingredients, additives, preservatives, thickeners or stabilizers. Plain yogurt should basically have only two ingredients: milk and live active yogurt cultures. That’s it! And that’s all you’ll get when you eat FAGE Total yogurts.
I was so excited when the Fed Ex guy arrived with my box full of ice-packed yogurt! Although I buy containers of plain FAGE weekly at Trader Joe’s, I had never tasted any of the flavored varieties. I opened the box to find samples of lowfat (2%) Honey, Peach, Cherry, and Strawberry-flavored FAGE as well as a few containers of the plain, nonfat yogurt. SCORE!
Now first of all, let me tell you a little bit about Greek-style yogurt. You probably already know that it is thicker and creamier than regular yogurt, but perhaps you don’t know why. Greek-style yogurt is strained to remove much of the watery whey. This concentrates the milk solids and results in a thick, luxurious yogurt that is packed with protein. Now, if the yogurt is made from whole milk, the end product is also filled with an outrageous amount of fat! Full fat Greek-style yogurt is absolutely delicious, but should certainly be more of an occasional indulgence than an every day snack.
But this is where FAGE Total 2% and 0% come in.
FAGE has managed to create lowfat and nonfat Greek-syle yogurts that are creamy, delicious and indulgent with tons of protein and little to no fat! I am not a non-fat yogurt girl so my favorite is the FAGE Total 2% yogurt. One cup (8oz) of FAGE Total 2% has only 150 calories, 4.5 grams of fat (3g saturated), and a whopping 20 grams of protein!! And the best part? It is so creamy and delicious, it feels like you are eating something sinful! Seriously, this is the only yogurt I will buy now. FAGE Total 2% has ruined all other yogurts for me!
And for those of you who prefer something completely nonfat, the FAGE Total 0% is pretty good as far as nonfat yogurts go. One cup of FAGE Total 0% contains 120 calories, 0 grams fat, and 20 grams of protein. While I can eat the 2% yogurt by itself, I find that the nonfat has a slightly strange flavor (like I said, I’m not a nonfat girl!) so I like to pair it with a drizzle of honey or some fresh fruit. And I definitely feel that this is the best nonfat Greek-style yogurt out there! I’ve tasted just about every brand of yogurt that’s available in California and there are no nonfat yogurts that even come close! And yes, I have tried the Trader Joe’s brand of Greek yogurt. It might be cheaper, but it just doesn’t compare to FAGE. It really doesn’t.
And I’m not kidding when I say I’ve tried just about every brand of yogurt out there. When we lived in Europe, I fell in love with the delicious plain yogurts available there. They were made without any extra ingredients, stabilizers or preservatives and for the first time I started craving and snacking on plain yogurt. When we moved back to the states, I had a really hard time finding yogurt that compared to what I had grown accustomed to eating.
I set out on a quest to find the best yogurt available here and was disappointed to find that almost everything had additives and stabilizers in it. But I tried them all anyway. And I was disappointed over and over again. And just when I had resigned myself to start making my own yogurt at home, I discovered FAGE. It tasted so great that it seemed almost too good to be true. And I haven’t bought anything else since! And although I still want to try making my own yogurt someday, I really don’t want to stop eating my FAGE!
So I’ve talked a lot about the plain varieties of FAGE Total yogurts, but what about those fruit flavors? It’s true that I had never purchased any of the fruit-flavored varieties, and that’s because I was afraid that they would be too sweet or artifical tasting and quite frankly I didn’t want to ruin my love affair with my favorite Greek-style yogurt. But how wrong I was!
I love every single flavor! The yogurt containers come with a cute little fruit cup attached to the side so you can decide whether to mix the fruit into the yogurt or just add a little bit of fruit flavor to each bite. The fruit, although definitely sweetened with sugar, tastes like real fruit! And although the ingredient list does get a bit longer for the fruit-flavored yogurts, it’s certainly shorter than most store-bought fruit flavored yogurts!
For example, here is the ingredient list for FAGE Total 2% with Strawberry: Grade A pasteurized Skimmed Milk and Cream, Live Active Yogurt Cultures, Strawberries, Sugar, Corn Starch, Strawberry Juice Concentrate, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavor, Xantham.
And here are some quick nutrition facts for one 5.3 oz. container of fruit-flavored FAGE Total 2%: 130 calories, 2.5 grams fat (1.5g saturated), 18 grams total carbohydrate, 10 grams protein.
Not too bad for something that tastes like an indulgent dessert! In fact, I’ve already purchased some more of the fruit-flavored FAGE and I’ve been using it to satisfy the after-dinner sweet tooth I’ve recently developed. Trust me, eating a container of FAGE is a better choice than a bowl of ice cream! And quite frankly, I feel just as satisfied.
Now I know that many of you are already as addicted to FAGE as I am. I see it in your shopping carts, I’ve read your blog posts and I’ve heard you talking about it on twitter. But what I want to know is, what’s your favorite way to eat it? I love eating it both plain and drizzled with honey. But it’s also wonderful topped with fresh fruit…especially chopped mangoes! I also like to add a handful of granola when I’m feeling a little crunchy.
Greek yogurt is also great to use in place of sour cream or mayonnaise when you want to lighten things up without losing a creamy texture. I use it often in dips and dressings and Greek yogurt is a must if you want to make a great tzatziki. Once you start using it, you’ll find the possibilities are endless!
So have I convinced you to try FAGE yet? Would it help if you got your own free case of FAGE delivered to your door? I thought so!
BlogHer is giving away a case of FAGE yogurt every single day for the next 30 days! SERIOUSLY! All you have to do is leave a comment sharing your thoughts about FAGE and you could have the chance to win a case for yourself! Just head over to BlogHer now to find out the details!
And to learn even more about FAGE products, they have a wonderful interactive Web site that will tell you anything you need to know. In fact, why don’t you head over there now?
And one last thing…
If you’re going to eat FAGE Greek yogurt, you need to learn to pronounce it! No, it doesn’t rhyme with ‘rage.’ FAGE is pronounced “fah-yeh.” Now say it aloud with me…FAH - YEH!
Enjoy!
Recipes using Greek-Style yogurt:
- Curried Turkey Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Walnuts at Pinch My Salt
- Creamy Cilantro Lemon Dipping Sauce at Pinch My Salt
- World’s Best Tzatziki Sauce at Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Greek Yogurt Cupcakes at Big City, Little Kitchen
- Rich and Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing at Dani Spies
- Frozen Yogurt to Rival Pinkberry’s at 101 Cookbooks
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Fage is wonderful! I’m very lucky that the grocery store in my small town carries it. It’s very expensive but it’s one of my favorite little treats. It’s luscious. It has a silky texture and smooth taste. We only have the cups with the honey, I’d love to try the fruit cups!
Sure wish I thought I’d be able to find it within 75 miles of where I live. This is pretty much the middle of nowhere when it comes to gourmet items
I love yogurt and I can not wait to find FAGE and try it - it sounds great!
I just recently started eating Fage and I love it! I used to use Dannon plain fat free yogurt for topping Indian dishes (it cuts the spicy-ness), but as many people have mentioned, Fage is much thicker and creamier and much more delicious on my Kashmir Spinach.
My favorite way to enjoy Fage is to put 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup Fage 0% & 2 tblspns Splenda in the blender for the best fat free, no sugar added, 175 calorie smoothie I’ve ever had!
Because of Pinch My Salt I won a case of Fage! Thanks so much. My case was delivered today and I had the 2% Strawberry–sooo good. The richness of this yogurt is a treat.
I’ve never tried Fage - but recently have seen more recipes calling for it. I’ll have to head over to Trader Joe’s. I’m dying to know what all the fuss is about. Thanks for your article!!
i grew up in europe, eating plain, homemade yogurt. i was thrilled to find fage at my local grocery store. i love eating it plain or with honey. i pack it in my kids’ lunch bag and even converted a couple of coworkers!
Can Fage stand up under closer evaluation?
For one thing, the word “natural” means nothing. The FDA has no definition for “natural” and therefore no perimeters defining what’s permissible and what’s not.
I understand that the farmers that Fage gets their dairy from farmers who “pledge” not to use any drugs on their cows, however, I’m not quite sure
what that means. Can anyone explain the validity of a “pledge?”
My other question…are the cows raised on factory farms and on a diet that is given to factory farmed cows or are they free range
and grass fed cows? BIG difference in the milk product.
So yes, Fage tastes good but how integral is this company? They’re making billions yet are too greedy to consider the ethical treatment of animals which directly reflects in their product.
This yogurt basically tastes like cream cheese. The cherry variety tastes like youre eating cherry cheesecake. I love this stuff but it does have a very bitter taste to it.
I love Fage 0%. I usually have 1 cup and mix 1 scoop of whey protein powder with it in a bowl. 40g protein 220 cals. High protein snack and much healthier than protein bars!
Gone to heaven flavor in Fage 2% honey or strawberry!
I am as curious as Lisa (May 17, 2009) as to the “natural” label — I tried to research this online but could come up with nothing. I was hoping that the pasteurization process in Greece ( where it says it is produced) would be of low temperature (just enough to satisfy the FDA)… Thanks.
P.S. I do love this yogurt more often than I probably should… but would be relieved to know that I was really consuming an organic, grass-fed, non-processed product.
.
For ‘Lisa’….get a life!! What up with you. The negative comments about Fage and the cows and the billions of $ they make. You sound like the biggest cynic in the world. And your grammer leaves a lot to be desired. Please do not eat Fage as you do not deserve such a savory experience.
For joseph maduri:
you get a life! Lisa’s msg is fine if you read it carefully. yours is a total joke:
there’s a “grammer” mistake in every single sentence, unless you were just kidding, of course, in which case, you are neither funny nor serious. and that’s OK, we won’t take you seriously. how could we? “what up with you”?
For Lisa:
if by “natural” you mean dairy products obtained from free-range animals, then yes, as a native Greek, i can assure you there are no stabled animals in Greece.
In the US, however, you can always spot an industrial animal farm from the stench that hits you from miles off. they only free-range animals that don’t ever get injected with hormones here are the goats. so, try drinking some goat’s milk…if you can take it, that is!
and yes, i agree with you folks, FAGE is my favorite yogurt!
(Martha Stewart’s too…)
enjoy your FAH-yeah!
For Michael, I think the other guy was joking around; but anyways– do you really think your (Prince) Valiant efforts to defend her online honor our going to serve your underlying purpose… prolly not douche~bag… Martha Stewart fan huh, take your balls out of your boyfriend’s purse homo… and I can guess why you like goat’s milk you cum-guzzler! Yur the kid who sat with the girls at lunch but never got any action, so in college decided that hairy balls were better than nothing…
i love your yogurt i eat it everyday . i love the honey its wonderful.
Um… What micro-organism is added to the yoghurt during fermentation?
I love Fage yogurt! It sounds like it comes from an ethical dairy. Here are my two favorite ways to have it:
1. My go-to breakfast: 1 cup of 0% plain yogurt mixed with 1 tbsp ground flax seed, 1 tbsp agave nectar, 2 tbsp chopped almonds, and 1/2 cup frozen berries.
2. Fage is just as delicious as sour cream on a baked potato. It even melts! I love having a baked red potato with a big dallop of plain Fage and salsa.
I’m practically lactose intolerant, but Fage yogurt doesn’t bother my allergies to dairy at all. Since I’m a vegetarian, I like having good-quality sources of protein, which I get from the greek yogurt. Plus, it’s so yummy! And I agree, there is no substitute. I’ve tried a few other brands of greek yogurt and it isn’t the same.
Damn Dirk, seems like you had to one up everyone on the douchebag scale. Seriously, Lisa did bring a rain cloud in here, but her concerns were legitimate and Joseph didn’t have to attack her for it. And if he was joking around he really didn’t pull it off well. Michael simply thought Joseph was in the wrong and defended Lisa, nothing wrong there, and answered her question. Whereas you decided to resort to low personal attacks that only made yourself look like a dick…way to go….and this has nothing to do with “defending anyone’s honor”; it’s more about calling out someone who made an ass of themselves.
Btw, I absolutely love Fage! It tastes amazing with Kind’s fruit and nut bars. =)
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