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Which is healthier Greek yogurt or oatmeal?

Yogurt is known for its high protein, calcium and probiotic contents, so it's likely better than oatmeal at encouraging weight loss through a high-protein diet, staving off osteoporosis, improving bone density and treating or preventing digestive issues.

healthyeating.sfgate.com - Yogurt vs. Oatmeal - Healthy Eating | SF Gate

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Yogurt and oatmeal both have strong reputations as health foods, and for good reason – they’re nutrient-packed, with relatively few calories and fat grams per serving. Pitting them against each other in a head-to-head comparison can be useful if you want to see what each offers, but they’re different enough so that the healthiest choice is including them both in your regular diet.

Nutrition Facts

According to the USDA, an 8-ounce serving of plain, full-fat yogurt has about 140 calories, 8 grams of protein, 7.4 grams of fat, 10.6 grams of carbs and no fiber. The same amount of plain, nonfat yogurt has 130 calories, 13 grams of protein, 0.4 fat grams, 17.4 grams of carbs and no fiber. In comparison, 1 cup of cooked plain oatmeal has 165 calories, 6 grams of protein, 3.5 fat grams, 28 grams of carbs and 4 grams of fiber. A cup of instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal, prepared with one packet of oats, contains 160 calories, 4.3 grams of protein, 2.3 fat grams, 31.5 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fiber.

Composition

If you’re making a choice between yogurt and oats, it makes sense to focus on the nutrients you need the most. Yogurt is known for its high protein, calcium and probiotic contents, so it’s likely better than oatmeal at encouraging weight loss through a high-protein diet, staving off osteoporosis, improving bone density and treating or preventing digestive issues. Oatmeal has less protein, but it’s rich in complex carbohydrates and fiber. Those nutrients can improve appetite control and reduce the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Other Factors

It’s also worth weighing the benefits of portability, convenience and price when comparing yogurt to oatmeal. Although it’s an extremely portable and easy-to-eat food, yogurt is often two or three times more expensive per serving than oatmeal, and needs to stay refrigerated in storage. Oatmeal wins in the price and portability categories, since it’s nonperishable and especially cheap in bulk. However, regular and rolled varieties can take 10 minutes or more to prepare, giving yogurt the edge in convenience.

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