Oui by Yoplait
I love yogurt. Love it. It's such a great way to have a little snack that if selected wisely- can provide a healthier and delicious treat option while adding protein to your diet. I have written earlier about being on a primarily Paleo diet. My intake of refined foods is minimal, BUT I do make an exception for yogurt and cheese in moderation. It's a very welcome addition to a diet that is fulfilling, but let's face it- eating like a cavewoman doesn't afford many sinful treats. Yogurt becomes that sinful something for me. There are health benefits to yogurt in a balanced diet. The bacteria in yogurt is known to help aid digestion and I notice that eating it helps reduce bloating and cramps. IBS is something I have suffered from since childhood, and eating more yogurt has significantly helped my digestion issues. I do tend to stay away from the types with fruit added in them "on the bottom" . I don't really like the addition of fruit to yogurt, unless it's fresh. It adds unnecessary calories and sugar to the product, and to me, it erases the whole reason for eating it to begin with. I also don't like the gummy texture that the fruit seems to take on when added in. Nope, I'm just a plain old vanilla kind of girl in this area. My biggest issue with yogurt is the runny texture of a LOT of the brands on the market. I like a thicker option and until now, Greek yogurt had filled that need. But even the thicker Greek yogurt has a downfall for me- when you open the container, there's always this watery slime collection at the top. Look, I don't have a lot of food aversions, but texture is a huge thing for me. If there's a layer of what looks like mucus on my food, I'm not mixing that right back in. And... I'm going to think twice about eating it. Having to psyche myself up to eat something doesn't contribute to me eating more of it, or even regularly. Scanning the yogurt shelves (WHY is there so much of the same on the shelves now?) I saw a new item. A little glass jar with a foil cover that is made to look like how yogurt was stored back in the day. This hat tip to an OG container grabbed my interest immediately. "Oui French Style Yogurt". Ok, I'll try it. The protein could be higher, and the calories could be lower, but peeping through the glass, I noticed how solid the state of it was- with NO slime on top. I bought ONE single serve container. I brought it home and sat down with my one year old son. I give him yogurt often too, so his vote was going to weigh in on my decision as well. He's not a picky eater, but he makes it clear if he's eating it because he likes it or if he's eating because he's just hungry. I took the first scoop and noticed the firmness of it. My spoon cut into the form that isn't as solid as Jell-o, but holds its shape on the spoon. It's a thickness similar to a body butter that comes in a tub, or even a vat of whipped butter. That firmness is there, without being fluffy like something whipped. Definitely no mousse type characteristics here outside of the shape holding properties. I had chosen the vanilla flavor, of course, and the taste was sweet and tart, but not sour at all. The vanilla flavor is convincing, and reminds me more of a vanilla ice cream in richness than a vanilla yogurt from a competitor. I loved it instantly. As for my son, he concurred- and proceeded to eat the rest of the container. I liked it so much in fact, I went back to the supermarket that same day, and bought more. It's been an almost daily staple in our diets since. I'm sure there are more healthy options out there by way of organics, or other culturally influenced selections, such as Icelandic Skyr.
Having Oui opened up my interest in other options, so I did buy one variety of Skyr- and I didn't like it at all. (The brand was Icelandic Provisions, Vanilla) It was very sour, and I couldn't finish it. So at least for the moment, Oui has the title of favorite in our home. A quick internet search indicated that my disinterest in Greek yogurt wasn't just me. Buzzfeed reported Greek yogurt sales down by 5%, and suggested that French style yogurt may in fact be the next big thing to happen to yogurt in America. Considering that I often have to go to several stores to find it, as it's frequently sold out in the two grocery stores closest to me, I would venture to guess that I'm not the only one that's discovered a love for this style of yogurt. Yoplait talks about the difference between traditional French Style yogurt, and the American method. In French style, the ingredients are added into the individual containers and then allowed to cure for eight hours. It isn't easy to do on a large scale, as it requires much space to produce. American yogurt is made in enormous batches then poured into individual cups. Poured. I do NOT want to pour my yogurt.
The difference in method is very noticeable in the end result to this foodie. If you're looking for a different option, I recommend investigating this one yourself. For the sake of this article, I did go back and buy a fruit variety for comparison to others. Where it isn't my go-to choice, it wasn't as offensive to me as the other brands I have tried. Subsequently, as vanilla has been sold out, I have purchased the flavored varieties and just stopped eating when I got to the bottom where the fruit is. The peach and cherry varieties are delicious to me this way. Check it out for yourself. I'll bet that French style will have you saying- "Oui!"
