Yogurt for Men

Have you seen this?

They have really done their best to make it as butch as possible. The website is a kick, all moody red and black, with stylized flames.  I love the bull head graphics used as bullet points. But the flavors are depressingly normal. What's so masculine about mango and strawberry? Where are the raw meat and cayenne flavors? 

Being the research nerd that I am, I went to a couple of websites and did a comparison of nutritional data, between Powerful Yogurt & Oikos Greek Yogurt (both strained, plain, non-fat versions, 8 oz servings) and the differences are minimal. 

(You can find the nutritional data for Powerful here and Oikos here)

Yogurt is not female or male. It's a dairy product produced by the bacterial fermentation of milk. And unfortunately, the powers that be have decided to market it as the healthy, adult alternative to the pudding cup, that as a bonus will regulate your bowel.

Boring and unappealing. Bowel health is not a way to sell food. That's why no-one wants to eat prunes.  Besides, who wants to eat anything "because it's good for you."? When I was a kid, my father always said "Eat your onions - it'll put hair on your chest."

1. This argument had no appeal when I was eight, and it still doesn't.

2. It didn't work. No chest hair at all. And carrots didn't make my hair curly, either. (Looking at you, Mom.)

They should emphasize how wonderful and delicious it is. There are yogurt drinks, yogurt condiments (like raita), and yogurt soups. Yogurt with spices makes a wonderful (and less drippy) marinade. It can be used as a substitute for sour cream or milk in all sorts of recipes. Plain yogurt is a staple of my kitchen.

And do you know that strained (i.e. Greek style) yogurt is almost embarassingly easy to make? Line a colander with paper towels. Dump yogurt in the lined colander. Put in the refrigerator overnight with a tray or bowl to catch the liquid. The next day you will have a colander full of yogurt so thick a spoon will stand up in it.

strained yogurt

Strained yogurt can be sweetened and served as a dessert. Or mixed with herbs and salt and used as a soft cheese. I've used it as salad dressing (Dill, yogurt and salt over cucumbers - very good). And because I couldn't resist the strawberries at the market this weekend, part of an open face breakfast sandwich.

Breakfast this week: crisp bread, strained yogurt and strawberries

You could easily make this a savory dish by switching out the strawberries for tomatoes, maybe with a little ham and cracked black pepper.

Ignore the ad campaigns, yogurt for everybody!