Yogurt question

Would like to pick up some yogurt for my aunt who is extremely underweight and also having problems swallowing. Not sure what to buy; was told to get something with full fat that is completely smooth (nothing in it to chew). Also needs to be kosher... Can anyone help me save some shelf scanning time here? Going to have to make a quick stop at the store after work on my way to see her...

Yoplait has a line called "Yoplait Whips" which are very light and airy, mousse-like in texture. No bits of fruit or seeds in them. Looks like they are about 140 calories per container. Their website says it is kosher; the wording they show is: Yoplait yogurt carries KD (Kosher Dairy) Certification, certified by Rabbi Barnett Hasden.

Here's a link to their site showing the different flavors. http://www.yoplait.com/products/yoplait-whips

Stonyfield French Vanilla was popular with our fussy four year old for a while. I have no idea if it's kosher.

I am not a yogurt person, but I have been told that the full fat yogurts are really good.

Stonyfield/Oikos
Chobani
Greek Gods
Fage
Voskos

All are kosher.

eta: ...and rated well in taste tests.

I think greek yogurt might be more difficult to swallow than you'd like.

You can also try kefir.

Noosa is good and made with whole milk and honey. I've seen it at Kings and Whole Foods. WF has a range of full-fat brands that aren't well known. You might also want to try 2 percent or whole-milk skyr, like Siggi's, which is much less sweet than most yogurts.

I recommend the Trader Joe's Organic yogurt in the 32 oz. container. I get the lowfat variety, but it also comes in full fat. If you get plain, you can mix in a little honey for sweetness. They also have a couple of flavors that are smooth. I'm 99% sure this is Stonyfield under the covers, but cheaper and just as good. Has the OU symbol.

This is the one I'm talking about: https://aintfoundagoodtitleblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/04/trader-joes-plain-organic-yogurt-food-review/

The Greek yogurt, as someone said above, might be too thick. I really like the Trader Joe's "European style" yogurt. Full fat and smooth. Not a thick consistency at all. It is on Trader Joe's list of Kosher certified. 170 calories in a cup.

I don't know what your aunt's issue is but my mother had ALS, which made it difficult (to say the least) to swallow. The more a product molded to her mouth, the easier it was for her to swallow it, so lots of pudding, etc. That's my experience with that...

The trader joes whole milk plain and vanilla are really good. As is the Greek honey—but I'm not sure if it's whole milk. Also the yogurts marketed for babies/toddlers are whole milk and delicious. Trader joes has these with their label. Small containers for lunches.

I would almost guarantee they are kosher.

My sister also recommended baby yogurt for the whole milk/full fat benefits... and I like the pudding idea too.

I think that thicker is better for swallowing, isn't it? I know that my mom had "thick water" for that problem. (Weird, right?)

I would suggest buying the very best, healthiest yogurt you can find and make a smoothie out of it -- with frozen fruit, a good protein powder, and thin it down as much as you need to with coconut milk. No need to add any kind of sweetener.

Thanks mumstheword but my aunt is kosher and I'm not... I can't make her anything in my house that she will eat. I also don't think smoothies would be good for her considering her swallowing problems. Too textured.

I was thinking about egg custard. If you can't cook for her, how about Kozy Shack flan cups?

I love Wegmans Probiotic yogurt

http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=398834&storeId=10052&langId=-1

Gluten free. High calcium. Low sodium. 1% milkfat. Naturally flavored. Vitamin D added. Pre- & probiotic. USDA organic. 43 mg of EPA & DHA omega-3 fats per 8 oz serving. 1.91 billion live & active probiotic cultures per 8 oz serving. Excellent source of vitamin D. Probiotics help support the immune system and intestinal well being. Contains 43 mg EPA and DHA omega 3 fats from fish per 8 oz serving. Organic certified by QAI. Grade A. Super Organics: Powerful nutrition. We stirred in probiotic cultures to actively promote good hearth -deliciously! Probiotics are beneficial bacteria, like Bifidobacterium, which have been shown to support the immune system and healthy digestion. We thought it made sense to add system supporting vitamin D and heart healthy omega-3s since these important nutrients are often in short supply! The natural ingredient inulin works two ways: as a prebiotic (actual food for the probiotic bacteria) along with extra fiber for you! We're proud of our Super Yogurt and we hope you'll agree. Remember, your satisfaction is always guaranteed with Wegmans brand products - The Wegmans Family. Product of USA.
IngredientsCultured Pasteurized Grade A Organic Nonfat Milk, Organic Sugar, Organic Cream, Organic Corn Starch, Inulin (Dietary Fiber), Organic Vanilla Flavor, Organic Vanilla Beans, Pectin, Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate, Organic Locust Bean Gum, Fish Oil (Anchovy, Sardine), Kosher Gelatin (Beef, Tilapia), Vitamin D3, Contains A Blend of Live and Active Cultures Including: L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casei, Probiotic Bifidobacterium Lactis.
WarningsAllergens: Contains fish (sardine, anchovy, tilapia), milk.
DirectionsKeep refrigerated.

bluepool said:
Thanks mumstheword but my aunt is kosher and I'm not... I can't make her anything in my house that she will eat. I also don't think smoothies w

ould be good for her considering her swallowing problems. Too textured.

Sorry, in my ignorance of kosher practices I didn't realize making something like a smoothie was so restrictive. How about something like Boost (which is considered acceptable for those who are ill: https://oukosher.org/passover/guidelines/medicine-guidlines/nutritionals-and-dietary-supplements/)

Here's the Boost website (which doesn't say anything about being kosher, but you can get the gist of all the different types that might be good for your aunt). http://www.boost.com/products/original

Good luck!

If I'm understanding correctly, it's not the smoothie per se but rather that bluepool's aunt eats only food that is certified kosher or that has been prepared in a kosher kitchen.

Which leads me to a question about kosher yogurt: If Noosa's ingredients include milk and kosher bovine gelatin, can it be kosher?

Mumstheword and anyone else using a lot of coconut oils, milks, waters and powders please be aware there have been many recent food recall alerts here, especially on imported products, for undeclared dairy contaminants. No particular brands or distributor, or even country of origin. The food recall notices all make the point that the contamination is sufficiently high to cause problems for people with allergies or health issues.

How about Ensure shakes? They are more nutritionally complete than yogurt and I believe they are kosher.

https://ensure.com/nutrition-products

@sac made a good point above.

My aunt was also put on thickened liquids when she developed swallowing problems.

My aunt is in a rehabilitation center and has a caregiver, so her diet is being professionally prescribed. I had just asked my uncle what I could bring her, and yogurt was one of the few things he mentioned. I did end up also bringing her the Kozy Shack flan... she seemed like she wanted to try it, but the caregiver said she should wait until tomorrow because she already had pudding and some other kind of nutritional drink with her dinner...

joanne said:
Mumstheword and anyone else using a lot of coconut oils, milks, waters and powders please be aware there have been many recent food recall alerts here, especially on imported products, for undeclared dairy contaminants. No particular brands or distributor, or even country of origin. The food recall notices all make the point that the contamination is sufficiently high to cause problems for people with allergies or health issues.

Can you send a link? I haven't heard of anything here (I use TJ's coconut and almond milks). Thanks!

It's on the Australian Food Safety recalls site. I've deleted my notices, but will see what I can get for you.

The main reason I'm mentioning it is that there have been so many lately that it seems to be something producers think they can get away with. 'Oh there's hardly any in there; we only use it to make the product whiter, or flow better...' Yeah, you still need to list it on the labels, mate.

http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/industry/foodrecalls/recalls/Pages/default.aspx

joanne said:
It's on the Australian Food Safety recalls site. I've deleted my notices, but will see what I can get for you.
The main reason I'm mentioning it is that there have been so many lately that it seems to be something producers think they can get away with. 'Oh there's hardly any in there; we only use it to make the product whiter, or flow better...' Yeah, you still need to list it on the labels, mate. ">
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/industry/foodrecalls/recalls/Pages/default.aspx

Thanks, @joanne. That was an interesting page! It looks like the coconut water products all come from China (if I'm not mistaken). I wonder where Trader Joe's gets theirs? Maybe I'll stick to the almond milk.

From China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand (and Cambodia I think). I'd suggest check country of origin very carefully and if possible don't choose an Asian nation.

We recently had a scare on something from the Philippines but I can't remember what it was. Again, it was a processing/labelling issue.

In the past year we've had biological contamination problems with canned fish from most of the above countries.

Due to its processing, gelatin is not considered meat. It is considered neutral.

j_r said:
If I'm understanding correctly, it's not the smoothie per se but rather that bluepool's aunt eats only food that is certified kosher or that has been prepared in a kosher kitchen.
Which leads me to a question about kosher yogurt: If Noosa's ingredients include milk and kosher bovine gelatin, can it be kosher?

deiscane said:
Due to its processing, gelatin is not considered meat. It is considered neutral.

j_r said:
If I'm understanding correctly, it's not the smoothie per se but rather that bluepool's aunt eats only food that is certified kosher or that has been prepared in a kosher kitchen.
Which leads me to a question about kosher yogurt: If Noosa's ingredients include milk and kosher bovine gelatin, can it be kosher?

You learn something new every day...

FWIW, that certification is not universally accepted and I would not recommend it without knowing bluepool's aunt.

cody said:
Yoplait has a line called "Yoplait Whips" which are very light and airy, mousse-like in texture. No bits of fruit or seeds in them. Looks like they are about 140 calories per container. Their website says it is kosher; the wording they show is: Yoplait yogurt carries KD (Kosher Dairy) Certification, certified by Rabbi Barnett Hasden.
Here's a link to their site showing the different flavors. http://www.yoplait.com/products/yoplait-whips

Truly fascinating: processed, commercial animal gelatine is barely allowable in Australia (anything you purchase as kosher has agar or pectin to make it jell). If we saw dairy with bovine anything, automatically treif, just the word association is enough.