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CNN Live At Daybreak

Interview With Lisa Drayer

Aired September 03, 2003 - 06:52   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And if you're grabbing a bite to eat before you head out the door this morning, maybe yogurt is on the breakfast menu.
Our favorite nutritionist, Lisa Drayer, joins us live from New York with the low down on which yogurt gives you the biggest bang for the cup.

And, Lisa, good to see you.

I have a feeling you're going to say the one with the least amount of sugar. But can you find that these days?

LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: Absolutely, you can. There are all different verities. Now we see drinkable yogurts, we see yogurt in a tube. But there are some interesting facts about yogurt. Did you know that plain yogurt has more calcium than milk?

WHITFIELD: Yuck.

DRAYER: Interestingly, it has about 100 milligrams more calcium. Also, those with lactose intolerance can enjoy yogurt because the bacteria in yogurt, which is an important component of the yogurt, help to digest the lactose in the yogurt.

Now, there are some guidelines to follow and the most important thing is to read those labels carefully. Look for calories. You want to aim for about 200 calories for a cup. More than this usually means a lot of extra sugar is added, as you mentioned.

Now, some sugar is naturally present in the yogurt. That's the lactose. But if there's more calories in it, you're talking about a lot of added sugar.

Also, look for fat. The fat in yogurt typically comes from saturated fat. This is one of the bad fats that we've talked about in the past that boosts cholesterol levels. So keep your total fat intake to three grams or less. That will help to keep the saturated fat intake low.

Also, look at calcium. Yogurt is a great source of calcium. You want to aim for about 25 percent. That translates to 250 milligrams, or about a quarter of your daily needs. Also, yogurt has these healthy bacteria. That's the probiotics. But it's not enough to just look for the words "made with active cultures." What you want to look for, Fredricka, is "contains active cultures" or "contains live cultures" or the National Yogurt Association's seal that it has these live and active cultures in it, because sometimes the cultures die off during processing.

And last but not least, check that date on the yogurt. The later the date, the fresher the yogurt and the more of those healthy cultures, because they tend to die off as time goes on.

WHITFIELD: And, Lisa, I'm a real yogurt eater. I love it. I eat it just about every day. Unfortunately, I can't get into the plain yogurt. I know it's better for you, but...

DRAYER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: ... because I'm probably leaning toward the fruit, you know, yogurt, does that mean it's really kind of being -- canceling out all the good things that yogurt does for you because it's so much more sugar...

DRAYER: Well, here's the thing, when there's...

WHITFIELD: ... and higher fat?

DRAYER: Exactly. When fruit is in the yogurt, it does take up space in the cup. So you are getting less calcium and less vitamins. So what I would recommend to you is to add some fresh fruit on top of it. This way you get the best of both worlds. You're not sacrificing all the benefits that yogurt itself offers.

WHITFIELD: All right, I guess I'd better condition -- recondition my taste buds.

Thanks a lot, Lisa.

Have a great day.

DRAYER: Thanks.

You, too.

WHITFIELD: Well, if you've got a nutrition question for Lisa, e- mail us. The address is daybreak@cnn.com. And we'll get the healthy answers for you on one of our upcoming shows. The address again is daybreak@cnn.com.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 3, 2003 - 06:52   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And if you're grabbing a bite to eat before you head out the door this morning, maybe yogurt is on the breakfast menu.
Our favorite nutritionist, Lisa Drayer, joins us live from New York with the low down on which yogurt gives you the biggest bang for the cup.

And, Lisa, good to see you.

I have a feeling you're going to say the one with the least amount of sugar. But can you find that these days?

LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: Absolutely, you can. There are all different verities. Now we see drinkable yogurts, we see yogurt in a tube. But there are some interesting facts about yogurt. Did you know that plain yogurt has more calcium than milk?

WHITFIELD: Yuck.

DRAYER: Interestingly, it has about 100 milligrams more calcium. Also, those with lactose intolerance can enjoy yogurt because the bacteria in yogurt, which is an important component of the yogurt, help to digest the lactose in the yogurt.

Now, there are some guidelines to follow and the most important thing is to read those labels carefully. Look for calories. You want to aim for about 200 calories for a cup. More than this usually means a lot of extra sugar is added, as you mentioned.

Now, some sugar is naturally present in the yogurt. That's the lactose. But if there's more calories in it, you're talking about a lot of added sugar.

Also, look for fat. The fat in yogurt typically comes from saturated fat. This is one of the bad fats that we've talked about in the past that boosts cholesterol levels. So keep your total fat intake to three grams or less. That will help to keep the saturated fat intake low.

Also, look at calcium. Yogurt is a great source of calcium. You want to aim for about 25 percent. That translates to 250 milligrams, or about a quarter of your daily needs. Also, yogurt has these healthy bacteria. That's the probiotics. But it's not enough to just look for the words "made with active cultures." What you want to look for, Fredricka, is "contains active cultures" or "contains live cultures" or the National Yogurt Association's seal that it has these live and active cultures in it, because sometimes the cultures die off during processing.

And last but not least, check that date on the yogurt. The later the date, the fresher the yogurt and the more of those healthy cultures, because they tend to die off as time goes on.

WHITFIELD: And, Lisa, I'm a real yogurt eater. I love it. I eat it just about every day. Unfortunately, I can't get into the plain yogurt. I know it's better for you, but...

DRAYER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: ... because I'm probably leaning toward the fruit, you know, yogurt, does that mean it's really kind of being -- canceling out all the good things that yogurt does for you because it's so much more sugar...

DRAYER: Well, here's the thing, when there's...

WHITFIELD: ... and higher fat?

DRAYER: Exactly. When fruit is in the yogurt, it does take up space in the cup. So you are getting less calcium and less vitamins. So what I would recommend to you is to add some fresh fruit on top of it. This way you get the best of both worlds. You're not sacrificing all the benefits that yogurt itself offers.

WHITFIELD: All right, I guess I'd better condition -- recondition my taste buds.

Thanks a lot, Lisa.

Have a great day.

DRAYER: Thanks.

You, too.

WHITFIELD: Well, if you've got a nutrition question for Lisa, e- mail us. The address is daybreak@cnn.com. And we'll get the healthy answers for you on one of our upcoming shows. The address again is daybreak@cnn.com.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com