Yogurt is one of the foods in the standard WIC food package. It is a versatile ingredient, but a lot of our clients say they don't know how to use it. This could be because you or your child don't like plain yogurt, and you would prefer something with more flavor. Perhaps you aren't able to use the entire tub of yogurt before it expires and you have to throw half of it out. Maybe you can't find the yogurt you want in the store.
Can you relate to this? Let's talk about how you can find the WIC approved yogurt in the store, how you can use it in recipes, and how you can make sure you go through all of the yogurt you are allotted each month.
Yogurt FAQs:
Q: What brands of yogurt can I buy?
A: You can purchase any brand of yogurt listed in the food guide.
Q: Where do I find the food guide?
A: You can find the food guide on your WICShopper app, and you can scan the barcode of the yogurt with the app to see if it is an approved item. You can also find the food guide in the Forms section of this website.
Q: Can I only get plain yogurt?
A: No. You can buy any flavor of yogurt as long as you are choosing from one of the approved brands.
Q: Can I only get the large tubs of yogurt?
A: No. Four brands of yogurt allow you to purchase smaller, 4 ounce containers. They come packaged in 4-packs or 8-packs.
Q: Which brands have smaller sizes of yogurt available?
A: - Noosa offers whole milk yogurt in 4-packs (This is available for 1 year olds)
- Danimals and Activia offer low-fat yogurt in 4-packs (available for older children/adults)
- Yoplait offers low-fat yogurt in an 8-pack (available for older children/adults)
Q: What do I do if I can't use all of the yogurt in the 32oz tub before it goes bad?
A: - You can buy yogurt in smaller containers.
- You can use the yogurt in recipes. Try it in smoothies, pancakes, parfaits, freezer pops, and more. See the recipes linked below for some ideas.
Q: Why isn't my yogurt scanning at the register?
A: There are a few reasons that your yogurt may not be scanning.
1. Make sure you are choosing the right fat percentage. Full fat yogurt is only available for 1 year olds. Everyone else must have low-fat yogurt.
2. Make sure you are choosing the correct size yogurt. You need to choose the 32oz tubs, or one of the brands that offers 4-packs or 8-packs of the smaller 4oz containers.
3. Scan the barcode of the yogurt with your WICShopper app. It should have a green label, meaning it is WIC approved and assigned to your food package.
4. If you have checked the barcode, the size, the brand, and the flavor, and your yogurt is not scanning, report this on your WICShopper app using the "I Couldn't Buy This" button. This will send a message to the state office and they will contact the store to fix the problem. This will take a few days.
Yogurt Facts
Yogurt is a great source of calcium and protein. 3/4 of a cup of plain, low fat yogurt contains 80 calories, 8 grams of protein, no added sugars, and 25% of your recommended intake of calcium for the day.
Yogurt can be a great food to offer young children who are learning to use spoons. Pre-load the spoon with some yogurt, hand the spoon to the baby, and help guide the spoon to their mouth. It will be messy at first, and your child may not get very much in their mouth, but this practice will help them develop their self-feeding skills.
Plain yogurt is the healthiest option. It doesn't have any added sugars. Unfortunately, any flavored yogurt you buy will have table sugar added to it. A 6 ounce serving of strawberry yogurt can have as much as 19 grams of added sugar!
What can you do if you want to try plain yogurt but you don't like the tart taste? You have several options.
Chop fresh fruit like strawberries, bananas, peaches, etc, and add them to the plain yogurt. These will naturally flavor the plain yogurt and give it some sweetness without the table sugar which provides no nutritional value.
Add plain yogurt to recipes for muffins, pancakes, smoothies, and dips. Check out some of the recipes we have linked at the end of this article.
Layer some cereal like granola or Honey Bunches of Oats (or Cheerios for a healthier option), plain yogurt, and some chopped fruit in a cup to make a parfait.
Make a habit of only choosing plain yogurt instead of flavored yogurt. Over time, your taste buds will adjust to be more accepting of the tart flavor.
Using yogurt in recipes:
Yogurt Pancakes
Yogurt and Fruit Parfaits
Triple Berry Banana Yogurt Smoothie
Yogurt Dip
Frozen Yogurt Bites
50 Things To Make With Yogurt