While “zero” usually means “nothing,” at WeightWatchers®, ZeroPoint® foods are everything! If yogurt and cottage cheese* are your ZeroPoint foods and you’ve got some questions, you’re in the right place.
Which types of foods are included in this category?
- Cottage cheese, plain, nonfat
- Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat
- Quark, plain, up to 1% fat
- Soy yogurt, plain
- Yogurt, almond, plain
- Yogurt, plain, nonfat
What makes these foods so healthy?
The foods in this category are a good source of nonfat or lean protein and other nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D, and contain no added sugar.
I don’t love the taste of plain yogurt or cottage cheese. What can I add to them to flavor them up?
Go sweet with a sliced banana, roasted fruit sauce, or a sweet fruit salsa. Or you can add dessert-y toppings like mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts and dried fruit, and toasted coconut. Savory more your speed? Top your yogurt with veggies, nuts, beans, and fresh herbs. Just make sure to track the Points™ for any additional food items.
Are there tasty ways to use some of these foods in meal prep, cooking, and baking?
Absolutely! Cottage cheese can be used as the base for creamy pasta sauces and dips, almond and soy yogurts are terrific in acai breakfast bowls and frozen yogurt bark, and dairy yogurt—especially Greek yogurt which is thicker and higher in protein than regular yogurt—makes baked goods, cream soups, marinades, salad dressings, and sauces taste richer.
What’s the most surprising thing I can make with yogurt?
How about dough? Yep, just mix self-rising flour with nonfat plain Greek yogurt. Think lower Points pizza crust, bagels, calzones, dessert hand pies, and bread bowls to name a few!
Any other tips?
If your yogurt has a touch of liquid on top, that’s okay. The clear liquid in yogurt containers is naturally occurring whey. Don’t drain it; stir it back in.
Greek yogurt can be a little more sour than regular yogurt. Add some citrus zest to sweeten its flavor.
*not a ZeroPoint food on the Diabetes Program
