Greek yogurt has roughly double the protein of desi curd — and roughly five times the price. A clinical dietitian lays out what you are actually paying for.
Dhamkee doesn't give medical or nutrition advice. This post reports what a qualified professional said on Instagram — their original post is embedded below, in full.
Greek yogurt carries more protein per 100g than regular curd. Whether it is worth it depends on your goals and your budget — and a clinical dietitian points out that in India the gap is smaller than the price difference suggests.
Greek yogurt has arrived in Indian fridges over the last few years, sitting next to the dahi at several times the cost. The obvious question is whether the protein justifies it. Varsha Khatri, a clinical dietitian who posts as @fitcurlssss, put both side by side — including the prices, which most comparisons leave out.
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Post by @fitcurlssss, embedded with credit.
The protein difference
Her figures: regular curd carries 3.3g of protein per 100g, and yogurt carries 7g per 100g. The reason is the whey. Making Greek yogurt strains it out, which concentrates what is left.
regular curd
Greek yogurt
same 100g
And the price difference
This is the part her post includes that most do not. At the time she posted, in October 2023, she gave Greek yogurt at around ₹220 against ₹42 to ₹45 for the same amount of regular curd. Prices move, but the ratio is the point: roughly double the protein for roughly five times the cost.
Greek yogurt is the serious choice and desi curd is the compromise.
Your choice between the two should be based on your dietary preferences and nutritional goals. More protein and willing to pay for it, Greek yogurt may be better. Milder taste, or cooking with it, desi curd may suit you more.
The India-specific caveat
Her post closes with something worth knowing before you compare labels: abroad there are many varieties of Greek yogurt whose protein content varies a great deal from regular curd, but in India, she says, the difference is not that major. A number quoted from an American brand is not necessarily the tub in front of you.
One group she singles out
Because the whey is removed in making Greek yogurt, she notes it is a good snack option for people who are lactose intolerant. That is a practical reason to choose it that has nothing to do with protein maths.
The line worth keeping
Your choice between the two should be based on your dietary preferences and nutritional goals.
Varsha Khatri, clinical dietitian
She also adds, unprompted, that her video is for awareness only and that she does not promote any particular food item — which is more disclosure than most nutrition content on the internet offers.
The protein gap is real but it is smaller than the shelf implies, and it arrives attached to a cost that repeats every week. For a family that gets through a litre of dahi in two days, the arithmetic looks very different than it does for one person eating one tub.
There is also the thing her post gestures at without saying: dahi is already on the table. It gets made at home, it goes next to the dal, and nobody has to be persuaded. A protein source that requires no new habit is worth more than a marginally better one that does.
And if you are wondering whether a tub would settle it faster, is a protein shake good for weight loss.
On the timing question, there is when to eat curd for weight loss. For the wider plate, is poha good for weight loss, is rice good for weight loss, and the Indian diet for weight loss section. And if none of it is showing up on the scale, that is a separate question.
Questions people also ask
Is hung curd the same as Greek yogurt?
Her post does not use the term hung curd. What it describes is the same principle — straining the whey out concentrates the protein.
Which has more protein, curd or Greek yogurt?
By her figures, Greek yogurt: 7g per 100g against 3.3g for regular curd.
Is Greek yogurt worth the money?
She does not answer that for you. She gives both the protein figures and the prices and says the choice depends on your preferences and goals.
Can I have Greek yogurt if I am lactose intolerant?
She notes that whey is removed in making it, which is why she calls it a good snack option for that group. Anything beyond that is a question for your doctor.
Shaina writes for Dhamkee. She is a mother of two who runs, practises yoga, and cooks — usually before the rest of the house is up. She is not a nutritionist or a doctor and does not play one here. On this blog she reports what qualified professionals have said publicly, and points you to them. More about how we work.