Make Low Carb Calpis in 5 Easy Steps

There is a special drink out there that I absolutely love and adore. It is a Japanese yogurt drink named Calpis (カルピス, natively pronounced ka-ru-pee-su). It is absolutely delicious and even comes in the form of soda!

If you have already started your low carb journey and are thinking, "man, I wish I could have tried that!" Do not fear; I have found a solution!

Introducing: Low carb calpis!

This recipe is great for a summer treat! This recipe is suitable for people with diabetes and people maintaining on the Atkins program.

Ingredients

• 1 container of Carbmaster yogurt in any flavor (this brand of yogurt is sold at Kroger stores)
• 3 packets of sweetener (I use Apriva, also a Kroger brand product and is their budget answer to Splenda)
• Approximately 1 cup of water

Step 1: Pick a flavor

 Choose a flavor of low carb yogurt that you'd like to use. The flavors of Carbmaster yogurt I had on-hand was Banana Cream Pie and White Chocolate Raspberry. Both of these flavors are excellent choices. I went with Banana Cream Pie since I've already tasted the other one (it was delightful!)

 The texture of Carbmaster brand yogurt is a bit different from other traditional yogurts. When you first open the container, you may notice that it has a jelly-like texture. Do not worry, this is completely normal; for now, just slip all of the yogurt into a medium to large sized cup or glass. It is easier to scoop out with the current texture.

Step 2: Soften the yogurt

 This is an important step. Now that you've transferred the yogurt into the cup or glass you'll be using, it is best to use a spoon and start mixing the yogurt around. This will quickly smoothen the texture and you will notice the consistency will be like that of other traditional yogurt. If you skip this step, the yogurt will maintain its jelly-like texture and will not have a pleasant final result and will be nearly impossible to soften later on.

Step 3: Add water

 This step is pretty much at your own discretion. If you want it to taste thick almost like a smoothie, do not add too much water. If you want the drink to be more like traditional calpis and be more refreshing, add an amount of water up close to the brim of your cup. It is simply up to what you're in the mood for.

Step 4: Add sweetener

 Add 3 packets of whatever sweetener you chose. Any sweetener will work fine, but I recommend any form of sucralose such as Splenda. I am using Apriva, which is basically a Kroger brand version of Splenda.

Step 5: Enjoy!

You can sip on it directly, or you can toss a couple of ice cubes in it and sip on it with a straw. Whatever you want! Wasn't that easy? If you've never tasted calpis before, this is an excellent low carb alternative. Actual calpis has more of a fruity beverage kind of flavor, but you can experiment with different flavors of low carb yogurt and see what works for you. If you are just starting out on a low carb program, I would not recommend drinking this too often as it could potentially stall your weight loss.

Assuming the packets of Apriva have about 1g of carbohydrate each, the recipe has approximately 7g of carbohydrates per serving.