Aldi Brooklea Greek style coconut yoghurt review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Aldi Brooklea Greek style coconut yoghurt. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition, use and flavour of this unique yoghurt.
And we’ll also compare a few factors against Aldi Brooklea Greek style yoghurt which is a normal Greek style yoghurt without coconut.
This yoghurt is available in Aldi supermarkets in the UK.
You might also be interested in reading our article on the best probiotics in the UK if you want to add more healthy microbes to your diet.
Ingredients of Aldi Brooklea Greek style coconut yoghurt
Like me, at first glance you might expect this product to be a vegan yoghurt made with coconut milk as ‘coconut yoghurts’ generally are. But no, this is a rather unique dairy yoghurt with added coconut.
And the ingredients list reflects this strange nature. It includes Greek style yogurt, cream, water, sugar, coconut milk powder (coconut milk powder, maltodextrin, sodium caseinate), desiccated coconut, maize starch, concentrated lemon juice and flavouring.
As you can see it’s a long ingredient list, far longer than the normal Aldi Brooklea Greek style yoghurt which is just milk and live cultures.
Some things to note about the ingredients:
It includes added sugar
It also includes maltodextrin which is a starch-derived powder with a high glycaemic index. It is used to improve the texture or shelf life of foods
Continuing this sugary theme, it also includes maize starch which is a powder made from corn that is used as a thickener or stabiliser to give foods a smooth, consistent texture. It also has a high glycaemic index which will spike blood sugar levels
The coconut is mainly from coconut powder, rather than coconut milk or cream
Sodium caseinate is a milk-derived protein used in foods as an emulsifier and stabiliser to improve texture and mix ingredients that don’t normally blend well - such as milk and coconut!
Concentrated lemon juice is likely used to add acidity which balances the sweetness of the sugars
It includes added natural flavourings
So as you can see, it’s far from a simple, normal dairy yoghurt. It is much more processed.
This yoghurt is made in the UK with British milk.
Our favourite gut health products in the UK
YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
Healthpath gut health test is the UK’s most comprehensive gut health test. It tests over 100 biomarkers, checks your digestion and immune response, analyses leaky gut and provides a clear and understandable report on your microbiome
YourBiology SuperGreens+ is a superfood and greens supplement which makes it very easy to get a huge amount of nutrition - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fibre, polyphenols and more - in one glass. Great for supporting gut health, skin health, energy, mental clarity and immunity.
Read more about the best gut health products in the UK.
Benefits of Aldi Brooklea Greek style coconut yoghurt
This product comes with the usual health benefits of yoghurt, as well as some benefits from the coconut. But it also comes with various downsides. We’ll compare a few factors against Aldi Brooklea Greek style yoghurt - a more simple, natural dairy yoghurt.
Live cultures
Probiotics are live, beneficial microorganisms that have been proven to support health. They are a specific type of live culture.
Unfortunately this yoghurt doesn’t state which live cultures are included so we don’t know whether they are probiotic or not. This is also the case for the normal Greek style yoghurt.
In terms of the amount of actual live cultures present (ie colony forming units), no information is provided by either yoghurt.
Read more about the benefits of probiotic foods.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are essentially beneficial things cultures can produce during fermentation. These include healthy short-chain fatty acids which nourish our gut lining and may help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Coconut
Coconut provides fibre for digestion and minerals like manganese and copper that support metabolism and antioxidant defences.
Nutrients
This coconut version doesn’t compare well to the normal Greek style version on some key health measures.
Fat: This yoghurt is high in fat with 9.8% fat - which is similar to the normal Greek style version (10%).
Protein: It has low to moderate levels of protein at 3.5% - which is lower than the normal version (4.1%)
Sugar: Compared to normal natural yoghurt, the sugar content of this yoghurt is very high at 10.3% - which is more than double the normal Greek style version (4.4%)
Calcium: Unfortunately both yoghurts don’t provide information on calcium levels.
Appearance
As the picture below shows, it doesn’t hold its shape and sinks to the bottom of the bowl.
Texture
It is kind of thick, but in a slightly unnatural way compared to normal dairy yoghurt. Not surprising given the added thickeners and stabilisers…
It is quite creamy though.
Flavour
The aroma is like a coconutty cheesecake.
The taste is basically the same and quite rich. It much sweeter than normal natural yoghurt and there’s not enough balancing acidity. You also get some little bits of coconut throughout.
Overall, the taste is fine enough but also a bit strange. It tastes like the Frankenstein it is - a dairy yoghurt combined with coconut with a lot of additives to try to make it work. It is not a natural tasting yoghurt like the normal Greek style version.
And if you’re used to natural or Greek yoghurts, you will likely find the sweetness too much.
Use
This yoghurt would have more limited uses than normal natural yoghurt. However it could be had on its own, added to smoothies or put on cereal - as long as you’re happy increasing the sweetness of those things.
I can’t imagine it working well as a dressings or marinade.
Cost of Aldi Brooklea Greek style coconut yoghurt
You can buy a 500g tub from Aldi for £1.25.
Review summary
Rating: 2.75 stars out of 5.
Verdict: Aldi Brooklea Greek style coconut yoghurt is a somewhat strange product which combines dairy yoghurt and coconut with partial success. It has many additives, including a lot of sugar.
Pros
nice creaminess
not too expensive
some health benefits from the coconut
Cons
lots of additives
high in sugar
protein levels are on the low side
thickness is lacking and not quite the same as normal Greek style yoghurt
high in fat
no information on the live cultures present
no information on the actual amount of live cultures it contains (ie colony forming units)
no information on its calcium content
Now read our article about the best yoghurt in the UK!
Health benefits of yoghurt
Aside from the specific benefits listed above, especially related to probiotics and postbiotics, yoghurt has some other important health benefits.
Vitamins and minerals
Yoghurt is a source of various vitamins and minerals including:
calcium - which helps digestion and supports bone and teeth health
magnesium - which supports bone health, muscle function and energy production
phosphorus - which is important for bone and teeth health and energy metabolism
potassium - which supports heart, muscle, nerve and kidney health
vitamins B2 and B12 - which support immunity, energy production and cell and nerve function
vitamin A - supports vision, immune function, cell growth and healthy skin
Satiety and weight management
The high protein and low carbohydrate content in yogurt, especially Greek style yogurt, helps you feel fuller for longer which can help control your appetite. Greek yoghurt is often recommended by dietitians for this reason.
Reduced lactose
Compared to unfermented dairy products such as milk, yoghurt has lower levels of lactose as this is partially consumed by bacteria during the fermentation process. This makes it more digestible for people who have some degree of lactose intolerance.
Factors we consider in our ratings
The factors we consider when doing a review (and the weightings of each of these) may vary depending on the product we are testing, but here are the key general factors we consider when we settle on a rating for a product.
Health benefits
We find out how the product will be good for your health and outline the benefits for you in simple language. This often involves doing research so you don’t have to. We often link to scientific studies or articles summarising scientific findings so you can dig deeper if you want to.
Things detrimental to health
We want to highlight where a product might include something bad for your health - even if the product might be good for you in another way. This could include such things as pointing out certain additives it contains or high sugar levels.
How it’s made
This will vary depending on the product, but we want to see a quality process for making it and quality ingredients. For example, we want to see a kombucha traditionally fermented with lots of different microbial strains and we want to see a yoghurt made with fresh milk and not milk powders.
Price
While we expect quality products to be more expensive, they still have to be priced within reason. On the other side of things, a product which is priced very competitively will get a ratings boost based on the value it provides.
Flavour
For some products flavour won’t be a factor (eg probiotic tablets), but for others, like yoghurt or kimchi, flavour is a key aspect because these products are made to be enjoyed as well as being healthy! We will try to be as subjective as possible and describe the flavour in detail so you can get an idea of whether you would like it or not.
Our favourite gut health products in the UK
YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
Healthpath gut health test is the UK’s most comprehensive gut health test. It tests over 100 biomarkers, checks your digestion and immune response, analyses leaky gut and provides a clear and understandable report on your microbiome
YourBiology SuperGreens+ is a superfood and greens supplement which makes it very easy to get a huge amount of nutrition - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fibre, polyphenols and more - in one glass. Great for supporting gut health, skin health, energy, mental clarity and immunity.
Read more about the best gut health products in the UK.
Your reviewer
This article was reviewed by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut-health enthusiast, science nerd and passionate kombucha maker of over 10 years!
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