Coles Greek style yoghurt review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Coles Greek style yoghurt. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition, uses and flavour of this great value yoghurt.
This yoghurt is available in Coles supermarkets in Australia.
Coles also has a similar pot set Greek style yoghurt which might also be of interest.
Ingredients of Coles Greek style yoghurt
This natural yoghurt is simple and only contains skimmed milk, cream, milk solids and live cultures.
It is free of additives like thickeners, sweeteners or flavourings.
It’s good to see this yoghurt doesn’t use milk powders like the equivalent Woolworths Greek style yoghurt does.
Benefits of Coles Greek style yoghurt
Here we’ll look at the health benefits of this yoghurt and compare a few key factors against two close competitors - Woolworths Greek style yoghurt and Lyttos Greek style yoghurt from Aldi.
Probiotics
Probiotics are live, beneficial microbes that have been proven to offer health benefits.
This yoghurt would include some probiotics, but unfortunately they don’t give any information on which strains are included. Lyttos also fails in this area, while Woolworths specifies the four strains of probiotics it includes.
It’s a similar story for the actual amount of live cultures included - Coles and Lyttos don’t specify, while Woolworths states it has a minimum of 100 million colony forming units per 100g.
Read more about the benefits of probiotic foods.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are essentially things probiotics produce during fermentation. These include healthy short-chain fatty acids which nourish our gut lining and may help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Other health measures
Fat: Coles has high fat levels at 9.3% - which is slightly below Lyttos (9.7%), but significantly above Woolworths at 7.6%.
Protein: All three yoghurts have decent protein levels of around 5%.
Calcium: Coles has high calcium levels at 192mg per 100g, which is above both Woolworths (189mg) and Lyttos (170mg).
Sodium: All three yoghurts are low in sodium.
Appearance
As the picture above shows, it sinks to the bottom of the bowl a bit more than other Greek style yoghurts.
Texture
The texture is pretty good - decently thick and fairly creamy. I would say though that given its high fat levels it could be a bit more creamy and luxurious.
Flavour
The aroma is not very strong, but there are some characteristics of mature cheddar cheese.
The taste is of savoury cheese with a moderate sourness. It has a nice creaminess, but it can’t match that of say Tamer Valley Greek style yoghurt.
Overall, the taste is good - which is especially impressive given the low price.
In comparison to the other yoghurts we’ve mentioned, I would say I slightly prefer the taste of Lyttos, but easily prefer this Coles yoghurt to the Woolworths one.
Uses
Given the good taste, this yoghurt would have a wide range of uses. It works well on its own, on cereal, in protein shakes and in smoothies. And could also be used in in dips and marinades.
Cost of Coles Greek style yoghurt
You can buy a 1kg tub from Coles for $4.10 - which I think is great value for a product which tastes good and doesn’t use any milk powders. For context, this is half the price of some premium brands…
Summary
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5.
Verdict: Coles Greek style yoghurt provides great value and a good taste. It’s a shame some of its gut health qualities are unclear.
Pros
good taste
great value
simple, natural recipe with no milk powders
no additives like sweeteners, thickeners or flavourings
decent protein levels
high in calcium
Cons
no information given on the strains of probiotics included or the amount of them
high in fat
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 it 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 its 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 Australia
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
FixBIOME is a natural and very evidence-based supplement which is specifically designed to get your gut back into good shape. Perfect for those who need a gut reset
Read more about the best gut health products in Australia.
Your reviewer
This hands-on review was written by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut-health enthusiast, science nerd and passionate kombucha maker of over 10 years!
Related articles
