Coles Perform high protein Greek yoghurt review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Coles Perform high protein Greek yoghurt. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition, uses and flavour of this protein-focused yoghurt. And we’ll talk about its strengths and weaknesses.
This yoghurt is available in Coles supermarkets in Australia.
Ingredients of Coles Perform high protein Greek yoghurt
This yoghurt is extremely simple and only contains skimmed milk and live cultures.
It is free of any additives like thickeners, sweeteners or flavourings. And it doesn’t use any milk powders.
Looking good so far!
Benefits of Coles Perform yoghurt
Here we’ll look at the health benefits of this yoghurt and compare a few key factors against two close competitors in the high protein, low fat yoghurt market - Woolworths high protein plain yoghurt and Yoguri plain high protein yoghurt from Aldi.
Probiotics
Probiotics are live, beneficial microbes that have been proven to offer health benefits.
Coles Perform would include some probiotics, but unfortunately they don’t give any information on which strains are included. Yoguri also doesn’t mention this, while Woolworths specifies the four strains of probiotics it includes.
None of these yoghurts give any indication of the actual amount of live cultures included (ie colony forming units).
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
Protein: Unsurprisingly all three yoghurts are very high in protein with Coles and Woolworths have the most at 9.4%, while Yoguri has 9.1%.
Fat: All three yoghurts are very low in fat with Coles and Woolworths stating there is ‘less than 1g of fat per 100g’, while Yoguri has 0.1g of fat per 100g.
Calcium: Coles and Woolworths have fairly good levels of calcium - 120mg per 100g and 133mg per 100g respectively. Unfortunately Yoguri gives no information on this.
Sodium: All three yoghurts are low in sodium.
Appearance
As the picture above shows, it holds its shape moderately well in the bowl. After sitting in the bowl a while it takes on a more cottage cheese appearance and splits a little with liquid sinking to the bottom and bits of solids catching on the side of the bowl.
Texture
The texture is thick but not in a nice creamy way - given the near absence of fat.
Flavour
The aroma is not very strong but slightly of savoury cheese.
The taste is rather ‘empty’ like most high protein, low fat yoghurts. It has a bland milky taste, followed by a chalky aftertaste. And the sourness is moderate.
Overall, the taste is underwhelming and the lack of creaminess is very apparent. When you’re finished it’s like your taste buds are saying “Is that it?! It seems like something is missing…”. And there is something missing which is crucial to taste - fat!
Uses
Given the forgettable (but not awful) taste, this yoghurt would be best mixed with other things in smoothies or protein shakes. Having it on its own would be possible, but not super enjoyable.
Cost of Coles Perform yoghurt
You can buy a 900g tub from Coles for $6.20.
Summary
Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5.
Verdict: Coles Perform high protein Greek yoghurt provides very high protein levels with very low levels of fat. Like others in this category, its taste is its downfall.
Pros
very simple recipe with no milk powders
no additives like sweeteners, thickeners or flavourings
high protein levels
very low in fat
fairly good calcium levels
Cons
taste is nothing to write home about
lacks creaminess
no information given on the strains of probiotics included or the amount of them
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!
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