Lidl Milbona Proviact review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Lidl Milbona Proviact. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of this yoghurt-based drink with added live cultures.
Well also compare a few factors against Actimel by Danone which this product is seemingly imitating.
Lidl Milbona Proviact is available in Lidl stores in the UK.
For this review we have tested the multifruit version.
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 Lidl Milbona Proviact
Lidl Milbona Proviact is essentially a yoghurt drink with added vitamins and minerals.
The specific ingredients are: 77% partly skimmed milk, water, 8.6% sugar, 1.3% pineapple juice from concentrate, caramelised sugar, dextrose, 0.9% fruit purées (peach, strawberry, orange), milk minerals, modified maize starch, natural flavourings, lactic acid bacteria, vitamin D and vitamin B6.
The only real cause for some concern in the ingredients is the various added sugars. More on this below.
In case you were wondering, milk minerals concentrate is simply a concentrated source of the minerals found in milk such as calcium and phosphorus.
And modified maize starch is a thickener and stabiliser that helps keep the drink smooth and evenly mixed.
The main difference between this product and Actimel is how they are sweetened. Proviact uses added sugar while Actimel uses artificial sweeteners. Which you prefer is a personal choice - do you want a higher sugar content and no artificial sweeteners, or vice versa? Both are suboptimal, I would say.
If you were asking, I would prefer the sugar, especially since the size of the drink is small. Research on sweeteners and the gut is ongoing and current evidence is mixed. However, it’s important to note that regulatory bodies consider the sweeteners in Actimel to be safe within normal intake levels.
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 Lidl Milbona Proviact
Below we’ll compare a few key factors against Actimel.
Live cultures
Proviact includes the species Lactobacillus casei. This species has been studied in various contexts, but results are mixed and do not support any specific health claims.
For comparison, Actimel includes a proprietary strain of the same species.
Unfortunately Proviact doesn’t state the amount of live cultures in each bottle. Whereas Actimel includes 20 billion live cultures in each bottle.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are beneficial substances produced by live cultures during fermentation. In yoghurt, these can include small amounts of organic acids, peptides and other fermentation by-products.
Vitamins and minerals
This drink includes milk minerals concentrate which boosts levels of calcium and phosphorus. Calcium is needed for the maintenance of normal bones and teeth and also supports normal muscle function. Phosphorus contributes to normal bones and teeth and helps with the normal release of energy from food.
It also contains added vitamins D and B6 which contribute to the normal function of the immune system.
For context, Actimel also includes milk minerals concentrate and the same added vitamins.
Nutrients
In terms of the health measures below, Proviact doesn’t perform as well as Actimel (however bear in mind that Proviact doesn’t use artificial sweeteners).
Protein: It has low to moderate protein levels for a yoghurt at 2.5% - Actimel has slightly more with 2.7%.
Fat: It has low levels of fat at 1.5% for a yoghurt - however Actimel has almost no fat with 0.1%.
Sugar: The sugar content is extremely high for a yoghurt with 12% sugar. Actimel has a quarter of this at 3% sugar.
Calcium: It has moderate calcium levels of 120mg per 100g. Actimel has the same.
Appearance
As the picture below shows, it appears similar to milk.
Texture
The texture is quite runny like milk, but there is some mouthfeel from the sugars.
Flavour
The aroma is mainly of peach and pineapple with other mixed fruit vibes in the background.
Apart from being milky, the taste is like a fruit assortment in which pineapple shows most. The taste is not overly sweet (as I had expected) but you can feel the sugar coat your teeth. The acidity is low.
Overall, the taste is pretty good and really just comes across as described on the label by ‘multifruit’.
Cost of Lidl Milbona Proviact
We bought an 10-pack of 100g bottles for £2.49 from Lidl - which makes it significantly cheaper than Actimel (an 8-pack of 100g bottles cost us £3.75 from Morrisons).
Review summary
Rating: 4 stars out of 5.
Verdict: Lidl Milbona Proviact is a yoghurt drink with added live cultures and vitamins. Apart from being high in sugar, it provides a good alternative to Actimel - at a much better price.
Pros
fortified with vitamins and minerals
low price
no artificial sweeteners
nice flavour
added live cultures…
Cons
…but only one strain of live cultures listed
no information on the amount of live cultures included (ie colony forming units)
very high in sugar
Now read our article about the best probiotics in the UK!
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 review was written by Travis, founder of Hello Gut Health.
A long-time gut health writer and advocate with over ten years of experience exploring the science of the microbiome and fermentation.
He combines careful research with practical testing to help readers make informed, trustworthy choices.
He has reviewed over 150 gut health products.
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