Woolworths high protein plain yoghurt review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Woolworths high protein plain yoghurt. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of this Woolworths own-brand yoghurt.
This yoghurt is available in Woolworths stores in Australia.
You might also be interested in reading our popular article on the best probiotics in Australia if you want to add more healthy microbes to your diet.
Ingredients of Woolworths high protein plain yoghurt
This is a very simple and clean yoghurt with only three ingredients: skim milk, skim milk solids and live cultures.
It doesn’t contain any additives like thickeners, sweeteners or flavourings. And unlike Woolworths Greek style yoghurt it doesn’t use milk powders.
So full marks so far!
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Benefits of Woolworths high protein plain yoghurt
This yoghurt comes with various health benefits you would expect from a plain yoghurt. It also has some impressive figures around protein and fat levels.
For context, we’ll compare a few key factors against Woolworths Greek style yoghurt and Chobani Greek yoghurt which is another high-protein yoghurt.
Live cultures
This yoghurt contains at least four live bacterial cultures - Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium (species unspecified).
For comparison, Woolworths Greek style also includes four strains of live cultures and Chobani includes five.
In terms of the amount of actual live cultures present (ie colony forming units), Woolworth high protein yoghurt gives no information - which Chobani also does. In contrast, there are a minimum of 100 million CFU per 100g in Woolworths Greek style yoghurt.
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: This yoghurt has very low fat levels at less than 1%. Whereas Woolworths Greek style has 7.6% and Chobani has 4%. This level of fat is among the lowest of all yoghurt we have tested.
Protein: Its protein content is also very good at 9.4% - which is even higher than the protein-focused Chobani at 8.6% and nearly double Woolworths Greek style (5%).
Calcium: Its calcium content is moderate at 133mg per 100g - which is below Woolworths Greek style (189mg), but above Chobani (100mg).
Appearance
As the picture above shows, it maintains a very ridged and irregular shape in the bowl - more so than most other yoghurts we’ve tested. This suggests it is going to be very thick.
Texture
The texture is indeed very thick - but not in a nice creamy way (like Lyttos or Tamar Valley) because of its low fat content.
Flavour
The aroma is subtle with a bit of pongy cheese coming through.
Taste is unfortunately where this yoghurt falls down. I can best describe the taste as ‘empty’. There’s just not much going on except a subtle slightly unpleasant funky cheese characteristic. There’s a moderate acidity which seems strange without it being balanced by the richness of some fat.
The texture is odd. It is thick as you would want, but again without the fat it’s just underwhelming.
Overall, the taste isn’t awful by any means - just quite unsatisfying.
Use
Because of its impressive high protein and low fat content, this yoghurt does have some great uses. I’d suggest using it in smoothies or on cereal where the taste can disappear amid other flavours.
But having it on its own or with a little fruit on top is not going to be very enjoyable.
Cost of Woolworths high protein plain yoghurt
You can buy a 900g tub from Woolworths for $6.
Summary
3.75 stars out of 5.
A simple, clean yoghurt with great protein and fat levels, but the taste is a let down.
Pros
very high in protein
very low in fat
four strains of live cultures
Cons
unsatisfying taste
doesn’t have a creamy texture
needs more information on the actual amount of live cultures it contains (ie colony forming units)
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 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 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
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 Australia.
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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