Yeo Valley natural yoghurt review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Yeo Valley natural yoghurt. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition, use and flavour of this organic yoghurt. And we’ll also compare a few factors against other yoghurt.
This yoghurt is available in many supermarkets in the UK.
It is made in the UK from organic British milk.
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 Yeo Valley natural yoghurt
This is a very simple, clean and organic yoghurt with only milk and live cultures included.
There is no added sugar or thickeners, and it doesn’t use milk powder.
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 Yeo Valley natural yoghurt
This product comes with the usual health benefits of yoghurt, although more information on the live cultures present would be helpful. We’ll also compare a few factors against Tesco Finest Greek yoghurt - which is a traditional strained yoghurt.
Live cultures
Probiotics are live, beneficial microorganisms that have been proven to support health. They are a specific type of live culture.
In terms of lives cultures, Yeo Valley state they include Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Streptococcus thermophilus.
Of these:
Lactobacillus acidophilus is a probiotic which supports digestion and helps maintain vaginal and intestinal health
Bifidobacterium is a genus of bacteria, not a specific strain like the above. While it’s likely this/these strains are probiotic, we don’t know for sure
Streptococcus thermophilus is a common starter culture for yogurt whose main role is to ferment milk sugars. It is not generally regarded as a probiotic
In contrast, Tesco Finest doesn’t doesn’t list the live cultures present.
In terms of the amount of actual live cultures present (ie colony forming units), no information is provided by either brand.
Read more about the benefits of probiotic foods.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are essentially beneficial things cultures produce during fermentation. These include healthy short-chain fatty acids which nourish our gut lining and may help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Nutrients
Yeo Valley natural yoghurt presents a mixed bag regarding health measures when compared to Tesco Finest Greek yoghurt.
Fat: Yeo Valley has low to moderate levels of fat with 3.8% fat - which is far below Tesco’s 10.3% fat.
Protein: It has moderate protein levels at 4.2% protein - which is below Tesco’s level at 6.1%.
Sugar: The sugar content is fairly high for a natural yoghurt at 4.9% - which is significantly above Tesco’s at 3.3%. Please note, Yeo Valley’s level is still much below a flavoured yoghurt or one with added sugar.
Calcium: Yeo Valley has good levels of calcium with 166mg per 100g. Unfortunately Tesco doesn’t provide information on calcium levels.
Appearance
As the picture below shows, it mostly sinks to the bottom of the bowl and doesn’t hold an irregular shape like Greek yoghurt does.
Texture
The texture is quite lacking and a bit runny. It doesn’t have a nice thickness which you find in Greek yoghurt.
Flavour
The aroma is very clean - just of soured milk.
The taste is again is very clean and simply milky - there’s not much to speak about apart from it having a fairly high acidity. It has a decent creaminess for its fairly low fat levels, but it is not as creamy as a Greek yoghurt (which has a lot more fat).
Overall, the taste is fine and very natural but it won’t knock your socks off.
Use
Given its simple flavour this yoghurt would have a lot of uses. It can be had on its own, added to cereal or granola, or put in a smoothie.
It would also work well in dressings (given the acidity) and in marinades.
Cost of Yeo Valley natural yoghurt
We bought a 450g tub from Co-op for £2.35. This makes it quite expensive at over £5.20 per kg.
Unless you are willing to pay a high premium for an organic product, this doesn’t represent good value in our opinion.
Review summary
Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5.
Verdict: Yeo Valley natural yoghurt is an organic yoghurt with a simple taste and a high price tag.
Pros
simple, organic ingredients
fairly low in fat
good calcium levels
Cons
texture and creaminess are lacking compared to Greek yoghurt
fairly high in sugar for a yoghurt of this type (but still much lower than flavoured yoghurt)
more information on the strains of live cultures included would be helpful
no information on the actual amount of live cultures it contains (ie colony forming units)
value is questionable
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 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 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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