Yogurt is a popular dairy product that has become one of the symbols of a healthy diet in our time. When purchasing, you need to pay attention to its composition. Real yogurt can only be called “a fermented milk product with a high content of nonfat milk solids, produced using a mixture of starter microorganisms - thermophilic lactic acid streptococci and Bulgarian lactic acid bacillus.”
There are two main varieties of this popular product. With live bacteria and pasteurized, which is essentially a yogurt product and does not have the beneficial properties of real yogurt. In order to understand what product is in front of you, carefully the Manufacturer is obliged to indicate information in the labeling. A product can be called yogurt only if the number of microorganisms in 1 g is more than 107 CFU. If it is less, we have at best a fermented milk product. In addition, yoghurts come in different fat contents. Those who follow a healthy lifestyle often choose low-fat versions, but it must be borne in mind that they usually contain a lot of carbohydrates due to the addition of stabilizers.
Like other fermented milk products, yoghurts have a beneficial effect on digestion and immunity. Fruit versions combine the beneficial properties of dairy products and fruits, but contain a lot of sugar and quite rarely natural fruits. Yogurt, like other dairy products, contains many useful substances: ascorbic acid, calcium, potassium, chromium, magnesium, phosphorus, iodine, sodium, fatty and organic acids
vitamins B1, B2, PP, D, B3 and B6.
Drinking yoghurt is a fermented milk product that is prepared on the basis of skim milk using Bulgarian bacillus or thermophilic streptococcus. Today, you can increasingly find options with various fillings, and not only with sweet ones, for example, with berries or fruits, but also with cereals and herbs.
The distinctive features of drinking yogurt primarily include a more liquid consistency (see photo), since the product is designed specifically to be drunk. It is sold in special jars for ease of use anywhere and at any time. This type of yogurt has achieved its popularity due to the fact that you can literally drink it on the go, and the taste of the product is varied and many people like it.
How to select and store?
When choosing drinking yogurt, pay attention to the composition: there should be nothing superfluous in it, only milk, sourdough and natural fillers. It is best to give preference to options whose shelf life does not exceed 30 days.
Beneficial features
The benefits of drinking yogurt lie in the presence of various vitamins and minerals in it. In addition, due to the presence of bifidobacteria in the product, it fights harmful infections that cause gastrointestinal problems.
The calorie content of drinking yogurt depends on many components, but on average it is approximately 72 kcal. Taking this into account, the product can be used during the period of weight loss, as well as for people who are watching their weight and suffering from obesity.
Thanks to the presence of bacteria, drinking yogurt is very easily and simply digested by the body. With regular use of the product, the immune system is strengthened, the intestines are cleansed of toxins, and cholesterol levels in the blood are normalized.
Drinking yogurt contains B vitamins, which are necessary for muscle tissue, and they also normalize the activity of the nervous system. It contains vitamin D, which reduces the risk of osteoporosis and rickets.
Due to the presence of calcium and phosphorus in drinking yogurt, when consumed regularly, the process of regeneration and strengthening of bone tissue occurs, and the condition of nails, hair and teeth improves. In addition, with regular consumption of drinking yogurt, the activity of the gastrointestinal tract is normalized.
Use in cooking
Drinking yogurt is an excellent stand-alone drink, but it has also found application in cooking. So, this product can serve as an ingredient for creating various cocktails.
How to make drinking yogurt at home?
To have one hundred percent confidence in the quality and naturalness of such a product, you can make it at home yourself. So, to prepare drinking yogurt, you need to take kefir or curdled milk, honey, berries and some kind of fruit (our recipe uses a banana). The ingredients must be combined and blended using a blender until smooth for 1 minute.
Harm of drinking yogurt and contraindications
Drinking yogurt can be harmful to people who suffer from individual intolerance to the product, and therefore, in appropriate cases, it is contraindicated for consumption.
Today in this section I am looking at drinking yogurt. The store has a large selection, so we'll find something familiar. The Danone company was in my hands. We have already looked at. At that time, we concluded that the product deserves our trust, despite the dubious slogans on the packaging. Let's see how our expectations are met this time.
Join the discussion:
(c) Maria Verchenova
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Discussion:
Let's read the composition:
Normalized milk, reconstituted milk from powdered milk, filler (sugar syrup, apple, concentrated apple juice, rye and wheat bran, muesli powder (wheat, oats), corn starch, concentrated lemon juice, cinnamon, thickener - pectin, natural flavoring); sugar, yogurt starter, bifidobacteria ActiRegularis.
Normalized milk
An obvious component in a fermented milk drink, it does not raise any questions. Let me just clarify what normalized milk is.
As you know, milk has fat content. We are used to seeing the inscription 3.2% on packages and distinguishing it from the inscription 2.5%. In nature, not a single cow will give you milk with an exact fat content. This will depend on the breed, the feed, the weather, and even the mood of the cow. Typically, the fat content ranges between 3 and 6%. When the milk arrives at the dairy, it is normalized, i.e. either some of the fat is removed (separated), or, conversely, added. This is done to ensure that the final product always meets the specified standards. Judging by the fact that the fat content of the yogurt is 2.5%, in this case the milk was separated to remove excess cream.
Milk is a healthy and nutritious product, rich in amino acids and vitamins. But now we won’t talk about that, because... We are talking about a fermented milk product. While lactic acid bacteria were preparing yogurt from milk, they had already processed both casein and lactose and added their benefits.
Reconstituted milk from milk powder
This component is already alarming me. What it means: First there was milk. It was normalized, dried, and a powder was obtained. Anti-caking components may have been added. Then this powder was brought somewhere and diluted with water.
The process is clear, but I don't like it when food takes so long to process. It becomes too refined and, if I may use a non-scientific term, “dead.” In addition, such milk is saturated with simple sugars - as it dries, everything that was useful in the milk is converted into lactose or its derivatives. And when the powder is diluted with water, the properties of the original products are no longer restored.
So, the first sign is that this yogurt is not as healthy as we would like. But maybe lactic acid bacteria will make something living and necessary from milk powder? While it’s hard to say, let’s study the label further.
Filler
Now we will specifically analyze each component of this filler, but for now let’s pay attention - it is in third place on the list. This means that there is less of it than any type of milk, but more than lactic acid bacteria.
For comparison: if you make homemade yogurt, then put 2-3 tablespoons of starter per liter of milk. And then you can put about the same amount of jam on the resulting volume of yogurt. Those. In principle, the volume of filler and the volume of starter are generally comparable.
Sugar syrup (filler component)
It is mentioned first in this list, which means that the basis of the filler is not fruit, but sugar syrup.
For comparison: Homemade jam is based on berries. Sugar can be almost the same or even a third of the volume of berries.
And a signal sounds for us: in this yogurt, the components in second and third place are sources of fast carbohydrates. Not proteins, as one would expect from fermented milk products, and not complex carbohydrates, as one might assume from the inscription “apple and cereals,” but fast carbohydrates. The very ones about which we were taught that because of them, ice cream and cake are harmful to the figure.
Apple (filler component)
It's funny that apple is mentioned in the singular J Well, okay, these are the difficulties of nomenclature and translation. Let's assume that there is not just one apple, but just enough so that there is less sugar, but more than apple juice.
However, apple pieces are not visible in the yogurt (see photo). This means that it was very much crushed when preparing the filler. This in turn means that most of the vitamins in the apple have been destroyed. All we'll be left with is the taste and a little more fiber.
Click the picture to enlarge the image
Concentrated apple juice (filler component)
What is concentrated juice: it is made in order to be able to transport raw materials over long distances. Juice is squeezed out of apples/lemon, pasteurized and transported. Sometimes it can be evaporated to increase the concentration and not carry too much water. But if you have seen natural juices, they are already very concentrated in themselves. There's not much to evaporate there. On the contrary, if you squeeze juices from fresh fruits, they must be diluted with water so as not to burn your stomach.
It should be noted that this component does not get along well with both milk and yogurt bacteria. From here it becomes obvious why all these berries are put into yogurt after it is ripe. And they put it in the form of a filler, that is, if we draw an analogy with our everyday life, in the form of jam. Adding juice to jam is, in general, an interesting practice. And we understand that the yogurt itself no longer contains juice, but jam based on juice.
Rye and wheat bran (filler component)
Oh great! Just what the doctor ordered. They promised cereals on the labels, and they actually put cereals.
True, not into yogurt, but into jam, which will then be added to yogurt. And here it turns out to be a little nonsense: the bran in this yogurt is boiled. Those. fiber is no longer as coarse as we expect; due to heat treatment, it has passed into an easily digestible form, and together with the prebiotic we received a small set of complex carbohydrates. With vitamins, which comforts.
In the photo above, where I tried to find an apple in yogurt, also see that there doesn’t seem to be much bran. Plus they are boiled.
In essence, it turns out that the bran promised on the label does not bring us any benefit in this case. It’s easier to buy any yogurt you like, don’t bother with the “with grains” label, and add a spoonful of bran yourself. Fortunately, everything mixes easily in such a bottle.
Muesli powder (wheat, oats) (filler component)
Please note - not muesli, but muesli powder. I translate: flour from wheat and oats.
But we chose a fermented milk product, hoping for a healthy snack, but now we end up with a flour product...
Corn starch (filler component)
But on the other hand, we are talking about filler components, and if you have taken yogurt with factory-made jam, you need to understand that some amount of starch will be present in the factory-made jam. In principle, there is no need to be too alarmed.
Another question is that I don’t like the idea of drinking starch with yogurt. I refuse Turkish delight because of this starch, but here they put it in yogurt, and even season it with the slogan “healthy!”
Cinnamon (filler component)
Here it is, the magic component of yogurt for weight loss! We need more! “Cinnamon has the ability to speed up your metabolism, and just half a teaspoon a day can help you lose about a kilogram in a month.”- this is how they usually write in glossy magazines, without going into much detail about the mechanism of such an ability.
Of course, against the background of sugar and starch, cinnamon will not give any effect. And the dose is far from half a teaspoon. It is added solely to improve taste.
Thickener – pectins (filler component)
The same case applies here as with starch. It’s a completely expected component in factory-made jam. There is nothing scary about them; they are extracted from apples (especially after the juice has been squeezed out) and citrus fruits. Pectin is also easy to obtain at home, so you can then make homemade marmalade or other goodies. The well-known apple marshmallow has its elastic properties precisely due to the high pectin content in the baked apple puree.
Pectins are often called “vegetable protein.” But we must understand that this is an allegory. Pectins are complex carbohydrates that perform a structural function in plants, i.e. give rigidity and shape. In our body, the structural function is performed by proteins, hence the analogy.
Natural flavoring (filler component)
This yogurt truly tastes like apple. Even too appley. Since I am used to eating natural food, I can smell such flavorings and they are unpleasant to me because of their harshness. A live apple, or even jam, has a subtler, but also more intense taste. However, these are just my feelings. For the purposes of this note, they should not influence our overall impression of the label.
We're done with the filler. Read on.
Sugar
If you read my blog, then most likely you are making sure that your nutrition is healthy. And so that there is less sugar in it. Therefore, this component will probably confuse you as much as it did me. But I will say more about its presence. Let's remember: first we made jam, then yogurt, and then we put jam in the yogurt. And now we see that after jam, sugar was also added to the fermented milk product.
Can you imagine this? Pour a glass of kefir at home, put a spoonful of homemade jam in it, and then another spoonful of sugar.
I think this is called "absurdity".
Yogurt starter
An obvious component that should be present in “natural bio-yogurt”. There is little to comment here. And at the same time I will return to sugar. Remember, at the beginning we said: sourdough and jam are approximately the same. Judging by the way the filler, sugar and starter are placed in the list of ingredients, there is almost as much sugar in this yogurt as there is filler.
I also note that sugar is not particularly needed for yogurt starter. Lactose milk sugar is sufficient for lactic acid bacteria. Moreover, excess carbohydrates can have a depressing effect on sourdough and stimulate the development of pathogenic microflora.
Bifidobacterium ActiRegularis
Not a single Danone yogurt can do without this component, it just so happens. I wrote a more detailed story about ActiRegularis, so I won’t dwell on it now. If for some reason you haven't seen it yet, be sure to read it.
So, an interim summary based on component analysis. There are two good and correct ones: milk and yogurt starter. There are components that we basically do not need: sugar, milk powder and the famous ActiRegularis. Although the filler itself is difficult to classify as a useful product, in general it does not cause concern - we understand that we are taking kefir with jam. We also note that the mention of an apple and cereals does not mean that these products are in a form that will benefit us. It's just a taste option. I will say more, if you remove apples, bran and muesli powder, then nothing will happen to yogurt and its properties (including taste).
Nutritional and energy value
- Proteins 2.9 g
- Fat 2.2 g
- Carbohydrates 12 g, incl. sucrose 6.6 g
- Kcal 79 kcal
All this is given per 100 g. Most of us, having bought such a bottle for a summer snack, will drink it completely. Bottle 290 g, i.e. we get 229 kcal at a time, and more than half of these calories will come from fast carbohydrates.
Let's also pay attention to how little protein there is. It's comparable to broccoli! Those. This product definitely cannot be considered a high-protein snack, although the product seems to be a dairy product.
*In fairness, it must be said that milk and sour milk should not be considered products that are rich in protein. They contain approximately equal amounts of protein and carbohydrates.
For comparison:
I made this comparison to make a point: when choosing the yogurt we are discussing for a snack, do not think that this is the best and healthiest option. If you want to cool down and eat something sweet, don’t deny yourself a good ice cream - it’s lower in calories.
If you need a quick fix and you know you're looming for protein throughout the day, a hamburger will be more beneficial for you.
The calculation for the hamburger is given according to the recipe McDonald's . A homemade version on a grain bun can be increased to 180 kcal, increase the amount of fiber and reduce the amount of fat.
Yogurt is a good option only if you really want it and you really like the taste. More than the taste of ice cream and chocolate. But treat it not as healthy kefir, but as a sweet dessert - remember that sugar in it is approximately 2/3 of the volume.J
Let's summarize
- Yogurt contains only two good and correct ingredients: milk and yogurt culture. A significant part of it consists of components that we, in principle, do not need: sugar, milk powder and bifidobacteria ActiRegularis. The filler that is used to add apple flavor, although difficult to classify as a healthy product, generally does not cause concern - we understand that we are taking kefir with jam.
- The grains and apples advertised in large print on the packaging are not in a form that provides health benefits.
- In terms of nutritional value, the product loses significantly, because... 2/3 consists of fast carbohydrates. In terms of calories, one bottle of yogurt is comparable to a fast food hamburger.
- The packaging uses attractive slogans that mislead us and create wrong expectations. Following these expectations can lead to bad health consequences.
- Pros: a convenient bottle that is pleasant to hold in your hands. Can be washed and used at home to make cocktails.
In continuation of the topic, I am attaching a video.
General overview of “How yoghurts are made”
Roskontrol checks the properties of yoghurts
This concludes the review of drinking "Activia natural bio-yogurt with apples and cereals". If you are interested in me reviewing any product in this section, please send your wishes.
Eating different types of yogurt helps to diversify your diet during a diet, as well as during illnesses such as diabetes. In addition, the presented dairy product promotes good health and weight control. It is also worth noting that homemade or store-bought yogurt goes perfectly with Touchi extract, and this is extremely important for normalizing blood sugar levels.
“Miracle yoghurts”: history of origin
Of course, you can make such a healthy and nutritious product yourself. But not everyone will start cooking. In this regard, the Wimm-Bill-Dann company in July 1998 began to produce a whole series of tasty and healthy dairy products. Today they can be found in almost all stores and supermarkets.
Main consumers of dairy products
It should be especially noted that thanks to the huge assortment and consistent high quality, “Miracle Yogurts” have become the most popular in our country. Moreover, their fans are not only children and teenagers, but also quite adults. After a survey by company employees, it was revealed that the main consumers of this product are women aged 19 to 39 years and men from 24 to 45.
Tasty and healthy yogurt “Miracle”: collection from Wimm-Bill-Dann
The tremendous success of this product on the Russian market led to the fact that the “Miracle” line began to expand significantly. Today, this brand produces a huge number of desserts that are loved by both adults and children. Now on store shelves you can see the following products with the bright name “Miracle Yogurts”:
- delicious drinking yoghurts, which are sold in beautiful plastic bottles with a capacity of up to 800 grams with a screw cap;
- yoghurt quads, which are miniature plastic cups connected into blocks;
- tasty and nutritious two-layer yoghurts with pieces of fruit at the bottom;
- yoghurts in so-called “family” packages, or rather plastic cups with a disposable lid;
- healthy yoghurts with fresh whole berries, etc.
New products from Wimm-Bill-Dann
It is also worth noting that quite recently the mentioned manufacturing company began to produce special products, which they called “yogurts.” These are the same “Miracle Yogurts”, but subjected to special heat treatment in order to increase their shelf life. But this product is not as popular as a “live” dessert with bifidobacteria. After all, most consumers believe that during heat treatment, Miracle yogurt, reviews of which are very contradictory, loses all its beneficial substances and vitamins. However, such products also have their advantages, which are that they are convenient for storage and long-term transportation.
Beneficial properties of a delicious dairy dessert
Non-thermalized yogurt "Miracle", the price of which varies between 14-19 rubles per plastic cup from a block, is very tasty, nutritious and suitable for the whole family. Due to its low cost, such a product is available even to those people who have very low incomes.
“Miracle yogurt” is intended for daily use, because thanks to lactic acid bacteria it improves digestion, lifts your mood and quickly restores strength. Due to the fact that this product does not have high fat content, it is low in calories and is ideal for those who decide to lose extra pounds. In addition, “live” yoghurts from the Wimm-Bill-Dann company are sources of essential substances for humans, such as protein, various vitamins and microelements. In addition, regular consumption of the presented line of dairy products helps strengthen the immune system, the biological activity of the digestive tract, the absorption of protein, helps normalize metabolism, mitigates the manifestation of allergic reactions (in some cases), restores the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract after taking antibiotic drugs or in case of dysbacteriosis, and also removes cholesterol from the body.
Drinking yogurt “Miracle”: product composition
The ingredients included in this product are always indicated on the packaging. It should be noted that in general they are similar for each type of dessert, but with minor changes. Let’s take a closer look at what “Miracle Drinking Yogurt” includes:
- skimmed cow's milk;
- uncollected cow's milk;
- pasteurized fruit filler “Apple-muesli” or others - about 10.0% (drinking water, apple, mixture of cereal flakes, apple in the form of concentrated juice, raisins, hazelnuts, stabilizer (hydroxypropylene starch phosphate), wheat, biscuit, biscuit and apple flavors identical to natural, acidity regulator (citric acid) and natural colors such as cinnamon and copper chlorophyll complexes);
- crystal white sugar (5.6%);
- stabilization system Coloidan RABB gelatin and acetylated starch adipate);
- a starter consisting of acidophilus bacillus and pure cultures of lactic acid bacteria.
Assessment of the composition of drinking yoghurt
As a rule, when reading the composition of a given product, the consumer begins to analyze it and draw certain conclusions about whether such yogurt is suitable for him or not.
First of all, the buyer should be interested in the so-called fruit filling. There is nothing special in it, except for the stabilizer, which has the intimidating name of hydroxypropylene starch phosphate or simply E-1442. After finding out what this additive is, you can calm down, because it is approved for use in the food industry and is quite often used during the production of dairy products. For the uninitiated, it should be noted that this stabilizer is obtained after physical and chemical processing. It is added to yogurt to increase the shelf life and preservation of the product’s nutrients.
As for apple and biscuit flavors, identical to natural ones, they are used only to improve the aroma and taste of the drink. Citric acid, which is part of drinking yogurt, does not cause any harm to the consumer, just like dyes or E-141. Despite such a scary name, this additive is considered harmless and is very often used in
It is worth especially noting that all other substances, including acetylated starch adipate or E-1422, guar gum (E-412), gelatin, etc., which constitute the Coloidan RABB stabilization system, are banal thickeners that turn milk into drinking yogurt and do not harm the body in any way.
Let's sum it up
Having analyzed the composition of the “miracle product” from the Wimm-Bill-Dann company, we can safely draw conclusions that such yogurt is safe for health. In this regard, it is allowed to be consumed as a tasty and nutritious dessert by both adults and children. But if you still don’t trust store-bought products that contain various additives, then it’s quite possible to make such a natural and “live” product yourself at home.
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