Brooklea organic natural yoghurt review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Brooklea organic natural yoghurt. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of this Aldi own-brand yoghurt.
This yoghurt is available in Aldi stores in Australia.
Ingredients of Brooklea organic natural yoghurt
This organic yoghurt contains full cream milk, milk powders and live cultures.
Like other cheaper natural yoghurts (eg Woolworth Greek style yoghurt), it relies on milk powders to keep costs low. So while it is organic, it isn’t a wholly authentic traditional yoghurt.
In better news, it doesn’t contain any additives like thickeners, sweeteners or flavourings.
Benefits of Brooklea organic natural yoghurt
This yoghurt comes with various health benefits you would expect from a natural yoghurt.
For context, we’ll compare a few key factors against Woolworths Greek style yoghurt and Farmers Union Greek style yoghurt - which are similar, natural yoghurts on the cheaper end of the spectrum.
Live cultures
This yoghurt includes at least two strains of probiotics (ie live beneficial microbes). However, there isn’t much detail as they simply state it “includes Acidophilus and Bifidus”.
For comparison, Woolworths includes four strains of live cultures and Farmers Union has two.
In terms of the amount of actual live cultures present (ie colony forming units), there are a minimum of 100 million CFU per 100g - which is the same as Woolworths, and Farmers Union gives no information on this. However, this is much below that of some other brands like Coles pot set natural Greek style yoghurt which has over 1 billion CFU per 100g.
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 fairly low fat levels for this type of yoghurt at 4.5%. This is below Woolworths at 7.6% and less than half Farmers Union (9.4%).
Protein: Its protein content is fairly good at 4.8% - which is slightly below Woolworths (5%) and slightly above Farmers Union (4.2%). However this is significantly below protein-rich brands like Procal and Chobani.
Calcium: Its calcium content is on the lower side at 144mg per 100g. This is below Woolworths (189mg) and Farmers Union (162mg).
Appearance
It appears moderately thick and doesn’t entirely sink evenly to the bottom of the bowl. It generally has an even texture, but there are some small lumps throughout.
Texture
The texture has a thick and even consistency - you don’t notice any lumps.
Flavour
The aroma has mainly savoury cheese notes.
The taste has a low level of sourness - much too low in my opinion. Again the savoury cheese characteristics come through most.
Overall, the taste is not bad. But like Woolworths Greek style yoghurt, it is a bit underwhelming and bland. I’m sure whether this is because they both use milk powders (along with actual milk).
Cost of Brooklea organic natural yoghurt
You can buy a 1kg tub from Aldi for $6.
Summary
3.75 stars out of 5.
An organic yoghurt with low levels of fat compared to other brands. It does use milk powders though, which may be why the flavour is a bit lacking.
Pros
organic
low level of fat
thick texture
Cons
uses milk powder (along with real milk)
taste is a bit bland, but not bad
needs more information on the live cultures it contains
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.
Your reviewer
This article was reviewed by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut enthusiast and passionate kombucha maker!
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