Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Taste Test: Siggi's Yogurts

This year I'm starting a new series: "Taste Test." Periodically I'll let you in on a healthy food item that I've recently tried and want to share with you.

For the first Taste Test I'm featuring Siggi's Icelandic Yogurt
Full Name: Icelandic style skyr strained non-fat yogurt Grade A, 0%milkfat

Ingredients: All flavors have a base of pasteurized skim milk and live cultures.
Straight From the package: "Skyr is the name for thick yogurt in Icelandic. It is high in protein and low in fat. We sweeten our skyr lightly using agave syrup, a natural low glycemic sweetener. None of our products contain any of those dreadful artificial sweeteners. We only use milk from farmers who do not use growth hormones like rBGH." (The plain flavor does not have added agave)
How it's so thick: The yogurt is made from skim milk after the cream has been removed from the top to make butter. Then, the water that remains is strained to make the thick textured and protein-rich yogurt.
Nutrition Facts: Each 6oz container is fairly low in sodium (65-70mg). The Plain has 100 calories, 4g sugar and 17g protein! The other flavors have 120 calories, either 10 or 11g sugar (due to the agave), and 16g protein.

What I thought about the taste: All of the flavors sounded interesting, but I tried five - plain, vanilla, orange & ginger, acai, and pomegranate & passion fruit. I like the thick texture, which really makes me feel like I'm eating something substantial; whether as a snack or at breakfast. Each flavor is much more tart than the other yogurts I'm used to eating, but it wasn't too overwhelming although I doubt the plain would work well in recipes like plain Greek yogurt does. Overall, the plain and acai (which also has a beautiful color) were my favorite.

Price: These are definitely on the pricey end of yogurts, even more so than Greek yogurt. I found them at Whole Foods for $2.69 but it was more expensive at a few other grocery stores in town (but this is NYC, so I don't know what it is in other areas). Luckily, I had coupons!

Final Verdict: While I generally like the taste, love the thickness and the high protein content, the price tag is a bit high for me. I don't see enough of a difference between this and Greek yogurt, to justify spending another dollar, or more. I would however consider purchasing one of the flavors, like acai, as a treat or dessert sometime, but it's too expensive for me to have very often for breakfast or a snack.  If you like your yogurt thick, I do recommend that you give it a try if you're looking for something a little different.

For more info and where to buy, visit: http://www.siggisdairy.com/


I'd love your feedback on this new series. Do you like the idea of it or are you not interested?
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today's workout -
50min/5.56mile elliptical
100 crunches
1x40sec plank
stretching

8 comments:

NY Wolve said...

I actually prefer Skyr.is a different brand also available at Whole Foods, and a little less expensive.
Skyr is also actually a cheese, with the consistency of yogurt (or so says the package on Skyr.is).

Julie D. said...

I'm with ya. I have a hard enough time paying the price of greek yogurt. too high of a price tag. Love your new header!!

Lauren said...

I have to agree with you. I have tried this yogurt as well and I actually like the taste of greek yogurt better (and it is cheeper). I like the taste test idea!!

Detroit Runner(Jeff) said...

I like the idea of taste test. I don't really like "greek" yogurt. What kind of "greek" yogurt to you suggest? I tried it once and hated it. I do like Dannon Vanilla low fat but it has TONS of sugar in it. I guess it beats eating a bag of chips though!

Jenn said...

I love Greek yogurt. I love the thick stuff but that price tag would definitely deter me from even trying it. Just read through your goals for 2011! Good luck! I'll be excited to see what's in store for you this year!

Gina; The Candid RD said...

Great review! I've never seen this in stores, but I can't eat agave so I'll probably stay away. I'd love to try their plain flavor, but I try not to spend more than $1 on yogurt (what's the deal with yogurt that is so expensive these days?!?!). I love it creamy!! I like to use creamy yogurts as sour cream too.

ozone3 said...

I love Greek Yogurt. I haven't tried Siggi's but usually buy Chobani from Costco (12 for $12). Very thick and lots of protein.

Love the new series. Like reading what others say about something before I spend my money on it.

Joanne said...

I tried Siggi's when I first saw it in the stores a few months ago. The tart/sour taste was just too much for me. I'm sticking with my Chobani or Fage. I like plain yogurt - maybe I'd like the Siggi if I tried flavored but as you said, it's a bit too expensive to fool with when you have ones you like already.