Product Review: New Fiber One Yoplait Yogurt

A nice PR woman named Erin asked me to try the new fiber one yogurt and write a review. She offered to send me a free 6-pack of yogurt to try (little did she know I already saw it in the grocery store and swooped up the key lime pie / vanilla 6-pack). Want a coupon? Visit this website to print one.

Here’s the review.

What’s in it???

Okay, so it’s called Fiber One Yogurt. It’s not hard to figure out that it has fiber. But if I know you, you want more information than that. The fiber in the yogurt comes from inulin, a soluble fiber that occurs naturally in foods such as apples, asparagus and artichokes (and many, many more – roughly 36,000 plant species). That’s inulin – not the glucose hormone insulin.

Inulin is used in the food industry, usually in the form of chicory root extract. This is the ingredient used in the Fiber One yogurt. All soluble fibers act the same way once you eat them. They travel through the digestive system virtually untouched until they reach the colon – this is right before the “poop chute” where the body reabsorbs water and electrolytes. Here, inulin is partially digested by healthy gut bacteria (sometimes called flora). This is essentially food for healthy gut bacteria so inulin promotes their growth and strength. Once partially digested, it forms a gel-like substance that helps “everything come out OK”. The bacteria produce carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and maybe some methane gas. This is nothing special to the yogurt. It is how our bodies metabolize all inulin, including fruits and vegetables. If you overdo it on inulin you could experience some gas and bloating. It’s an individual thing so the only way to know your reaction is to try it. A little gas is fine and totally normal. It’s only a problem if it becomes uncomfortable to you.

Fiber one yogurts have 5g of inulin. As a comparison, a cup of asparagus has about 3 grams. It is recommended that healthy individuals get 25-35 grams total fiber (soluble and insoluble) per day. If you have a special low fiber or low residue diet for a health condition, then it’s doctors orders for you.

Other than the inulin, the yogurt has typical ingredients of the light yoplait yogurt, including aspartame and high fructose corn syrup.

Thoughts on Taste

You can’t taste the inulin at all. So, if you normally like yoplait yogurt, chances are you will like the Fiber One yoplait. I liked it. I thought the key lime had just the right combo of sweet and tang. The vanilla was good in the morning mixed in with my oatmeal. If you don’t normally do yogurt, this may be a good one to try. It is a small size and it is very sweet.

Other Pros

I liked the small size and convenient packaging. I usually crave something sweet after lunch and dinner. This is a great snack that has only 80 calories and some calcium. Even better, the inulin has been shown to enhance calcium absorption. It has also been shown to help lower cholesterol because it binds cholesterol in the colon (remember it’s a gummy substance) and it carries it out of the body when you go #2.

Potential Cons

Dietary preferences and food allergies are the only cons I can think of for this product. Some people have dietary fructose intolerance (like lactose intolerance). You need to be tested and diagnosed with the condition by a doctor, usually a hydrogen breath test. If you have this condition, then you already know the HFCS and inulin would cause a problem. I know people who get migrane headaches and avoid artificial sweeteners. If that’s you, then this product probably won’t work either.

Final Word

I think this is a good, convenient solution to bumping up your fiber intake and enjoy a snack at the same time. I recommend trying to add your favorite fruits, nuts or a combination of both to keep it interesting. A summer smoothie might be nice too.

Don’t let me have the last word. If you tried it, let the world know what you think.