At Foodtrainers, we love delicious food but we love a good story even more (truth be told we would rather not chose between great food and great stories). Siggi’s yogurt or “skyr” has a great story behind it. I first met Siggi about two years ago. After inquiring about the delicious, agave-sweetened, beautifully packaged, orange ginger creation I was obsessed with, we set up a meeting. It was then I heard this story that started with Siggi’s dislike for the yogurts here in the U.S. when he came from Iceland. He started testing his family recipes for “skyr” and went into Whole Foods with a backpack of product and well…the rest is history.
Siggi’s skyr is a huge success and they have a new product, a probiotic drink. I adore the plain but there are fruit flavors too. I asked Siggi a few questions about these little bottles. It’s hard to tell in the photo but these cute bottles are a couple of inches tall, shot glass size. They are low in calories and fantastic for you.
How did the drinkable probiotic come about?
Our skyr yogurt had been on the market for a while when our customers started asking for a probiotic drink. We looked around us and didn’t see any products of this type that were low in sugar and without artificial sweeteners so we decided to go for it!
How can you tell a good probiotic product from an imposter?
The best probiotic products give you full information about not only the type but also the particular strain of probiotic cultures they use. They also guarantee you a certain number of these strains per serving. This way there is full transparency about what you are getting. To put it simply, you can Google the probiotic strain and find all the information you can about it.
What does “10 billion” on your label tell us?
It tells us that each serving of the product has at least 10 billion of the good bacteria, Lactobacillus Acidophilus per serving. This is an important number since most of the time these types of cultures only exert their positive effective if they are present and consumed in sufficient numbers.
Anything we should know about specific cultures in the probiotic shot?
Siggi’s drinkable yogurts contain a well-documented strain of Lactobacillus Acidophilus, called NCFM, which was discovered 30 years ago by researchers at North Carolina State University. It is one of the best-known and most researched strains of probiotics. Research indicates that consuming it in sufficient doses, regularly, may help digestion and improve immunity.
Who should drink this? Any specific populations?
Anybody really…although if anyone should look into it more than others it should be people who have been taking antibiotics since antibiotics kill not only the bad bacteria in the body but also the good one so they need to refresh the flora of good bacteria.
Can this be blended in a smoothie?
Of course. Our drinkable yogurts make a great addition to any smoothie; here at our office we sometimes make one that has mango, pineapple, 1 plain Siggi’s drinkable probiotic yogurt, one cup plain Siggi’s skyr and ginger.
Some people who don’t digest dairy well can eat yogurt, why is this?
This can be true for yogurt that contains live active cultures. When yogurt with live active cultures is digested, the cultures convert lactose to lactic acid; hence the yogurt might be better tolerated due to lower lactose content than milk or yogurt without live cultures.
Have you tried Siggi’s? Do you consume probiotics via yogurt or a supplement? What’s your favorite new food or food product?
I had never tried Siggi's until they provided yogurt for Lauren's marathon lecture audience, but I have since had a cup for breakfast with berries every single day without fail. I am sooo hooked on the yogurt that is so thick and delicious I was once asked if I was eating ice cream for breakfast. I'm so excited Siggi has added new flavors like strawberry and peach, but grapefruit remains my favorite. Can't wait to try the new drinkables!
I have not tried siggi's bc it's just too over priced!
I love Siggi's yogurt! This is one of the only yogurts that actually keeps me full. I haven't tried the probiotic drink yet, but I definitely will. During the winter months, I try and take a probiotic supplement and eat yogurt daily. I swear it helps boost my immune system.
LOVE Siggi's in EVERYTHING (the plain in soups and chili and dips!) and the pomegranate is amazing, but didn't know about the probiotic "shot". What a great way to balance your system! (Probably much better than monistat, too–why isn't anyone writing about what sugars, alcohol and yeasts do to us "done there"–I KNOW I am not the only one who has to be super careful about what I eat for that reason.)
I have yet to try siggi's (due to the cost) but I have heard great things about it.
I will have to buy one to at least just give it a try.
Erin/Kristin I'm glad you brought up cost. While Siggi's is more expensive than other yogurts it's also in a different league. I feel I'm paying for something made with integrity with great ingredients and a delicious end product. It's a treat. I'll admit though I spend a lot for food (save elsewhere) . Carrie- there's always a first. We're down talking about "down there" at Foodtrainers. You're breaking barriers, yes yogurt is great to prevent yeasty issues "down there" and costs less than monistat.
Looks interesting! If I may also point out, Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM is supposed to be the most researched strain of acidophilus in the world.
I drink Helios Kefir for probiotics.
Siggi's is completely worth it!
very excited to try this product.
Great post! Lots of great information.I have not tried Siggi's but sounds really good. Really like your blog. So glad that I found it.
Thanks for stopping by Alicia, if you ever have a topic you want covered let me know. In the meantime, enjoy your siggi's.
it does have a great story behind it wish I likes the taste lol
I don't eat any dairy…but I really do miss yogourt. I love food that has a story behind it. Thanks for sharing!
Rebecca, some people feel skyr is sour but others love that. Maybe it's something you have to eat more and more (and get more and more probiotics) to enjoy. Not for me, love at first spoonful.
I have tried their yogurt but not seen this yet. I will look for it today. So glad you connected and stopped by my site so I could find yours. We have very similar interests!
I can't eat dairy and for me that unfortunately means I can't eat yogurt too. Siggi's looks really delicious though! I'm sad that I'm missing out.
My main probiotic source is my kombucha tea. Though sometimes I indulge in some delish greek yogurt! =) I have never tried siggi's before!
xoXOxo
Jenn @ Peas & Crayons
I've never tried Siggis before, but am always up for trying new things 🙂 Love VSL #3 for a probiotic, but don't take it everyday. I think my favorite new product I just tried is Yumnuts. Yum!
OMG EA how good are Yumnuts. I have tried cocoa and coconut and though they're a little "dangerous" I adore them.
I have to agree with The Healthy Apron above….too overpriced. I think I'll stick to my kefir 🙂 But it's still good to learn about other products! How is this even different from kefir??
Responded to the price issue in today's post. Kefir has different cultures (and doesn't taste as good as this to me).
I haven't tried Siggi's. I make homemade kombucha and drink around 16 ounces of it every day and thus get most of my probiotics that way. I haven't seen the Siggi's probiotics, but the yogurt cups are easily twice as expensive as other organic yogurts (reference to your most recent post), so I usually get one of those.
My siggi's strawberry drinkable has a soda – like tang on the tongue – It tastes great and I checked the use by date, but I'm concerned about the tang – does this indicate it has turned?
Same question as Anonymous, above. Big siggi's fan — just tried the drinkable — seems very fermented? Is that fine…? Or…?
So glad that I found it. Really like your blog. Great post! Lots of great information.I have not tried Siggi's but sounds really good.
Just had a Siggi's blueberry probiotic for the first time this morning….and I'm a picky guy, though like this writer, I Sooooo ADORE their orange/ginger yogurt….and I have to say…it wasn't bad!…lol….I will purchase again!
Great review! This is really great to know! I actually keep hearing about probiotic drinks like Yakult Milk. It’s good to learn through research that probiotics do have positive benefits for children!
Where can I find the drinkable probiotic product? Its not listed on Siggi's product page and I would love to find a vendor in NYC that distributes them.