The consumption of products with probiotics and prebiotics has increased in recent years. There are many brands that are encouraged to launch attractive versions, although it seems difficult to choose the healthiest. Activia kefir claims to have a large amount of probiotics added, but is it worth buying?
The kefir that is spreading the most in the market is milk. It is much easier to maintain in front of the water kefir, so brands launch versions depending on the type of milk (skimmed, semi whole, whole, with fruit, goat...). In the case of Activia Kefir, it is natural whole milk along with added probiotics.
It costs 1'99 €, and is available in department stores such as Alcampo, Carrefour, Día and El Corte Inglés supermarkets. Although these products are not usually cheap, Activia's is one of those with the highest price.
Ingredients and nutritional value
To know if this product is really what it promises, it is convenient to know what its components are. The ingredient list is:pasteurized milk, powdered milk, pasteurized cream, bifidobacteria, kefir ferments and other lactic ferments«.
On the other hand, in terms of nutritional value, for every 100 grams of product we find:
- Energy value: 63 calories
- Fats: 3 grams
- Saturated fat: 2 grams
- Carbohydrates: 4 grams
- Sugars: 4 grams
- Proteins: 3 grams
- Salt: 0 grams
Keep in mind that the bottle contains 420 ml, so all the nutrients will increase up to four times if we consume it whole. It is a product that should be consumed before it approaches the expiration date, since kefir begins to turn slightly bitter when it lacks its food (sugar). So, being a live food, the nutritional values may vary depending on the day we consume it.
Is it better than others?
A good bottled kefir should have only two or three ingredients, among which cannot be missing the pasteurized cow's milk and lactic ferments. In the case of Activia, they also add powdered milk, pasteurized cream, bifidobacteria and ferments typical of kefir. Both powdered milk and cream increase the intake of calories, carbohydrates and fats. Although if compared to other kefir products, the nutritional values are very similar.
So is it better to choose a product with few ingredients? Yes. The shorter the list, it will indicate that it is more natural. Plus, that prominent addition of bifidobacteria isn't really eye-catching. Kefir is a substance with millions of probiotics, so it is not necessary to highlight its content. It is like wanting to emphasize that natural yogurt contains milk ferments. A simple strategy on the packaging to stand out from the rest of the options.
the kefir of Pastoret or Kaiku They are one of the best on the market, since they contain the right ingredients to give life to the substance. Even the Mercadona or Nestlé drink could be a better option. In addition, the price of all of them is lower than that of Activia, so it would also be profitable for the pocket.