Wendyl Wants To Know: Soya pudding tasty - and GM free too

Alpro Soya Dessert Smooth Chocolate. $7.09 for 4 125g serves. Photo / Wendyl Nissen

Desserts a great non-dairy alternative to chocolate ‘yoghurts’.

When you're cutting dairy out of your diet it can be find to hard replacements for those comforting little puddings which have the texture of yoghurt and the rich sweet taste of chocolate.

These soya puddings were nestled quite happily in the "healthy eating" aisle of my supermarket and I thought it was worth taking a look at them.

And I was delighted to see my husband ate two of them and loved them. Mind you, I may have forgotten to mention they were made of soya beans.

Alpro Soya Dessert Smooth Chocolate $7.09 for four 125g serves

Ingredients (in order of greatest quantity first)

Water

Sugar

You will get 13.1g - just over three teaspoons of sugar - in each 125g serve, which isn't too bad for a dessert.

Hulled soya beans (6.1%)

The packaging says these are non-GMO soya beans. Some people like to choose only GM-free soya beans because of the risk to biodiversity and the unknown effects on humans.

Don't be confused by the mention of "hulled" here. It simply means the soya beans have been removed from their pods.

Soya beans are a common replacement for dairy products in products like this. They are a good source of protein and some vitamins and minerals.

Soybeans are also rich in phytoestrogens which some believe provide health benefits such as a lowered risk of osteoporosis, heart disease and breast cancer, while others believe they are endocrine disruptors because of their oestrogen-like qualities.

Thickeners (modified maize starch, carrageenan)

This is corn starch and carrageenan which is a gel obtained from seaweed.

Fat-reduced cocoa (2%)

Cocoa does have some fat in it which has been reduced to help this product be low in fat. You'll get just 2.4g of fat per 125g serve of this dessert.

Chocolate (1%) (sugar, cocoa mass, fat-reduced cocoa powder, natural vanilla flavouring)
These are standard ingredients for a low-fat chocolate and it is good to see natural vanilla flavouring is used.

Calcium (calcium carbonate)

This will be added in here for health benefits.

Acidity regulator (monopotassium phosphate)

This is a salt made from potassium and the dihydrogen phosphate.

Flavouring

This will be artificial flavouring.

Sea salt

Not too much salt in here at 62mg sodium per 125g serving.

Vitamins (riboflavin (B2), B12, D2)

These have been added in here for extra nutrition.

My recommendation

If you're avoiding dairy then this makes a great - if expensive - alternative to the tasty chocolate "yoghurts" in the dairy aisle. It tasted fine to me and had a full chocolate flavour but I would serve it chilled. These desserts also have the advantage of being very low in fat and low in kilojoules at just 436kj or 104 calories per 125g pottle.

I also believe this would make a great chocolate sauce for strawberries or fruit.

Highlights

• Made from non-GM soya beans instead of dairy.

• Low in fat and calories.

• Free from preservatives and colours.