You'll find these mini plastic bottles in the yogurt section of your supermarket. They are packaged in groups of four shots. I knew the shots contained a good-sized dose of plant sterols (the ones used in Promise Take Control margarine which have been clinically proven to help lower serum cholesterol) but I also expected them to contain some probiotics...based on the "activ" part of the name, "Promise Activ Super Shots." Alas, after studying the packaging in detail, I didn't find any evidence that a probiotic is added to this product. I didn't even find the "contains active cultures" reassurance statement on the packaging.

How much plant sterols?
Each shot contains 2 grams of plant sterols, which is a little bit more than the 1.7 grams that a tablespoon of Promise Activ margarine (formerly Take Control) contributes.

And don't get too excited about the fact that it contains some plant omega-3s (ALA); each shot contains .150 grams of omega-3s and 1.3 grams of omega-6. I have a better ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 with some of the new higher omega-3 eggs.

First 7 ingredients:
Water, cultured nonfat milk, red raspberry puree, sugar, plant sterol esters, canola oil, and pectin

1 Raspberry Super Shot bottle (100 ml) =

70 calories
1 g protein
8 g carbohydrate (8 g sugars)
3.5 g fat (0 g saturated fat)
0 mg cholesterol
less than 1 g fiber
25 mg sodium

How did it taste?
The raspberry has a nice flavor that isn't too sweet (which reminds me - it does contain the alternative sweetener sucralose).

If you are in the market to supplement your diet with some plant sterols, this offers you a tasty and convenient alternative to the margarine. I am personally much more likely to enjoy a shot of raspberry yogurt drink than a tablespoon of light margarine. If they could add some probiotics to this shot drink (maybe probiotics thought to enhance immunity or help the gastro-intestinal tract) I would be killing two birds with one stone!

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Bacteria That's Good for You?
• The New Low-Cholesterol Diet

Labels: plant sterols, Taste Test Tuesday