What is Skyr and is It Better than Yogurt or Quark?

There are a lot of choices when it comes to dairy products, including ones called Skyr. How does the product differ from yoghurt or quark and is Skyr actually better for nutrition? Or is it an advertising ploy?

Skyr is a traditional Icelandic dairy product made from cow or sheep’s milk, similar to quark but made with different lactic acid bacteria. In Germany, it is labeled as lean cream cheese under food law.

Skyr is low in fat because it is made from skimmed cow’s milk. At the same time, it has a relatively high protein content, which is why it is advertised as very healthy and is very popular with athletes. The calcium content is also comparatively high. In terms of price, it is about twice as expensive as natural yoghurt or low-fat quark.

100 g of pure skyr (natural, i.e. in unprocessed form) has approx. 64 kcal (270 kJ). The nutritional value table usually contains: fat 0.2 g, carbohydrates 4.0 g, protein (protein) 11.0 g, salt 0.08 g, calcium 0.15 g.

If you compare 100 g of skyr with low-fat quark and low-fat yoghurt, quark has a comparable amount of protein (13.5 g), yoghurt only about 3.5 g. At 150 mg, the calcium content of skyr is higher than that of low-fat quark (92 mg) and slightly higher than that of yoghurt (140 mg).

The taste is reminiscent of creamy low-fat quark but is more sour.

In principle, skyr (nature), like other low-fat and low-carbohydrate dairy products, can be classified as a recommended food. If you don’t want as high a protein content as possible, you can also use other low-fat dairy products. These have the same health benefits. The calcium it contains is an important building block for bone health. Calcium also plays an important role in blood clotting, muscle and nerve function. Due to the low carbohydrate content, low-fat milk products have a positive effect on blood sugar regulation, blood sugar only rises slowly.

The German Society for Nutrition recommends that adults eat around 250 ml of milk or milk products and 50 – 60 g of cheese (corresponding to 1 – 2 slices) every day.