Coconut Cult is a probiotic yogurt that has become a staple in many young influencers’ routines to improve their gut health. TikTok users rave that Coconut Cult’s probiotic yogurt can flatten your stomach. It is sold out in many stores and backordered online—but is it worth the hype, or just another diet-culture-driven fad?
According to Coconut Cult’s website, the company was founded by Noah Simon Waddell in 2015. Waddell created the product in hopes of healing his gut and overcoming his constant feeling of sickness.
The yogurt comes in flavors like Original, Chocolate Mousse, and Harvest Strawberry, along with limited-edition drops. Each is labeled as symbiotic, containing both prebiotics and probiotics, and 16 probiotic species per jar.
Each 16-ounce jar costs $39 online, but may be slightly cheaper in stores since it does not require refrigerated shipping. One jar contains eight servings, with each serving measuring two tablespoons. Expect shipping delays of at least three weeks when ordering online.
After checking several stores, I finally found a jar of the Chocolate Mousse flavor.
When I opened the lid, I was hit with a sharp, bitter smell—like a sour shot of espresso. The texture was moist and grainy, like beach sand just washed by a wave. It clung to the spoon the way mud sticks to a shovel—heavy and reluctant.
It tasted exactly how it smelled: sour and tangy, with a hint of unsweetened cocoa at the end.
Ella Daly, a first-year Education major, had a similar experience with the taste and texture of the product. Daly says, “I searched high and low after seeing it all over TikTok.”
She continues, “I watched multiple influencers rave about it being the secret to a ‘flat stomach,’ so I wanted to try it for myself.”
But is that message potentially harmful for young people to internalize?
Michele Wrobkewski, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, says, “The fewer credentials a person has, the more they can spread whatever they want—with no penalty if it negatively affects someone.”
On the idea of a “flat stomach,” Wrobkewski says, “Those are buzzwords. There’s no such thing as spot training.”
Also, beyond the hype, how healthy is it?
Health and Science Professor Karen Wollard says, “The prebiotic element is great, but this sounds like another ‘miracle product.’”
Social media highlights numerous benefits but leaves it to viewers to fill in the blanks. Henrik Reyes, a second-year Business Administration major, agrees and says, “I haven’t come across any influencers who are pushing back against the Coconut Cult trend. I wonder if there’s another side.”
However, Wrobkewski raises nutritional concerns and says, “For the number of calories, you’re only getting fat and probiotics. The product is very high in saturated fat. There are better alternatives, like Greek yogurt, which offer more nutrients with much less fat.”
According to the American Heart Association article “Saturated Fat,” last reviewed in August 2024, “Saturated fats can raise your ‘bad’ cholesterol and put you at higher risk for heart disease.”
Maybe the real thing we need to let go of is not bloating—but the toxic belief that a trendy jar of yogurt can fix our bodies.
