Yogurt is a popular snack treat for people who are trying to monitor their weight. Did you know that apart from making you lose weight, yogurt has other benefits to your body?
It has been given different names but the nutritious value of yogurt makes it useful for our continuous and profoundly used up the body.
It should be part of your daily diet as it helps with increasing ways of creating a clean digestive system.
The process of making yogurt must have developed somewhere in Asia or Europe as there is a huge supply of milk.
In Europe and Asia, cow’s milk is very prevalent. Buffalo’s milk is also used in India.
In Russia goats and sheep’s milk are a good source of providing milk from which the rich and smooth yogurt is formed.
Yogurt can be made by the use of Soya which is considered as a very healthy drink.
By being an excellent desert, yogurt also happens to be very nutritive with many golden benefits written to its name. It has all the essential source of proteins, vitamins, and minerals.
These help to create a proper balance for your body. The high content of calcium also proves to be excellent for our digestive system.
It helps it cooling down your system rather than burning it up with acidity problems. As the proteins are easily digested you can have this very easily which tends to do wonders to your body.
It can also be made into buttermilk wherein 90% water is used, but the taste happens to be very good for your mouth and your stomach accepts it easily.
People who have a tender digestive system can have this daily which would help them tremendously. As the digestibility factor of the yogurt is better in comparison to the milk due to which you can have it very easily.
It is been said that consuming at least 250 grams yogurt a day would help to improve your thiamine. This thiamine helps in maintaining your appetite as well as the continuous growth of your body.
Acidity can be easily fought by drinking buttermilk. If this buttermilk happens to be sour it turns out to be even better as it helps in fighting the influx of lactic acid in the system.
You can use yogurt in different forms which make it more interesting and also very appetizing for many children and adults too.
It also contains Vitamin B12 which is very good for your body. There are three types of yogurt regular, low-fat, and skimmed milk.
As yogurt contains live bacteria it proves to be very useful for your body providing all the necessary health benefits needed by you.
It has been tested that people who have yogurt thrice a week can increase their life span than the ones who had it just once a week.
Your immunity increases by having yogurt. It has a fine resistance to fight diseases. Eating yogurt helps with vaginal yeast infection.
It also helps in weight loss which for many may be a very significant problem. Lactobacillus is a probiotic bacterium which helps in curing arthritis as well as preventing it.
One way to improve your health naturally is by eating an adequate amount of yogurt daily. Yogurt has live microorganisms called probiotics. These good bacteria help your body works properly.
Here are some benefits you can get from eating yogurt:
Improves gastrointestinal functions
Since yogurt is rich with probiotics, it helps improve food digestion and absorption. Good digestion and absorption will prevent you from experiencing hyperactive bowel movements and constipation.
Yogurt also helps lactose intolerant individuals. It also lowers your risk of getting inflammatory bowel diseases like Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease.
Boosts your immune system
Probiotics from yogurt make your body stronger in resisting harmful bacteria, thus lessening your risk of getting infections.
These good bacteria also enhance your body’s natural healing process so you can easily recover from illnesses.
Regulates your blood pressure
A study has shown that having 2-3 servings of low-fat dairy daily will greatly reduce your risks of getting high blood pressure.
Some dairy products are high in dairy fat that is not healthy for your heart. Yogurt is a low-fat dairy product that does not have a bad effect on your heart.
Maintains your weight
Because yogurt is low-fat, it frees you from worries of gaining weight. When dieting, it’s important that you still get enough nutrients so you don’t end up being malnourished.
Yogurt contains an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals that you need. With enough yogurt intakes, you get enough nutrients without the worries of moving the scales up.
Prevents osteoporosis
Yogurt, just like some dairy products have added calcium and vitamin D. These nutrients are very important in making your bones stronger. Strong bones will prevent you from developing osteoporosis.
The Dannon Company has listed the seven benefits of yogurt. From calcium and protein to active cultures and nutrients for growth, these benefits give the body an advantage today for tomorrow.
Eating yogurt daily helps consumers:
1. Be Fit:
Yogurt contains calcium, which can help with weight management.
2. Be Vital:
Yogurt is a good source of protein for muscle maintenance.
3. Be Comfortable:
Yogurt has active cultures that help milk digestion.
4. Be Strong:
Yogurt has calcium, essential for strong bones.
5. Be Nourished:
Yogurt contains important nutrients for children’s growth.
6. Be Proactive:
Yogurt provides friendly bacteria for your digestive tract.
7. Be Happy:
Yogurt is a great-tasting and satisfying part of your healthy diet.
Here are some tips you can follow when deciding on adding yogurt in your diet.
1. Choose the type of yogurt that you want to take.
There are various types of yogurt. Some yogurts contain regular fat, some are fat-free and some are low-fat. You may also want to check the sugar contained in the yogurt.
There are yogurts that have more sugar than others. Look at the label at the back of the package. Read and compare nutritional contents of different brands. By doing this, it will help you choose the best brand in the market.
2. Make it a habit
You can eat yogurt anytime and anywhere. Make it a point to take some yogurt every day. Bring some in the office so you can easily have yogurt on your lunch break. You can also put a small yogurt cup in your bag so you can take a healthy snack anywhere.
3. Substitute other ingredients with yogurt
Yogurt can easily be added to your recipes. Use yogurt instead of ice cream when making a smoothie. You can also try adding yogurt when baking cakes and other pastries. You can easily substitute milk to yogurt.
4. Make eating yogurt fun delightful
There are numerous recipes that you can follow so that you don’t only get to eat the flavored yogurt available on the market. Adding fruits to your yogurt is a good idea and will make your snack even healthier.
“More and more people are making an investment in their overall health,” says Audrey Cross, associate clinical professor of public health at Columbia University’s School of Public Health.
“One way they’re doing this is working more nutritionally dense foods, such as yogurt, into their diets.”
Here are some recipes you can try using yogurt.
Blueberry Peanut Butter Smoothie
Ingredients
1 tablespoon flax seed meal or wheat germ
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup milk
Instructions
1. Put ground flax seed meal or wheat germ into the blender to grind and further breakdown. This will also eliminate any bitterness from the flax seed.
2. Place the banana, blueberries, peanut butter, honey, yogurt, and milk into the blender.
3. Cover, and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses to serve.
Strawberry-Yogurt Shake
Ingredients
3 cups ice cubes
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
1 (16 oz.) package of fresh strawberries, hulled
1 (16 oz.) container of plain low-fat yogurt
Instructions
1. Blend strawberries, bananas, half of ice cubes, and yogurt in a blender on high until smooth.
2. Add the remaining ice and blend further until smooth again. Serve immediately.
Very Blueberry Smoothie
Ingredients
1 banana, chopped
1 kiwi, sliced
3/4 cup blueberries
1 cup ice cubes
1 (8 oz) container vanilla yogurt
Instruction
Combine the banana, kiwi, blueberries, ice cubes, and vanilla yogurt in a blender; blend until smooth.
Peaches N Cream Smoothie
Ingredients
1 banana, cut into chunks
¼ cup vanilla yogurt
1 ¼ cups milk
1 packet peaches and cream flavor instant oatmeal
2 packets of sugar or sweetener of your choice (optional)
5 ice cubes
Instructions
1. Place the milk, yogurt, banana, instant oatmeal, sweetener and ice cubes into a blender.
2. Cover and puree until smooth.
3. Pour into glasses to serve.
Cherry Berry Smoothie
Ingredients
1 cup cherry juice
1 (8 oz) container vanilla yogurt
1 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries
1/2 cup seedless red grapes
3 teaspoons sugar
Instructions
1. In a blender, combine all ingredients.
2. Cover and process until well blended.
3. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.
Mango Banana Smoothie
Ingredients
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen mango pieces
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup orange-mango juice blend
Instruction
Combine the banana, mango, yogurt, and juice in a blender; blend until nearly smooth.
Homemade Banana Yogurt
Ingredients
4 cups 2% low-fat milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt with active cultures
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 banana, peeled and chopped
Instructions
1. Pour the milk into a pan, and heat over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan and milk is just below the boiling point.
2. Do not let the milk boil. Remove from heat and cool.
3. Skim off any skin that forms on the milk.
4. Pour the cooled milk into a yogurt maker, and stir in the yogurt, vanilla, and bananas.
5. Cook according to manufacturer’s directions or at least 4 hours .
6. If desired, strain the yogurt through a fine sieve or coffee filter to remove the whey, and return to the yogurt maker.
7. Refrigerate the yogurt overnight or another 8 hours to thicken further.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
Here are some benefits you can get from eating yogurt:
Improves gastrointestinal functions
Boosts immune system
Regulates blood pressure
Maintains weight
Prevents osteoporosis
According to the Dannon Company, eating yogurt helps:
1. Be fit
2. Be vital
3. Be comfortable
4. Be strong
5. Be nourished
6. Be proactive
7. Be happy
Tips to add yogurt in your diet
1. Choose the type of yogurt you want to take
2. Make it a habit
3. Substitute other ingredients with yogurt
4. Make eating yogurt fun delightful
TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS
– Do you include yogurt in your diet?
– How often do you eat yogurt?
– What other benefits of yogurt you may know of?
– Do you have any other recipes using yogurt?
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