It is middle of summer and the temperature is rising day by day. It is during this season that you need foods that keep you cool. The one such miraculous food is ‘Yogurt’. It’s miraculous only because it does miracles to our health. Yogurt is one of the Functional foods which posses’ special functions to human health. Let’s understand why it is a miracle food?
Let us understand the nutritional benefits and contents of yogurt. Yogurt is made from milk and therefore one can get a dose of animal protein (about 9 grams per 6-ounce serving), plus several other nutrients found in dairy foods, like calcium, vitamin B-2, vitamin B-12, potassium, and magnesium are in Yoghurt.
Yogurt is also a “probiotic.” Probiotics are “friendly bacteria” that are naturally present in the digestive system. Live strains of these “good bacteria” are also found in many yogurt products.
Potential benefits of Yoghurt:-
1: Yogurt May Help in the Gut Health
Yoghurt helps in controlling certain gastrointestinal conditions, including lactose intolerance, constipation, diarrheal diseases, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, Helicobacter pylori infection, and allergies. Yogurt is a boon to patients with these conditions and have benefitted because of innate immunity response created by yogurt and improvement of healthy bacteria in GI tract.
2: Yogurt Boosts the Immune System (including gastrointestinal and respiratory infections)-
Yogurt makes us strong by providing immunity. Given the right circumstances, eating yogurt may help protect the intestinal tract. As a result, yogurt has great potential as a protective, anti-infection agent. Increased yogurt consumption might help increase one’s resistance to immune-related diseases such as cancer and infection, particularly gastrointestinal infection. So we have the power to increase the immunity in such conditions…why not …opt for one cup everyday during your snacks time….to stay away from these conditions.
3: Yogurt may help Prevent Osteoporosis-
If you’re suffering from postmenopausal osteoporosis, consuming a little cup of yogurt each day can make a big difference! As I said earlier …This healthy snack is packed with calcium and several other nutrients that help postmenopausal women maintain strong and healthy bones. Those who are concerned about developing osteoporosis or are looking for a way to help manage the disease should incorporate more of this tasty and powerful food into their diets.
4: Yogurt may reduce the risk of High Blood Pressure-
In today’s time there are lots of people who suffer from high blood pressure. We generally do control over diet to control that condition…but do you know…we don’t need to watch calories while having Yogurt…..Why?
Eating yogurt is more satisfying, so we are less likely to reach for higher-calorie sources of calcium and protein. Being lower in fat, it is less likely to stick to the insides of our blood vessels. The potassium in yogurt, almost 600 milligrams per eight ounces, may help flush some of the excess sodium out of your body.
Well that’s Good news for all…..
5: Yogurt helps in weight management-
Weight loss and weight gain… these two are the major points of concern for most people. Yogurt is the right answer for both those who want to lose weight and for those who want to gain weight. It has proven to help in weight loss as well as healthy weight gain, which shows that it stimulates happy hormones to reduce visceral fat hence reducing belly fat. In weight gain also it has shown to improve weight without disturbing the waist circumference…..isn’t it a magic ?
Some other benefits are………………….
6: Yogurt Lowers the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome
7: Yogurt helps in Lactose Absorption in Lactose-Deficient Patients
8: Yogurt leads to Healthy Ageing
9: Yogurt May Help You Feel Fuller
10: Yogurt lowers the risk of Colon Cancer
11: A cup of yogurt a day can help you recover faster after a workout.
This single food provides us with lots of benefits and hence it is recommended that Yogurt is included in your regular diet in a balanced amount.
Which milk is ideal for making yogurt? Raw whole milk or pasteurised and homogenised pocket milk?
Hi Ramesh
You can technically make yogurt with whole, 2%, or non-fat milk, a higher fat content will definitely give you a thicker, creamier yogurt. Also, avoid milk that has been Ultra-High-Temperature pasteurized (UHT). This should be indicated on the label. UHT pasteurization tends to break down the proteins necessary to set milk into yogurt.
Most yogurt recipes have you warm the milk to around 200°F before cooling it down and adding the yogurt culture. During this step, try holding the milk at 200°F for 20 minutes or longer. This allows some of the moisture in the milk to evaporate and concentrates the solids.
What are the good brands of Yoghurt available in the market currently ? I think the ones available in the market are loaded with sugar. If thats the case, should we avoid it ?
hi! Rikesh,
here is a List of Top 10 Yoghurt Brands (Frozen and Packaged) in India –
1.Cocoberry:
2.Red Mango
3.Kiwi Kiss
4.Yogurberry
5. Amul
6. Nestle
7. Mother Dairy
8. Britannia
9. Danone
10. Gowardhan
and about second query yogurt which is whole milk and flavored one will have more sugar content ranging from 6-18 grams because of the flavoring agents and artificial sweeteners……so we advise having nonfat or low fat and unflavored or plain yogurt which will have lower sugar content around 3-10 grams(different brands)…
Wow a real wonder food. Defi will add a cup a day. Many thks Ritesh
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