Yogurt was a long-established staple in Eastern Europe and the Middle East before it reached our shores. Today, yogurt is commonly consumed by men, women, and children of all ages; walk into any supermarket, and you'll see the varieties and flavors of this nutritious food take up considerable space in the dairy section. Yogurt is one of the foods which are very simple but have a lot of benefits and do well to our bodies. Here you can read how including yogurt in your daily diet can make your body healthier.
Many people who cannot tolerate milk, either because of a protein allergy or lactose intolerance, can enjoy yogurt. The culturing process makes yogurt more digestible than milk. The live active cultures create lactase, the enzyme lactose-intolerant people lack, and another enzyme contained in some yogurts (beta-galactosidase) also helps improve lactose absorption in lactase-deficient persons. Bacterial enzymes created by the culturing process, partially digest the milk protein casein, making it easier to absorb and less allergenic. While the amount varies among brands of yogurt, in general, yogurt has less lactose than milk. The culturing process has already broken down the milk sugar lactose into glucose and galactose, two sugars that are easily absorbed by lactose-intolerant persons.
Yogurt is packed with vitamins
One serving is a significant source of potassium, phosphorous, riboflavin, iodine, zinc, and vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). Yogurt also contains B12, which maintains red blood cells and helps keep your nervous system functioning properly. Vitamin B12 is found mostly in animal products, such as chicken and fish, so strict vegetarians can easily fall short. Eating more yogurt can help close the nutrient gap: an eight-ounce serving contains 1.4 micrograms of the vitamin, about 60% of what adult women need daily.
Yogurt is a rich source of protein
Yogurt can be an excellent source of protein, but one variety may contain more than double the protein of another. Greek yogurt, which is strained to make it thicker, has up to 20 grams of protein per container; traditional yogurt may have as few as five grams. If you're eating it for the protein, look for brands that provide at least eight to 10 grams per serving.
Yogurt curbs your hunger
The protein in yogurt isn't only good for muscle repair and growth, it also also fills you up. Studies also suggest that a higher protein breakfast can curb hunger later in the day. In addition, a study from the University of Washington in Seattle tested hunger, fullness, and calories eaten at the next meal on 16 men and 16 women who had a 200-calorie snack. The snack was either:
- Semisolid yogurt containing pieces of peach and eaten with a spoon
- The same yogurt in drinkable form
- A peach-flavored dairy beverage
- Peach juice
Although those who had the yogurt snacks did not eat fewer calories at the next meal, both types of yogurt resulted in lower hunger ratings and higher fullness ratings than either of the other snacks.
In addition to keeping you feeling full longer, Harvard researchers found that bacterial cultures in yogurt help to shed pounds. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that people who ate a serving of yogurt every day lost an average of one pound every four years. Previously, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville study showed that yogurt increases fat loss. People who ate 18 ounces of yogurt a day -- in conjunction with cutting their total calories -- lost 22% more weight and 81% more belly fat than dieters who skipped the snack. They also retained one-third more calorie-torching lean muscle mass, which can help you maintain weight loss.
Yogurt boosts the immune system
While much also remains to be learned about probiotics and the immune system, recent studies suggest that certain probiotic strains offer some benefits:
- One review article suggests probiotics may help with inflammatory bowel disease by changing the intestinal microflora and lessening the immune system response that can worsen the disease.
- Another study indicated probiotics may enhance resistance to and recovery from infection. In research on elderly people, researchers found that the duration of all illnesses was significantly lower in a group that consumed a certain probiotic found in fermented milk. They reported a possible 20% reduction in the length of winter infections (including gastrointestinal and respiratory infections).
- Yogurt containing two probiotics, lactobacillus and bifidobacterium, was found to improve the success of drug therapy (using four specific medications) on 138 people with persistent H. pylori infections, according to a recent Taiwanese study. H. pylori is a bacterium that can cause infection in the stomach and upper part of the small intestine. It can lead to ulcers and can increase the risk of developing stomach cancer as well.
There's some evidence that yogurt with active cultures may help certain gastrointestinal conditions, including:
- Lactose intolerance
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Colon cancer
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- H. pylori infection
That's what researchers from the Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University concluded in a review article. The benefits are thought to be due to:
- changes in the microflora of the gut
- the time food takes to go through the bowel
- enhancement of the body's immune system.
Yogurt is a good source of calcium and vitamin D, which are both necessary for maintaining healthy bones. Since it naturally contains calcium, you'd think the amount would be the same no matter which yogurt you pick. Wrong. The levels can vary widely from brand to brand, so you really need to check the label. How much is in a container depends on processing. For instance, fruit yogurt tends to have less calcium than plain because the sugar and fruit take up precious space in the container. Vitamin D isn't naturally in yogurt, but because it helps boost calcium absorption, most companies add it: it's really important to check the nutrition labels.
Yogurt may help lower blood pressure
Yogurt is rich in potassium, which can help to lower blood pressure. It's also high in calcium, a lack of which contributes to high blood pressure. One study, which followed more than 5,000 university graduates in Spain for about two years, found a link between dairy intake and risk of high blood pressure. "We observed a 50% reduction in the risk of developing high blood pressure among people eating 2-3 servings of low-fat dairy a day (or more), compared with those without any intake," Alvaro Alonso, MD, PhD, a researcher in the department of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, says in an interview. Although most of the low-fat dairy consumed by the study subjects was as milk, Alvaro believes low-fat yogurt would likely have the same effect. Dutch researchers recently reported that higher dairy consumption (mainly from milk and yogurt) was modestly linked to lower blood pressure in 2064 Dutch men and women ages 50 to 75.
Yogurt can help your smile
Despite its sugar content, yogurt doesn't cause cavities. When scientists at Marmara University in Turkey tested low-fat, light, and fruit flavors, they found that none of them eroded tooth enamel, the main cause of decay. The lactic acid in yogurt appears to give your gums protection as well. People who eat at least two ounces a day have a 60% lower risk of acquiring severe periodontal disease than those who skip it. Sources: http://www.webmd.com/, http://www.businessinsider.com/, http://beforeitsnews.com , http://www.askdrsears.com/
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