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The Benefits and Virtues of Yogurt
What's tasty, easy, and has lots of health benefits? Yogurt!
First off, your body needs to have a healthy amount of “good” bacteria in the digestive tract, and many yogurts are made using active, good bacteria. One of the words you'll be hearing more of in relation to yogurt is “probiotics.” Probiotic, which literally means “for life,” refers to living organisms that can result in a health benefit when eaten in adequate amounts.
And let us not forget that yogurt comes from milk. So yogurt eaters will also 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, B-12, potassium, and magnesium.
In fact, the health benefits of yogurt are so impressive that many health-conscious people make it a daily habit. Here are three possible health benefits of having a yogurt a day.
May help prevent osteoporosis
“Adequate nutrition plays a major role in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, and the micronutrients of greatest importance are calcium and vitamin D,” says Jeri Nieves, PhD, MS, director of bone density testing at New York's Helen Hayes Hospital.
Calcium has been shown to have beneficial effects on bone mass in people of all ages, although the results are not always consistent, says Nieves, an assistant professor of clinical epidemiology at Columbia University. “The combination of calcium and vitamin D has a clear skeletal benefit, provided the dose of vitamin D is sufficiently high,” she adds.
May reduce the risk of high blood pressure
A recent study, which followed more than 5,000 Spanish university graduates 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, said in an email 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.
Yogurt with active cultures may help certain gastrointestinal conditions, including:
Lactose intolerance, constipation, diarrhea, Colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.
The benefits are thought to be due to:
Changes in the microflora of the gut, the time food takes to go through the bowel and enhancement of the body's immune system.
Look for Vitamin D
When enjoying calcium-rich yogurt, why not choose one that also boosts your intake of vitamin D? Some brands list 0% of the Daily Value for vitamin D; others have 20%. (See the table above.)
Make yogurt part of the perfect snack
Make the perfect snack by pairing high-protein yogurt with a high-fiber food like fruit (fresh or frozen) and/or a high-fiber breakfast cereal. You can find many lower-sugar breakfast cereals with 4 or more grams of fiber per serving.
Customize your yogurt
If you want to create your own flavored yogurt, start with your favorite plain yogurt and stir in all sorts of foods and flavors.
Add chopped strawberries (1/4 cup) and 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla extract to 6 ounces of plain yogurt to make Strawberries and Cream Yogurt.
Add canned crushed pineapple (1/8 cup) and a tablespoon of flaked or shredded coconut to 6 ounces of plain yogurt to make Piña Colada Yogurt.
Add 1 tablespoon of cool espresso or extra-strong coffee and 1 tablespoon of chocolate syrup to 6 ounces of plain yogurt to make Mochaccino Yogurt.
Add 1/4 cup chopped orange segments or mandarin oranges and 1-tablespoon reduced-sugar orange marmalade to 6 ounces of plain yogurt to make Orange Burst Yogurt.
Eat yogurt at work
Buy some yogurt and keep it in the office refrigerator (don't forget to put your name on it). On those days when you need a morning or afternoon snack, that yogurt will be ready for you.
(Source: WebMD.com)
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