Is Eating Yogurt Really Beneficial?
Yogurt is milk that has gone sour and turn semi-solids, so to speak. But it contains the friendly bacteria called Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermopiles. Usually yogurt is made from cow’s milk and it contains all the nutrients one can find in cow’s milk – the protein, calcium, minerals, enzymes, water, fats and vitamins too. Milk contains a carbohydrate called lactose and most are converted to lactic acid by the friendly lactose-eating bacteria in the process of fermentation. It is this sour tasting lactic acid that causes the casein protein in the milk to turn semi-solid.
Meanwhile there are comments made that milk is bad for our health. So if milk is bad, so is yogurt that comes from milk. One report says that pasteurization diminishes or destroys most of the good vitamins and minerals like calcium and iodine in the milk. Another report says that the milk that we drink comes from cows that have been injected with milk production hormones for commercial reasons. Plus dairy products are acid-forming and mucus causing that often lead to increased frequency of colds and flu.Pasteurized milk is also known to cause allergies in some people, small children aren’t exempted. The milk of mammals is species-specific and cow’s milk is a species-specific food for calves according to Dr. Frank Oski, in his book Don’t Drink Your Milk!
But to those people that are lactose intolerant, yogurt may well be a miracle food because the lactose factor has changed to something more digestible to the stomach whilst the composite benefits derived from drinking milk remain unchanged. Most people swear by the goodness in eating yogurt as the probiotics nature can aid in relief of many digestive complaints such as IBS. Daily consumption of yogurt is also known to help in preventing or treating the commonly yeast infections for both men and women. Taking antibiotics can give a temporary relief but will also deplete you of the good bacteria. Which is why you need the good micro-organisms in the yogurt to balance and replenish what was lost to the bad bacteria. There was even a published report that eating yogurt everyday has contributed to remarkable life longevity! Though this was based on some observations carried out but there is no scientific basis to support this piece of news. Briefly, the well known benefits of yogurt are:
- Better colon health
- Fight bad breath
- Boosts immunity by fighting harmful bacteria
- Eliminate yeast infections such as Candida albicans
- Aids in healing intestinal disorders
- Inhibit growth of bad bacteria
- Stronger bones
What are the bad effects of taking yogurt? Are there any?
First, avoid all fruit flavoured yogurts, yogurts that contain processed fruits, which are usually artificially sweetened for taste, yogurt drinks and yogurts that contain colorings and preservatives. Simply go for the natural plain yogurt without any of the harmful stuff so it is important to read the labels before buying them. Instead, you can add your own organic fresh fruits and nuts to suit your own taste buds.
Now the best yogurt has yet to come - yes, make your own. It’s pretty easy to make yogurt in the comfort of the home.
Here is how you can make your own yogurt:
Start with a quart of any milk - pasteurized, homogenized, raw, organic, skimmed, low fat or whole milk. Tip: a better option is to use raw milk. You need about 2 tablespoon of live cultures form any existing plain yogurt you can buy from any health store. Make sure that it contains ‘live cultures’ as the label should say.
- Heat the milk slowly in a pot stirring all the time till it gets to almost boiling point. The temperature is about 80 °C to be ideal. Pour the milk out onto a clean glass container and allow it to cool at room temperature till it drops to about 40-45°C. Dried milk powder can be added if you wish at this stage. Tip: Use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature level.
- Add 2 tablespoon of the plain yogurt to the milk and stir lightly. Tip: The plain yogurt should be removed from the refrigerator at least 5 minutes before using.
- Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrapper and let the bacteria grow at room temperature about 40-48 °C. The yogurt should turn thicker and make sure you don’t shift the container around. This incubation takes at least half a day to see good results.
- When the yogurt appears to have thickens, transfer it to the refrigerator. It can keep for at least a week. Tips: you can keep in the freezer first before transferring to the refrigerator for better smoother texture.
- Finally, throw in your favourite little fruits such as berries or maple syrup for additional fiber-licious benefits.
That’s it. Be smart and eat wisely as always!
