A cup of yogurt is one of the oldest home-remedies for a series of stomach-related issues. Whether to ease persistent nausea, settle the stomach after a bought of indigestion, or to cool the system after a spicy meal, or even to replenish the good bacteria in your GI tract after a dose of strong medicines. A single 1-cup serving of yogurt is known to have 414 milligrams of calcium, while providing essential live active cultures of probiotics, that not only restore balance and play a part in vital stomach functions, but also help in production of certain vitamins (B and K). Believe it or not, that cup of yogurt, loaded with bacteria, is actually good for you.
Yogurt is by far one of the most commonly known and widely available probiotic foods in the world. It is certainly not the only source, but a very good place to begin getting your daily dose of probiotics, because there is virtually no Indian kitchen that isn’t familiar with regular production and consumption of yogurt.
Dairy foods and beverages are known to be amongst the best carriers of probiotics as these cultures (bacteria) have a short life and are easily destroyed by heat and excessive acidity. Dairy food is usually consumed soon, ensuring that the probiotics are transferred into our systems while they are still alive.
Here’s why it is good for you:
1- Aids digestion:
Probiotics increase the production of gut-friendly bacteria, which play a crucial role in enabling healthy digestion, reducing gas, constipation and IBS. By adding to the healthy gut-friendly bacteria in your digestive tract, probiotics aid speedy digestion too.
2- Improves cholesterol levels:
Consuming about 120 gms of fresh, probiotic yogurt is seen to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol, with consistent use over a period of time.
3- Boosts immunity:
Several new researchers now suggest a relationship between such probiotic foods and a healthy immune system. Certain bacteria in the gut influence the development of aspects of the immune system, such as correcting deficiencies and increasing the numbers of certain types of T cells.
4- Healthy protein:
It is not uncommon for weight-watchers or those on high-cardio exercise regimen to consume yogurt immediately after a workout. A concentrated and healthy source of protein, fresh yogurt made at home, is an excellent source of protein. Specially for vegetarians, this acts as a good supplement, in the absence of meat and eggs in their diet.
Once you have your hands on a good starter source of fresh yogurt, it is easy to get started on making your own at home. Processed and packaged cartons of yogurt tend not to have live cultures, which make the yogurt not ideal for your gut-health. Learn how to make yogurt at home, and browse our yogurt-based recipes to see how you can include it in many more ways in your everyday meals.