The Health Benefits of Yogurt

The Health Benefits of Yogurt

Yogurt

Most people are oblivious of the health benefits of yogurt but only consume it due to it’s taste and cooling effect on the body.

I once heard the story of a boy who was down with diarrhoea. He was taken to the hospital and all manner of medication was given to him. Yet his condition got worse until a doctor prescribed yogurt and that was the end of the problem. Yogurt has several health benefits some of which are listed below

Gut Health

Yogurt is one of the great healing foods. It contains live,  healthy bacteria in every creamy cupful. These bacteria are known as probiotics and are effective in regulating the digestive system and decreasing gas, diarrhoea,constipation and bloating. medicalnewstodHealth

Ulcers

These friendly bacteria normally compete with those bacteria that causes ulcers. The beneficial bacteria in yogurt include lactobacillus Bulgarians and L. Acidophilus.  Enough of these bacteria in your system will kick out the ulcer causing bacteria

Acidic Stomach

Yogurt also help restore the  healthy acidic environment in the intestines. The natural sugar in yogurt called lactose breaks down into lactic acid during digestion. A highly acidic stomach environment makes it difficult for disease causing bacteria to survive.

Osteoporosis

Yogurt as a diary product is rich in calcium and protein. These two nutrients are associated with high bone density in people of all ages. Consumption of yogurt may reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition characterised by weak and brittle bones.

Boost immunity 

Some strains of bacteria found in yogurt are effective in boosting the immune system. According to webmd.com, 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

When buying yogurt, look for brands labelled ‘live and active cultures’,which contains the beneficial live bacteria. Some manufacturer heat the yogurt after adding the cultures , you cannot derive the benefits listed above from such yoghurt because the bacteria has been denatured.

Reference

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/295714.php

http://www.m.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/benefits-yogurt