19 January, 2014

YOGURT: A RECIPE FOR HEALTH

Admit it: you’re feeling bloated these days right? It’s the new year, and we all over indulged over the past month.  It was wonderful wasn’t it? You can't be a cheese lover and not like to indulge a bit.

But now you are looking for fresh and healthy recipes to start the year off fresh. Well this month’s recipes will help you get you and your gut back and balanced for 2014. 

Have you ever made your own yogurt? Getting into the habit of making this tasty treat will be worth your while this year. It’s dead easy and so good for you.  

Yogurt is made by adding a starter culture of bacteria to milk; the bacteria naturally act on the milk's sugar (lactose) to create lactic acid. This process changes the milk into a thicker creamy form and gives it is tangy flavour.

BENEFICIAL BACTERIA

• Yogurt is rich in calcium, which is essential for maintaining good colon health, reducing the risk of colon cancer, helps our bones preventing osteoporosis. Yogurt can be an important source of calcium for people who have difficulty digesting the lactose (sugar) in milk, because some yogurts contain lactase -– the enzyme we need to break down lactose for proper digestion.
• Yogurt is rich in protein, low in carbohydrates and can also low in fat if you choose to make yours with skim or low-fat milk. 
• Yogurt contains vitamin B and other essential minerals.
• The lactic acid bacteria found in yogurt are also known as a probiotic. Probiotics defined by the World Health Organization are "live micro-organisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host"

For yogurt to have a positive effect on your gut health you should try and eat it daily. This is because only a small amount bacteria it contains can withstand the acidity of our stomachs and make it's way to the intestines. As well, the bacteria will pass through your digestive system within a day or two, so to ensure that it is in your intestines at all time, you should eat yogurt every day.

Learn how to make yogurt here with our easy recipe here

And help you find ways to incorporate more yogurt in to your diet how about an ingenious breakfast idea(link), a protein rich power smoothie(link) and a delicious a salad dressing(link). 

Buy yogurt cultures: yo-mix 601 or yogurt small pouches  

Tips on making thick delicious yogurt here

Don't forget to share how your recipes using yogurt with us on Facebook and Twitter

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