Yogurt: What It Is, Main Benefits And How To Make It

Yogurt is a dairy derivative that is prepared through a process of fermentation of milk, where a culture of bacteria is responsible for fermenting lactose, which is the natural sugar present in milk, and produce lactic acid, giving rise to the texture and flavor characteristic of this food.

In addition to this, yogurt is also considered a probiotic because it contains live bacteria, such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus that help to take care of the health of the digestive system. It is also rich in other nutrients, especially calcium, which helps prevent osteoporosis.

Yogurts can be prepared at home or can be purchased at the supermarket. The latter usually contain added sugars, colorings and other ingredients that may not be so good for your health, and it is important to read the nutritional labeling before choosing the product.

Main benefits

The main health benefits of natural yogurt include:

Improve intestinal bacterial flora and, thus, help fight diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, colon cancer, constipation, stomach and duodenal ulcer, colitis, enteritis, gastritis and dysentery, among others;

Improve intestinal transit, due to the fact that the bacteria present in yogurt make a pre-digestion of proteins allowing a better digestibility;

Combat fermentation of food, avoiding gas, irritation, inflammation and intestinal infections;

Provide calcium and phosphorus to the body, so it helps prevent osteopenia, osteoporosis, contributes in the recovery of fractures and cares for the health of the teeth;

Favor the increase of muscle mass and its recovery for being rich in protein, so it can be ingested before or after muscle exercises;

Improve memory, learning and cognitive processes, as yogurt provides B vitamins, which are essential to maintain mental health. In addition, scientific evidence has been found that the consumption of probiotics helps maintain mental health;

Increase the body’s defenses, because it has minerals such as zinc and selenium, as well as probiotics, these nutrients help regulate and activate the cells of the immune system, reducing the risk of diseases such as flu or colds.

Despite the fact that whole yogurt is high in fat, some studies seem to indicate that it may help improve heart health, promoting lower cholesterol and helping to control blood pressure, being rich in potassium, a mineral that helps relax blood vessels and lower blood pressure.

Nutritional composition of yogurt

The table below shows the nutritional composition for each type of yogurt:

It is important to mention that yogurts contain lactose, for this reason, people with intolerance to milk sugar should consume lactose-free yogurts.

How to consume it

For a better use of all the nutritional properties of this food, it is recommended to eat plain low-fat yogurt at breakfast along with cereals and fruits. Granola, half bitter chocolate, honey and sugar-free strawberry jams are also excellent accompaniments to plain yogurt.

In addition to this, it can also be added in fruit smoothies to make a snack.

How to make homemade yogurt

To prepare an excellent quality homemade yogurt you need:

Ingredients

1 liter of cow’s milk can be whole, semi-skimmed or fresh skimmed (according to preference);

1 glass of plain Greek yogurt (170 g);

1 tablespoon of sugar (optional);

1 tablespoon of powdered milk (optional).

How to prepare

Boil the milk, let it cool down to approximately 36 ºC and mix it with the natural yogurt, which should be at room temperature, the sugar and the powdered milk. Place this mixture in a hermetically sealed container, wrap it in a clean cloth and store it inside the microwave oven closed, but turned off, and keep it there for 6 to 10 hours at the most.

After the time has elapsed, store it in the refrigerator. The yogurt will be ready when the consistency is the same as the natural yogurt you buy in the supermarket.

The hot environment of the microwave will favor the proliferation of the good bacteria in the yogurt and these will be distributed throughout the milk, transforming it into natural yogurt. Therefore, with a glass of plain yogurt you can prepare more than 1 liThe yogurt should not be placed in the milk while it is still very hot so that the bacteria do not die, since they are the ones that give the yogurt its consistency. It is also not advisable to add fruits or jellies before the yogurt is ready so as not to damage its formation.

This yogurt should be kept in the refrigerator after it is ready and can be consumed even by babies, being a healthier option than industrialized yogurt.

Yogurt cake

Ingredients

1 glass of plain yogurt (200 mg);

Oil (the same measure as the glass of yogurt);

3 eggs;

2 cups of wheat flour;

2 teaspoons stevia powder or liquid;

1 teaspoon vanilla essence;

1 teaspoon baking powder;

1 teaspoon baking soda.

How to prepare

Mix the eggs, oil and stevia with the mixer; then add the flour and yogurt and integrate well. After forming a uniform mixture, add the vanilla essence, baking powder and baking soda and mix with a spoon. Bake in a floured and buttered pan or lined with baking paper, until golden brown.

The cake cooks faster when prepared in a pudding mold at an intermediate temperature, between 160 and 180 ºC.