There are some benefits of eating yogurt that will amaze you. What else will help you keep muscles firm and young, provide skin and hair with vital nutrients, cleanse oily skin, soften your complexion and iron out little lines? And as a bonus, yogurt just happens to make plain good eating too!

YOGURT, that creamy white food that every health food fanatic throws back with delight, is much more than a delicious snack.

There are particular benefits of eating yogurt. Lots of it will make your hair shinier, your skin glow and your eyes are bright.

It might even help you lose weight, provided you eat the right kind. When the junket-like substance is inoculated with culture and then incubated at a warm temperature, organisms similar to those in our digestive tract act upon it.

So when we get around to eating yogurt, what we are really eating is predigested milk. It’s a boon to sensitive stomachs because over 90 percent of it is digested within one hour, compared to only 30 percent of milk.

Yogurt Helps to Maintain Internal Hygiene

Bacteria in the culture lie suspended in the carton when you take it from a refrigerator, but the moment they are in the warmth of the stomach the higher temperature causes them to grow rapidly. They attack unfriendly organisms in the stomach and create an acid environment.

Quick digestion means quicker absorption by the body, so if you need a sudden boost of energy, yogurt is a shortcut to getting it. Yogurt is actually richer in milk nutrients than milk itself, with 1½ times more protein, calcium, thiamin, and riboflavin than milk.

That protein will keep muscles firm and young, and large amounts of the vitamin will keep skin glowing, hair shining. Naturally, to really enjoy all those benefits of eating yogurt, you need to eat a lot, something you will have to watch if you are weight conscious.

Yogurt is a relief to most dieters’ monotonous eating programs, but only certain yogurts are suitable.

An average carton of fruit yogurt contains about 250 calories, much of which lies in the sweetened fruit content. A carton of plain yogurt, on the other hand, contains about 176 calories.

Anyone concerned with their cholesterol level knows they should not drink full cream milk but they can still eat yogurt and enjoy the same benefits. Of course, you must eat yogurt made with skim milk. Don’t be mislead into thinking that “low fat” means low calorie. For your cholesterol level, you should eat plain, not fruit, yogurt made with skim milk.

One of the benefits of eating yogurt is that you may lower cholesterol, studies suggest

Some years ago an American doctor observed that there were little heart disease and a low cholesterol level among tribesmen in East Africa who consumed about 4.5 liters (1 gallon) a day of fermented milk (their own kind of yogurt).

Back in America, the doctor experimented by getting people to eat up to just over a liter (1 quart) of yogurt a day. The cholesterol was reduced by half, but as yet the reason for yogurt’s effect on cholesterol is not known.

Plain yogurt may take some getting used to, but it’s quite delicious with fresh fruits or a spoonful of honey stirred in. People eat yogurt for three reasons: they like it, they are dieting, or they enjoy eating healthy foods. Most eat it as a between-meal snack.

That’s the inside story. It’s equally good for the outside. Hundreds of years ago women poured milk into their baths to make their skin feel softer and look creamier. In the same way, yogurt will help your skin.

When it is spread over the skin it attacks and destroys accumulated surface bacteria. When it attacks the residue bacteria it helps prevent blemishes, just like a disinfectant. This makes it best for oily skins.

On an older complexion, yogurt’s soothing properties soften the skin and in doing this, ease outlines.

A face mask of yogurt and honey smoothed on the face during a warm bath will melt into the skin, cleaning and softening it. Rinse off later with warm water.

How to make your own Yogurt

Use whole or skim milk and dissolve 3 to 4 tablespoons of plain commercial yogurt at room temperature, into 1.1 liters (1 quart) of milk brought almost to the boil. The milk temperature should be between 38 and 48 deg C (112 to 120 deg F).

Stir well, pour into individual dishes, cover securely and allow to stand for 6 to 8 hours at room temperature, or until the yogurt has thickened and set. Refrigerate immediately to stop fermentation.

If you can regulate your oven to 45 deg C (112 deg F), the prepared milk can be put into the oven for 3 to 5 hours (depending on how sour you like your yogurt), until the milk has curdled.

Refrigerate immediately afterward to stop fermentation. Your yogurt won’t have the same texture or consistency as commercial varieties, but it will be yogurt, and you can eat it plain or add honey, nuts or fruit to it.

This way, you will create something of your own and enjoy the benefits of eating yogurt!



Author Bio: Natalia is a health professional who has 5 years of experience in Nutrition and Dietetics. She also has a passion for sharing health tips and writing articles about life improvement. She currently works for
