A balanced diet contains one to three servings of dairy products every day, but many people avoid dairy because it often is high in fats. Yogurt is a dairy option that contains protein and nutrients, including the digestive benefits of probiotics, and is available in low-fat versions.
Description
Yogurt is made by fermenting milk with a bacterial culture. This causes the sugar lactose in the milk to become lactic acid, giving the yogurt a tart flavor and thick, curdled texture. AskDrSears.com notes that the bacteria used to produce yogurt includes Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. These lactic acid bacteria and the fermentation process give the yogurt many health benefits.
Benefits
The UK Dairy Council lists several health benefits of yogurt, including enhancing gut and immune function by increasing IgA antibody production, reducing allergic reactions, preventing diarrhea linked to antibiotic treatment, improving digestion of lactose in people with lactose intolerance, and helping to decrease symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. Yogurt also improves cardiovascular health by helping to convert fiber in the diet to healthy fats, increasing levels of healthy high density lipids, or HDL, and decreasing levels of unhealthy low density lipids, or LDL. These effects can help reduce high cholesterol and hypertension over the long term.
Minerals
WHFoods.com recommends yogurt for its many nutrients, including minerals that are needed for the healthy function and formation of teeth, bones and cells, as well as for the functioning of the immune and nervous systems. These minerals include calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc.
Vitamins
Yogurt contains both essential fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins necessary for body functioning. The UK Dairy Counsel notes that yogurt is high in the water-soluble vitamins B12, riboflavin and thiamine. Yogurt contains the fat-soluble vitamin D and vitamin A, which most types of milk are fortified with.
Intake
The University of Michigan Integrative Medicine School recommends yogurt as part of a healthy, balanced diet. Yogurt is recommended as part of regular dairy intake and as a probiotic food that contains live bacteria for maintaining and improving digestive health. Yogurt can be used as any or all of the one to three servings of dairy recommended per day.
Recommendations
Yogurt is available in several varieties, but some might be more suitable to a healthy diet. The University of Michigan Integrative Medicine School advises eating low-fat yogurt and other dairy products with less than 3 g of fat per serving. Additionally, it is best to avoid sweetened or artificially flavored yogurts, and to choose yogurts that are made from milk that does not contain artificial hormones and antibiotics. A healthy choice is low-fat yogurt made from organic milk. Add fresh fruit and berries for flavor if desired.
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