Whats Is Yogurt?
Dairy Products such as yogurt are fermented by a bacteria called ‘Lactobacillus Bulgaricus’ and ‘Streptococcus Thermophilus‘. These two bacteria’s work together to convert milk into yogurt giving it its creamy texture.
It does this through a process called fermentation where they will convert lactose into lactic acid creating the unique taste and texture of plain yogurt. The lactic acid bacteria found within the yogurt creates its tangy taste that can often be tasted within plain regular yogurt.
There are multiple types of yogurt that are produced and they all have high amounts of calcium within them due to the being milk products. Eating this on a regular basis can be very beneficial for bone health as well as digestive health. it is also a good source of protein.
Why Is Yogurt Good For You?
Yogurt is good to consume for overall health due to it having fewer calories and high amount of grams of protein, this allows yogurt to be a very crucial thing within weight loss due its high protein content leading to better satiation and few calories.
Yogurt is also beneficial due to the ‘good bacteria’ that is found within it; Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus. These bacteria are important for a healthy gut microbiome due to the bacteria being a good probiotic which means that the bacteria can help and improve digestion as well as promoting a better and more balanced gut microbiome.
Yogurt may also contain B vitamins such as vitamin B12 (cobalamin) and vitamin B2 (riboflavin), this is beneficial due to B vitamins playing crucial roles in energy metabolism as well as overall health. Alternatively yogurt also contains essential amino acids like leucine, isoleucine and valine, amino acids are important because they are used within the body to build and repair tissues as well as support immune functions.
Insulin resistance may also be effected due to the yogurt having a low glycemic index, this means that it will help regulate the body’s blood sugar levels and improve the sensitivity of insulin.
How Does Yogurt Impact Your Gut Health?
When we eat yogurt within a healthy and balanced diet, it will over time have a positive impact within our gut microbiome. This is due to the bacteria being probiotic which leads to a better breakdown and absorption of nutrients in the intestines as well as allowing a healthier environment. It is healthy to have a healthy gut microbiome due to it playing a crucial role in digestion, absorption of nutrients, immune system and overall well-being.
When it comes to having a healthy gut some studies show that there is a link between a healthy gut microbiome and lean muscle mass. This is due to the research suggesting that a healthy gut microbiome leading to better muscle metabolism, this means that the body when digesting food will be able to convert the nutrients into fuel for the muscles to contract as well as other cellular activities.
What Is The Best Yogurt?
When it comes to choosing the nest type of yogurt it purely comes down to preferences as well as why you are eating it. However, plain greek yogurt is most favoured when it comes to this topic, this is due to its high protein concentration making it easier to reach your daily protein intake. On top of this it is also favoured due to it containing live and active cultures that will positively impact the gut microbiome. It is also important to check the labelling of yogurts to ensure that they contain both live and active cultures as well as having no added sugars.
When Is The Best Time To Eat Yogurt?
Although yogurt is widely taken as a breakfast or a healthy snack or even with nighttime snacks, there is no ‘best time’ to eat yogurt. It can be eaten within the morning or cooked within main meals. Yogurt is a great and healthy alternative to added to your meals to make sure you get the probiotic benefits within your diet.
How Does Yogurt Help With Weight Loss?
When it comes to fat loss or achieving your weight loss goals the number of calories you intake per day will lead to either a positive energy balance (Weight Gain) or a negative energy balance (Weight Loss) due to yogurt having a low calories and high protein it is a great addition within a weight loss plan. When consuMing a high protein intake it will allow better muscle growth, this in turn will lead to more calories being burned daily due to muscle having a direct impact on your basal metabolic rate.
Yogurt is one of the best choice/ best bet when it comes to a weight loss journey due to its low calories and high satiation factor. This lead people who consume yogurt to feel full after eating it because yogurt is a great source of protein. On top of this it allows low calories helping keep people under the daily calorie intake leading to a loss in body weight and in turn leads to less body fat stored.
In addition to this a cup of yogurt doesn’t have much sugar especially if you opt for the no added sugar variations of plain yogurt, this allows your body’s blood sugar levels to stay optimal due to their being little to no sugar intake from consuming this fermented dairy product.
Artificial sweeteners that can be found within types of flavoured yogurts contain a lot of added sugar, this can lead to spikes within blood glucose levels due to the sugar content. Spikes in blood glucose levels can lead to energy crashes and when consumed regularly it may lead to high blood pressure due to the grams of sugar within flavoured yogurts being high. It is a good idea to check the nutritional value on the yogurt labelling to ensure that there is a adequate amount of servings of yogurt that will contain the essential nutrients and beneficial bacteria within it.
This can also provide information on wether there is enough protein, live cultures as well as being a good source of probiotics. There are other alternatives of yogurt such as drinkable yogurt, fat-free yogurt, low-fat yogurt and regular yogurt.
What Can I Have With Yogurt?
When consuming yogurt it can be consumed within a numerous amount of different ways, it is best to mix in some fresh fruit, this allows the yogurt to have some natural sweetness as well as the addition of more vitamins and minerals as well as fibre. This is beneficial because it combines probiotic with prebiotic allowing the best for your digestive system.
You could also add things such as chia seeds due to chia seeds being very full with nutrients such as fibre, protein, omega fatty acids and antioxidants, this allows the benefits of better digestion, heart health as well as providing sustained energy. Using chia seeds with fruit is a great way to start the morning and is recommended as the best way for both prebiotic and probiotic within the intestines.
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