Nutrients:
Protein, Calcium, vitamin B-2, B-12, potassium, and magnesium.
Health benefits:
May help prevent osteoporosis, reduce the risk of high blood pressure; its active cultures help the gut; may help you feel fuller.
Tips to include in diet:
1. Make a breakfast parfait by layering yoghurt, bran cereal or muesli, and topping with your favourite fruit.
2. Dip raw vegetables in plain yogurt
3. Use yoghurt for salad dressing and dips
4. As an alternative to sour cream, Serve plain yoghurt on, tacos, soups and chili.
5. Make a healthy smoothie by blending yoghurt and fresh fruits.
6. Add yoghurt to salads as a creamy dressing.
7. Buttermilk or laban is an excellent way to consume yoghurt.
8. Mix yoghurt with chopped dates to provide a healthy snack or dessert.
9. Use frozen yoghurt as an alternative to ice cream.
10. Mix yoghurt with your favorite chutney to make for a fantastic spread on pita bread or chappaties.
11. Use yoghurt as a raita and add finely chopped vegetables of your choice. It can even double as a dip.
12. Natural-flavoured yoghurts can be enjoyed as a dessert to satisfy your sweet cravings and cut out excessive calories found in most desserts.
13. Pour yoghurt over breakfast cereals instead of milk.
14. Stir in unsweetened peanut butter or cocoa powder for additional flavour and health benefits.
15. Stir in sesame seeds or flaxseed into yoghurt for a nutritional boost.
16. Eat yoghurt as an anytime snack.
Tips to choose:
Buy yoghurt with active cultures. Live cultures are the probiotic bacteria that make yoghurt so beneficial.
Avoid yoghurt with added sugar. Instead, add chopped prunes, dates, apricots or figs to turn it into a sweet treat that’s healthy. Avoid yoghurt that contains artificial food colouring. Select the natural yoghurt that has as little as a two-ingredient list.
Cooking techniques:
Heating yoghurt too rapidly can cause it to separate into curds and whey. Warm the yoghurt to room temperature before adding it to hot mixtures and heat it slowly, stirring constantly.
Yoghurt is a useful addition to marinades; its high acidity helps tenderise.
Yoghurt can be used as an alternative to dips and dressings.
How probiotic yoghurt helps
Yoghurts are made using active, good bacteria called the probiotic yoghurt. Probiotic refers to living organisms that can result in a health benefit when eaten in adequate amounts. There’s encouraging evidence that probiotics may help:
Treat diarrhoea, especially following treatment with antibiotics.
Prevent and treat urinary tract infections.
Treat irritable bowel syndrome.
Reduce bladder cancer recurrence.
Speed treatment of certain intestinal infections.
Prevent and treat eczema in children.
Prevent or reduce the severity of colds and flu.
Keep in mind that probiotics state ‘live and active cultures’ on the label.
Tips for buying yoghurt
Between regular and low-fat varieties, always try to choose the one with less added sugars.
Look for active culture and probiotics.
Choose yoghurt with Vitamin D.
