Is yogurt good for the human body? What is this product? You will find answers to these and other questions in the article. Today, yogurts are enormously popular. This is a fermented milk product, a close relative of kefir.
One person in Europe consumes an average of 10 to 40 kg of yogurt per year, in our country this value reaches hardly 2 kg, which is also a lot. Yoghurts are popular because of good advertising, which says that this product can significantly improve human health. Whether yogurt is really good for a person, we will find out further.
Yogurt
So is yogurt good for humans? First of all, it is necessary to take into account that only homemade yogurt made from milk and a special sourdough, which contains two or more living active bacteria, has a beneficial effect on the body. Their concentration should be at least 10 million cells - only in this case the product will be beneficial.
These bacteria live very little, so natural yogurt can last no more than a week at 7 ยฐ C. So think about it: what is the composition of store yogurt if its shelf life reaches 30 days or more?
The benefits of yogurt
Many people ask, โIs yogurt good for humans?โ It is known that natural yogurt from kefir differs only in the presence of fruits and sugar in it. Its usefulness is this:
- It is rich in mineral components and vitamins that make our bones strong and contribute to their full development, prevent the harmful effects of infections and have a restorative effect.
- Strengthens the activity of the immune system. If you eat 300 g of yogurt every day, which contains active microflora, this will significantly strengthen the immune system and will be the prevention of viral and colds. After a couple of months of systematically taking the product we are considering, you will find that you become sick less.
- Provides gastrointestinal health. Daily use of yogurt has a positive effect on the state of the stomach and intestines. It helps with metabolic disorders and diarrhea. Some types of yogurt preserve the microflora, protect the digestive tract at the time of taking antibiotics, which destroy beneficial bacteria in it and contribute to the emergence of new infections in the body. Moreover, the composition of yogurt contains calcium and lactobacilli. The first of them not only preserves the elasticity and integrity of our bones, but also supports the activity of the intestines and even prevents the activity of bacteria that provoke the appearance of oncological ailments of this organ. Lactobacilli provide beneficial intestinal microflora.
- Helps in the treatment of thrush (vaginal candidiasis). Reception of natural yogurt reduces the number of bacteria that contribute to the appearance of plaque on the mucous membrane.
- Useful for people who do not tolerate lactose. Fermented milk bacteria of yogurt perform the function of digesting lactose. That is why it can be eaten by people in whose body there are too few enzymes for the complete processing of milk.
- Removes unwanted cholesterol from the body. If you eat 100 grams of yogurt per day, you can get rid of the destructive and increase the number of beneficial cholesterol in the blood. Thanks to this, the general condition of your body will improve.
- Destroys pathogenic microorganisms. This is due to the ability of the product to synthesize lactate.
What is contained in 100 g of yogurt?
Now you know the answer to the question: "Is it useful to drink yogurt?" Yes, very helpful. It should be noted that only 100 g of this product contains 25% of the daily allowance of calcium and 15% of phosphorus. It contains an easily digestible protein that does not cause allergic reactions.
For whom is it effective?
Next, we will talk about the projects โAre all yogurts useful?โ, And now we will find out for whom the product we are considering is effective. It is known that the healing properties of yogurt are similar to the benefits of kefir. This product is shown for:
- suffering from dysbiosis;
- old people;
- improving the condition of the heart and blood vessels;
- treatment and prevention of enteritis and colitis;
- prevention of osteoporosis;
- strengthening the central nervous system, preventing depression and improving mood (thanks to phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, vitamin B5, iron);
- prevention and treatment of ailments characterized by a decrease in the activity of the adrenal glands and thyroid gland;
- enhancing the functioning of the brain;
- normalization of weight;
- balancing the hormonal background of women;
- cleansing the body after poisoning and blocking carcinogens.
The harm of yogurt. Preservatives
The answer to the question โ Is drinking yogurt useful ?โ Is obvious. Yes, useful. Can they harm the human body? All of the above qualities apply only to natural yogurt. However, today yogurts with a shelf life of about a month are sold in stores (which we said earlier), and this means that such a product, in the best case, will be useless, and in the worst - it will do harm.
Almost all yogurts contain the preservative E1442. It is needed in order to increase the shelf life of the product. At the same time, this substance eliminates all the beneficial qualities of the components of yogurt that could truly have a positive effect on the body. Many practicing doctors claim that E1442 (hydroxypropyl dicramphosphate) provokes the development of pancreatic necrosis.
E1442 are large molecules found in corn starch, which is part of genetically modified corn and gradually destroys the pancreas, reduces its activity and contributes to the appearance of severe ailments.
Harmful of sugar in yogurt
In homemade yogurt, 150 g of the product accounts for only 6 g of sugar, and in the store it is 5-6 times more. Manufacturers of yogurt add sugar in such a large quantity in order to increase the popularity of their products and make them more attractive than kefir, sourdough or cottage cheese.
As a result, people eat a delicious product in large quantities, and this is fraught with obesity, damage to teeth and oral cavity, edema. Such products are dangerous especially for diabetics. Sugar also contributes to the leaching of calcium.
It should also be noted that different types of yogurt differ from each other not in the content of different fruits and juices, but in flavors that harm human health. In many purchased yoghurts, sodium citrate (E331) can be found to increase stomach acidity.
Useful components
The beneficial ingredients in yogurt are destroyed very quickly. Lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, which are necessary for our body, die after a couple of days of storage of yogurt. And the fact that this product is stored in stores for a month or more, and people buy it far from the first day after the date of creation, suggests that they only have to "enjoy" flavorings and stabilizers.
Fruit and Yogurt
Fruits together with sour-milk bacteria cannot exist. Then what are these components contained in yogurt? Slices of peach, strawberries, kiwi and other fruits are added to it in frozen or canned form.
Very often, yogurt is put enriched with citric acid or sugar and flavored extracts that remain after the creation of marmalade or jelly. Such pieces are sterilized in a rather unusual way, irradiating them with radiation.
Carcinogens
Yogurt forms dangerous carcinogens in the body. It is known that its attractive taste is liked by everyone. For the fact that it is present in store yoghurts, it is necessary to โthankโ the manufacturers. After all, it is they who add aspartame or an flavor enhancer E-951 to it. This substance, once in the body, begins to secrete formaldehyde, formic acid and other harmful carcinogens.
Fermentation
And yogurt can roam. When the product expires, yeast, mold fungi, putrefactive bacteria appear in it. Microbes begin to multiply, which contributes to the release of carbon dioxide. As a result, the packaging swells.
The human immune system destroys most of these bacteria. The same microorganisms that were able to overcome the attack of immunity provoke the appearance of diarrhea and gases. It is these signs that indicate the ingestion of toxins and harmful microbes.
When should you not drink natural yogurt?
Is homemade yogurt good for you? Doctors do not recommend using it for:
- flatulence (increases the creation of gases);
- gastritis associated with high acidity of the stomach;
- weak kidneys (may inspire renal failure);
- diarrhea (has a laxative effect);
- ulcers of the stomach and duodenum;
- babies up to 1 year old (irritates the stomach of a fragile body).
As you can see, the benefits and harms of yogurt are a pretty controversial issue. It is safe to say that this product has an alternative substitute that affects the body much better, for example, the same kefir.
Shop yoghurts are just a marketing ploy and a hoax on the part of manufacturers who want to make money at the lowest cost. They care about your health! If you still want to treat yourself to yogurt, make it yourself. Indeed, you will know that harmful chemical additives are absent in its composition.
Chemical composition and nutritional value
It is known that the calorie content of yogurt is 68 kcal. It contains:
- 3.2 g of fat;
- 5 g of protein;
- 86.3 g of water;
- 3.5 g of carbohydrates;
- 0.7 g of ash;
- 1.3 g of organic acids.
The following vitamins are also available in this product:
- 0.2 mg riboflavin (vitamin B2);
- 22 mcg of vitamin A (RE);
- 0.31 mg of vitamin B5;
- 0.05 mg of vitamin B6;
- 0.02 mg retinol;
- 1.4 mg of vitamin PP;
- 0.6 mg of vitamin C;
- 40 mg of vitamin B4;
- 0.04 mg of vitamin B1;
- 0.2 mg niacin;
- 0.43 mcg of vitamin B12;
- 0.01 mg beta-carotene.
Also it has such macro elements:
- magnesium - 15 mg;
- potassium - 147 mg;
- phosphorus - 96 mg;
- calcium - 122 mg;
- chlorine - 100 mg;
- sodium - 52 mg;
- sulfur - 27 mg.
And in yogurt there are such trace elements:
- 10 ฮผg of copper;
- 0.1 mg of iron;
- 5 mcg of molybdenum;
- 2 mcg selenium;
- 9 mcg of iodine;
- 0.4 mg of zinc;
- 1 ฮผg cobalt;
- 2 mcg of chromium;
- 20 mcg fluoride;
- 0.006 mg of manganese.
Projects
It is known that in schools in Russia since 1999 the program "Talk about proper nutrition" has been implemented. This educational unique project was developed at the Institute of Age Physiology of the Academy of Education of the Russian Federation on the initiative and with the support of the Nestle Russia enterprise.
Today, 48 regions of the Russian Federation and more than 850 thousand schoolchildren and preschoolers participate in the project every year. They willingly conduct master classes and classes, where they talk about healthy food, are participants in various competitions. It is known that every research work โAre all yoghurts healthy?โ Performed within the framework of this program is magnificent. Children apply testing methods:
- Practical - observation, questionnaire, experiment.
- Theoretical - comparative data analysis.
During the study, the kids find out a lot of interesting facts about yogurt. So, many of them already know that the most important condition for fermentation is the participation of live microorganisms from the family of lactobacilli (thermophilic streptococcus and Bulgarian bacillus).
Few of you know whether Activia yogurt is healthy. But the children found out that Activia is a low-calorie product and the benefits from it are the same as from kefir. But since it has different flavors, they believe that it is better to use kefir, which can be combined with berries or dried fruits.
Surely you donโt know the answer to the question โIs Miracle Yogurt useful?โ And the kids conducted research and determined that this product contains a huge number of stabilizers.
How to choose the most healthy yogurt?
If you want to buy yogurt in the store, give preference to that product, which is made from milk fermented with lactic acid bacteria. It also should not contain impurities of gelatin and chemical additives.
Choose yogurt that either has no sugar or is found in very small quantities. Always pay attention to the expiration date.