YOGURT - A HEALTHY WAY OF LIFE

Nolan Apostle, Contributing Editor
Cesar Plata, Writer/Reporter

YOGURT - HEALTHY OR OTHERWISE, WHAT IS YOGURTS NUTRITIONAL VALUE

Desserts are almost always regarded as food with low nutritional importance but much of the time and in many different countries including America, they involve some type of fruit dish. But that is not the only way to stay healthy anymore. As much as fruit is an important ingredient of any healthy diet, something else has been around for quite some time and is not just a great way to stay healthy but also a good additive to anyone's diet to even lose weight.

People who wish to lose weight are frequently advised to avoid eating desserts as these may contain large amounts of calories and sugar. Nonetheless, this really is not applicable for yogurt, a dairy product widely processed into a kind of dessert called "frozen yogurt." The word "yogurt" is originally a Turkish term that means "to thicken." It explains the process of curdling or coagulating milk to turn it into an ingredient or the final item itself.

Made via the bacterial fermentation of milk, yogurt is naturally sour. The sourness is due to the production of lactic acid via the fermentation of lactose, a saccharides sugar found mostly in milk products. The lactic acid acts with the protein in milk to create the texture and overall characteristic of yogurt. Milk from virtually all varieties of domesticated ungulates can be processed to produce yogurt, although that of a cow is the most well-known.

Yogurt is known to have a number of nutrients essential to man's metabolism, such as calcium, vitamin B6 and B12, protein, and riboflavin. Each has a huge impact on a person's well-being, and together can counter antibiotic-associated stomach issues. For instance, consistent yogurt intake does not pose any detrimental side-effect on people that have lactose intolerance or lactase deficiency, the inability to digest lactose. The counter effect is brought about by the production of lactic acid through the bacterial culture. In another perspective, low-fat yogurt can facilitate weight reduction, which is why it is recommended by dieticians as a good addition to one's everyday meals.


To get rid of sourness, yogurt items are mostly sweetened and flavored with a variety of flavors from fruit extracts. Frozen yogurt stores produce sweetened yogurt by adding in fruit jam or even by adding fresh fruits or toppings. That way, the stingy taste can be counteracted, resulting in a delicious dessert. Most finished products include pectin, a heteropolysaccharide present on the cell walls of terrestrial plants. This substance provides yogurt its thickness and creaminess.


Commercial yogurt sold in frozen yogurt shops undergoes a more rigorous process than the home-made one. Most are strained to remove the whey, a byproduct of making cheese or casein. Removing this substance offers yogurt a significantly thicker consistency and stronger taste.
Around the world, yogurt is gaining popularity in different ways. Not just sold in frozen yogurt shops similar to those ice-cream shops of the past, but as a mere dairy item, yogurt has also become part of the culture of nations like China, Nepal, Greece and Iran. In Nepal, as an example, yogurt is employed as a symbolic element in local festivals, marriage ceremonies, and religious occasions. In Iran, it is used as a side dish in almost every single meal. The Greek love to make yogurt and have become famous for some of their yogurt brands and very healthy too. Oh and the Chinese, they just can't get enough of the delicious frozen yogurt!