You Could Lose Weight
For some, the desire to lose weight can have people turning to every sort of option. Whether it’s getting religiously into exercise or monitoring what you eat, or usually a combo of these things. In terms of eating healthier, it can be helpful to eat yogurt every day for weight loss as well.
“Regular intake of healthy bacteria, such as the kind from yogurt, has been shown to have positive effects on weight management and the GI tract,” says Morgyn Clair, RD. “Eating yogurt daily can help you reach a healthy weight while still providing a satisfying snack.”
How Many Live Cultures Are In Yogurt
Yogurt Standards The NYA has established standards for probiotics. For yogurt to be healthy, it must have at least 100 million cultures per gram at the time of manufacture. Frozen yogurt must contain 10 million cultures per gram. If these minimums are met, the Live and Active Cultures seal may be on the label.
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Activia And Weight Loss
From reviews and comments on public forums, we can say Activia, because of its probiotics and nutrients, is very useful in regulating the digestive tract. However, in our search on Activia, we didnt see any clinical or scientific proofs on its ingredients and whether it helps with weight loss.
However, one study published in Obesity Facts on PO.150 found that probiotic low-fat yogurt , fermented with Bifidus ActiRegularis, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus could reduce body weight.
In any case, bearing in mind that what affects weight loss depends on your caloric intake. Introducing Activia to your diet may be an excellent way to get started on a weight-loss plan.
Here are a few suggested ways that could happen:
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So What Are Probiotics
Probiotics are friendly bacteria that provide numerous benefits to your health. They support your bodys existing population of good bacteria and help them to function more efficiently.
Probiotics are available in supplement form but are also present in a range of fermented foods, including yogurt, kimchi, kefir and sauerkraut.
Of course, you cant expect something to improve your health just because it contains probiotic bacteria. It all comes down to the amounts of probiotic bacteria in the product, the variety of strains, whether they survive passage through your stomach, how live the bacteria are, and many other factors.
In most cases, probiotic supplements are more effective than yogurt for providing the health benefits you require. Heres why.
How Safe Are Probiotics
Because microbes used as probiotics already exist naturally in your body, probiotic foods and supplements are generally considered safe. They may trigger allergic reactions, and may also cause mild stomach upset, diarrhea, or flatulence and bloating for the first few days after starting to take them.
There are certain people who need to use caution when using probiotic supplements. There is a risk of infection in some people. These people include those who have:
- A weakened immune system .
- A critical illness.
Caution should also be used when giving probiotics to very sick infants.
Always talk to your healthcare provider before starting a probiotic supplement.
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What Are Probiotics
The term probiotic refers to dietary/probiotic supplements and probiotic foods that contain beneficial or friendly bacteria. It is claimed that probiotics confer health benefits primarily by rebalancing the normal microflora in the large intestine. The beneficial effect is exerted by the microorganisms when consumed in adequate amounts as part of food or a supplement.
According to Food and Agriculture Organization, probiotics are defined as live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.
There are many general types of bacteria , which are used as probiotics. They are promoted to improve digestion, strengthen immunity, aid weight loss, protect against periodontal disease and improve general health.
Probiotics in Yogurt
Curd/yogurt is a semi-solid food commonly consumed in most households across the world. Milk gets converted to curd/yogurt by lactic acid fermentation. The good quality curd is sweet to taste and has a pleasant aroma. A daily bowl of fresh curd helps to prevent numerous diseases and is nutritionally very adequate. It can be viewed as a natural probiotic.
Probiotic yogurt is one of the most widely used probiotic food. It provides probiotic health benefits and is extremely rich in protein, calcium and B vitamins. It increases the number of beneficial microflora in the intestinal tract and facilitates direct consumption of live bacteria.
How To Take Activia
For the best results, Dannon advises consumers to include Activia in a regular balanced diet by consuming it two times every day for two weeks.
According to Livestrong, one serving of the Activia yogurts cherry variant has 1.5 grams of fat and 90 calories. The serving also contains 4 grams of protein, which is equivalent to 9% of the total amount of protein women need in their diet and 7% of what men need.
Other flavors of the Dannon Activia Yogurt like the prune, banana, peach, strawberry, vanilla, and peach have the same calorie, protein, and fat content, whereas the blueberry variant has 90 calories.
Activia can be incorporated into your diet in various ways. You can choose to have it for breakfast as a stand-alone meal when combined with fruits or grains. You could also want to have it as a smoothie. And of course, you can decide to have it on the side when you have your regular meals.
Oh yeah! Familiar with Mediterranean dishes? These dishes make good combinations with yogurt, and Activia is known to do the job well.
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Are Yoplait Yogurt Healthy
With 11 distinct varieties and over 85 flavors, Yoplait is sure to have yogurt to suit your taste buds and dietary requirements. As with all yogurt, Yoplaits products are nutrient-dense and beneficial to the body. Understanding the health benefits can help you overcome any guilt you may experience when adding Red Velvet and Boston Creme Pie or Yoplait yogurt to your cart.
Yoplait yogurt is an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D, two nutrients that contribute to the health and strength of your bones. Depending on the yogurt you purchase, one serving provides between 10% and 30% of the daily calcium requirement and 20% of the daily vitamin D requirement. Unfortunately, many Americans do not consume enough calcium or vitamin D. Including Yoplait yogurt in your diet can assist you in meeting your daily nutritional requirements.
On the Yoplait yogurt label, youll notice that it contains live active cultures such as Lactobacillus acidophilus. These cultures are bacteria that naturally occur in the human gut and are occasionally referred to as friendly bacteria or probiotics. Consuming yogurt such as Yoplait contributes to the replenishment of beneficial bacteria in the heart, which may help boost immunity and overall health.
How to select the healthiest yogurt brand available:
Is Yoplait Yogurt Good for Losing Weight?
How To Use The Body Ecology Kefir Starter In 5 Easy Steps:
The shelf life of Body Ecologys Kefir Starter is 12 months from the manufactured date in the refrigerator, or longer when it is stored in the freezer.
Kefir is traditionally made with cows milk, but it can also be made using coconut, rice, goat, or sheeps milk. It makes a wonderful addition to smoothies! Children rushing off to school in the morning find kefir to be an excellent nourishing breakfast. To make it even more kid friendly, try flavoring it with stevia and vanilla extract. Its a sugar-free, fermented, high-protein way to start the day.
Wasnt that easy?
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How Do Probiotics Work
The main job of probiotics, or good bacteria, is to maintain a healthy balance in your body. Think of it as keeping your body in neutral. When you are sick, bad bacteria enters your body and increases in number. This knocks your body out of balance. Good bacteria works to fight off the bad bacteria and restore the balance within your body, making you feel better.
Good bacteria keeps you healthy by supporting your immune function and controlling inflammation. Certain types of good bacteria can also:
- Help your body digest food.
- Keep bad bacteria from getting out of control and making you sick.
- Create vitamins.
- Help support the cells that line your gut to prevent bad bacteria that you may have consumed from entering your blood.
- Breakdown and absorb medications.
This balancing act is naturally happening in your body all of the time. You dont actually need to take probiotic supplements to make it happen. Good bacteria is just a natural part of your body. Eating a well-balanced diet rich in fiber every day helps to keep the number of good bacteria at proper levels.
Survives Passage To The Gut
Dannon claims their probiotic strain is proven to stay alive all the way from your mouth to your gut.
Great, but will there be enough to make a difference?
Dannon claims over 4 billion Bifidus in every 120g pot of Activia.
That may seem a lot, but considering many dietitians suggest 12 billion a day is needed to maintain a healthy balance, you need to be eating 3 pots of Activia a day.
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Noosa Tart Cherry Yoghurt
The first thing to remember about this noosa yoghurt is that it is a larger serving size than most of the other yogurts here. That being said, noosa yoghurt is delicious because its made with full-fat milk and a lot of sugar. Yes, it does have a lot of calcium because of that, but its so high in calories and carbs youre better off not eating this very often.
An Uncertain Collection Of Strains
Every yogurt containsLactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, but the other strains in your yogurt are not standardized in the same way that probiotic supplements are. They may or may not include various forms of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, or even yeast.
Every species and strain of probiotic bacteria has its own unique role to perform in your body. You may be missing out on some of the most beneficial strains if you stick to yogurt.
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Does Greek Yogurt Have More Protein Than Regular Yogurt
One cup of plain low-fat yogurt contains about 14g of protein which is 7 percent of the daily recommended value. Since Greek yogurt is strained to remove excess water and thicken it, it has more protein than regular yogurt. One six-ounce container contains up to 18g of protein which is 9 percent of the daily recommended value.
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Feeling Dazed And Confused In The Yogurt Aisle Here’s Some Information To Help You Make Good Choices
Yogurt used to be pretty straightforward. It came in small, simple containers, with a swirl of fruit on the bottom if you were lucky. Not anymore. Today there’s Greek yogurt, shakes, and tasty-looking cups with sprinkles and crushed cookies. Yogurt is blended into smoothies and squirted into portable tubes and pouches. Over in the ice cream aisle, there are even more options, with a variety of frozen yogurt products in tubs and handheld popsicles.
This gives you lots of choices but might also leave you wondering which one to pick. At the root of the dilemma is this question: is yogurt a health food or a dessert? The truth is, today’s yogurt can be either, depending on the type you choose. This means you’ve got to do a little detective work to figure it out.
Before we get into details about how to sort the good yogurt from the bad, let’s talk a little bit about why you want to eat yogurt in the first place.
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May Help Brain Function:
Regular Dairy food can develop the human mood and cognitive function. And the yogurt is the very good source of dairy food. The researchers have been studying 36 women, who had kept the diary in the diet list every day, their brain is very active than others. Also, yogurt is very helpful for the nervous breakdown and Parkinsons patient.
Its Rich In Important Nutrients
Yogurt contains some of nearly every nutrient that your body needs.
Its known for containing a lot of calcium, a mineral necessary for healthy teeth and bones. Just one cup provides 49% of your daily calcium needs (
Summary
Yogurt provides almost every nutrient that your body needs. Its especially high in calcium, B vitamins, and trace minerals.
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Why Do You Need Probiotics Anyway
First, a quick recap! Your gut is home to trillions of microorganisms that include both good and bad microorganisms.
The good bacteria play important roles in maintaining your overall health. Theyre involved in digestion, immune system function, hormone production, and much more.
Supporting your gastrointestinal environment by introducing good bacteria into your digestive system will help to keep these bacteria in good shape, which means they can do their job properly. One of the best ways to do this is by consuming probiotic bacteria.
Reasons Kefir Is Better Than Yogurt Sometimes
By Heather
Iâm a huge fan of both kefir and yogurt, but there are a few reasons kefir is better than yogurt in certain circumstances, or for certain purposes. Kefir and yogurt are both great forms of dairy to consume, so long as theyâre from ethical, humane and organic sources. You should also be sure to choose no sugar added varieties, and preferably low fat or plain kefir and yogurt, at all times. You can always sweeten them with some healthy and calorie-free all natural sweetener if you want. Kefir is basically yogurt in a more powerful form, even though theyâre made very differently. Kefir is milk cultured with a beneficial yeast for the body, not a harmful one, thatâs wonderful for aiding in everything from better digestion to immunity and more. Yogurt is simply cultured milk that has been fermented with a culture that doesnât have yeast, but still contains probiotics. Both have benefits, but there are some reasons kefir is better than yogurt, which Iâll share with you below.
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Should I Give Probiotics To My Kids
Probiotics can be beneficial for both adults and kids. If your child has an illness that requires an antibiotic medication for treatment, taking a probiotic can help shorten symptoms. Probiotics can also be used to help relieve constipation, acid reflux, diarrhea, gas and eczema in children.
Introducing probiotics into your childs diet through food is typically a safe way to give them probiotics. Foods like yogurt and cottage cheese are often part of a balanced diet and can add in good bacteria without much risk.
There are commercially available probiotic supplements specifically designed for infants and children. However, it is important to talk to your childs pediatrician before giving them any probiotic supplement or changing the childs diet to include probiotic-rich foods.
How To Make Yogurt
How to Make Yogurt Whether youre making regular or Greek yogurt, its incredibly easy, requires virtually no prep work and the outcome will amaze you: Wonderfully thick, creamy, luxuriously delicious yogurt! This homemade yogurt recipe is SO good and SO easy, youll NEVER need to buy store-bought again!
How long does it take you to pour a gallon of milk into a slow cooker? Thats how much prep time is involved in making this gloriously thick, rich, creamy Easy Homemade Yogurt recipe! And you have full control over its thickness well show you how to make Greek yogurt or regular yogurt, your choice!
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Place Jars In The Fridge
After 24 hours, your super healthy live culture yogurt is done. Cover each jar with their individual tops and carefully put the jars in the fridge. Let them rest and cool for 8 hours, and then theyre ready to enjoy.
And there you go. Your yogurt cultures will remain active in the fridge for about 2 weeks. Enjoy! Have a happy and healthy week!
When Yogurt Is Bad For Your Health
Some brands of yogurt are known to have added sugars or artificial sweeteners for extra sweetness. The downside is that the sugar can cause your blood sugar to spike. Thats why its always advisable to read the label to check the nutritional facts before buying yogurt. Some yogurt varieties have been loaded with up to 14 grams of sugar per serving. Like they say, too much of anything is poisonous. Put another way, drinking yogurt every day, especially yogurt laden with artificial flavorings and sweeteners can negatively affect your health. If youre looking for a healthier choice, opt for plain yogurt or Greek yogurt and add fresh fruits. The naturally occurring sugar in fruits is good and cant be compared to added sugars. Alternatively, you can add a spoonful of maple syrup or honey if you dont like the tart taste of plain yogurt.
All images by Shutterstock
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