Why yoghurt is so healthy?
It is believed that dairy products began to be part of the human diet between 5,000 and 10,000 before Christ, when dairy animals were domed. Milk easily deteriorated at that time, so it was stored in canteens made from the stomach, since it was discovered that the liquids of the stomach put the milk to sleep and thus it is possible to store milk. Even in Ayurved, India, records have been made of the healthy effects of fermented milk. The yoghurt were no stranger to the ancient Greeks and Romans, and countless records of its consumption were found. In the Bible, Abraham owes his long life to yogurt, and historians believe that the canaan with milk and honey also refers to yogurt. The word yoghurt itself comes from the Turkish word yogurmak, which means dense, coagulated, sleepy.
Today, yogurt can be made from milk and even soy, rice or seeds. Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Stretococcus thermophilus strains acidify the product at 42-48 °C for 3-8 hours. During this time, the pH in milk is constantly reduced to 4,0-4,6, so it acidifys and the enzymes produced by bacteria constantly break down lactose, in addition, the calcium, phosphorus and proteins in milk are brought into a soluble form, thus creating a much more digestible structure. Thanks to the added microbes, unwanted pests cannot proliferate in milk, which is why their shelf life increases. Sometimes other strains of bacteria (Bifidobacterium bifidus, Lactobacillus acidophilus) are added to yogurt due to their physiological effects.
Since yogurt consumes the right live bacteria it is considereda probiotic. This means that it supports the correct functioning of our intestinal flora, which brings countless benefits. The microbiome affects our well-being and immune system. Several studies have been carried out on this and the result of all this is that regular yogurt consumers have better digestion, well-being and immune systems. It has been shown that by consuming yogurt we can reduce our lactose sensitivity, various allergic symptoms, indigestion and have anti-inflammatory effects. These are just some of the many beneficial health effects.
Yogurt is an excellent source of essential protein, calcium and various micronutrients (vitamins B2, B5, B12, D, A, potassium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus). So, I think we can't do better with our bodies than start the day with a bowl of homemade yogurt in the morning. I do the same thing every morning, blending downbananas, fresh homemade yogurt, a spoonful of peanut butter and this is bringing almost all the nutrients I need to my body.
Resources:
https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/73/suppl_1/4/1819293?login=true
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/should-
yoghurt-cultures-be-considered-probiotic/C8BDCDE1A645B0E0EA11DFB0FBA81B42
https://www.yogurtinnutrition.com/yogurt-is-a-nutrient-rich-food-and-contains-micronutrients-and-macronutrients/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.4161/gmic.29330?scroll=top&needAccess=true
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1521691803001318
