Yogurt can make for a great snack, breakfast, or brunch food! When you eat yogurt, you are eating a food that is rich in protein, calcium, and potassium. Also, a huge benefit of yogurt is that it contains live active bacteria cultures. Cultures are also known as probiotics and are considered “good bacteria” especially for the gut and digestive systems.
There are many benefits to yogurt as it is in the dairy group. Dairy can help build and maintain strong bones and contains other nutrients besides calcium and potassium. However, calcium is important for building bones and teeth, and potassium is important to eat to maintain healthy blood pressure! Yogurt also contains vitamin D which helps the body maintain appropriate levels of calcium and phosphorous.
Not only are there a variety of health benefits to yogurt, but there are also a variety of flavors and styles of yogurt. It is best to choose a low fat or fat-free yogurt and skip the added sugars that are in many flavored yogurts by choosing plain, unflavored yogurt. Greek yogurt is also a great choice because it has double the protein of traditional yogurt. It’s important to note, however, that Greek yogurt does not contain as much calcium as other yogurt.
What if you can’t or choose not to eat dairy? You can also try plant-based yogurt like fortified soy-based yogurt. Make sure, though, that the yogurt is fortified with calcium and vitamin D when trying a plant-based yogurt.
There are a great number of ways to enjoy yogurt. You can dip fruits like strawberries into it. You can add oats, granola, or natural sugars from fresh fruit to make it sweet. You can also blend it into smoothies to drink it, or even freeze it for frozen yogurt treats.
Here is a fun recipe that involves yogurt:
Written By: Kendall Henry
Sources:
https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/dairy
https://www.eatright.org/food/food-groups/dairy-and-alternatives/what-to-look-for-in-yogurt
https://www.eatright.org/recipes/desserts/yogurt-parfait-shots-recipe
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