I got, You got, Yoghurt!!!

The news of the popular Amigos supermarket must have come as a shock. Yes, even for me because my passion for making yoghurt started with the various brands of yoghurt i saw and tasted at the dairy section of Amigos Supermarket. 

One good thing, they inspired me to start my own yoghurt brand and am glad i did. Difficult as it was then, i gradually gave up my craving for ice cream. The reason is today's blog post.

WHAT IS YOGHURT?

Yoghurt is a semisolid sourish food prepared from milk fermented by added bacteria, often sweetened and flavored. The bacteria used to make yoghurt is referred to as yoghurt culture.

The bacteria that do this are called beneficial bacteria, because they supports digestion and is nourishing, as opposed to pathogenic (harmful) bacteria that cause disease. The beneficial bacteria are called probiotic. They are similar or identical to the type of bacteria that live in the human gut, and that are responsible for the process of food absorption. When you use live cultures, the probiotics stay in the yogurt, and the yogurt can then be used as a starter to make more yogurt.

 HISTORY OF YOGHURT

The word yogurt comes from a Turkish word meaning to curdle or to thicken. Today it is spelled yogurt, yoghurt, or yogourt, with yogurt being the most common spelling.

A lot if literature can be found via the Internet on the history but i particularly like  http://downtoearth.danone.com/2013/01/31/a-brief-history-of-yogurt/.

BENEFITS OF YOGHURT

Not only does yogurt provide your body with active cultures, yogurt bacteria has shown to prevent yeast infections, osteoporosis, and urinary tract infections, relieve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and help reduce bloating. Yogurt is more than a delicious snack, it also contains ingredients that keep your body healthy!  

Written By Deanna Lynn Sletten; HealthMad.com 

We all love yogurt for its tangy flavor and creamy texture but yogurt is much more than a delicious snack. The next time you take a spoonful of yogurt think about these interesting facts:

Yogurt can keep your digestive system regular.

Yogurt contains helpful “good bacteria” that your digestive tract needs to run properly. Without enough good bacteria in your system, food does not digest properly or go completely through your digestive tract. When this happens, such problems as boating, gas, and in severe cases, stomach cancer can occur. Eating just one cup of yogurt that contains “active cultures” each day can help to keep your digest system working properly.

Yogurt can help prevent osteoporosis.

Yogurt that contains both calcium and vitamin D is a good combination to fight against osteoporosis. Read the label to make sure your favorite yogurt contains both ingredients.

Yogurt helps to fight against yeast infections.

Hard to believe, but something as easy as eating yogurt each day may help to prevent yeast infections. This is, once again, attributed to the good bacteria in yogurts that contain active cultures. Good bacteria helps your body fight against yeast infections, so if you are low on good bacteria your chances of getting one is high. Eat just one cup of your favorite yogurt each day to fight against recurring yeast infections.

Yogurt may help boost your immune system.

Eating one cup of yogurt containing active cultures may help to keep your immune system strong. Seventy percent of your immune system lies within your small intestine. If you keep the levels of good bacteria high in your intestines then you are more likely to maintain a healthy immune system. Source: HealthMad – Healthy Facts About Yogurt

 TYPES OF YOGHURT

Yogurt products come in a wide variety of flavors, forms and textures. Here are the common terms associated with yogurt products available today.

Lowfat and nonfat: There are three types of yogurt: regular yogurt, lowfat yogurt and nonfat yogurt. Yogurt made from whole milk has at least 3.25 percent milk fat. Lowfat yogurt is made from lowfat milk or part-skim milk and has between 2 and 0.5 percent milk fat. Nonfat yogurt is made from skim milk and contains less than 0.5 percent milk fat.

Lite (light) yogurt: 1/3 less calories or 50% reduction in fat than regular yogurt.

Swiss or custard: Fruit and yogurt are mixed together for individual servings. To ensure firmness or body, a stabilizer, such as gelatin, may be added. These products are also referred to as "blended" yogurt.

Frozen yogurt: Frozen yogurt is a non-standardized food and, therefore, is not subject to Federal composition standards, as is the case for “yogurt.” In order to qualify for NYA’s Live & Active Cultures seal, frozen yogurt must be a product made by fermenting pasteurized milk (can include skim milk and powdered skim milk, plus other ingredients), using traditional yogurt cultures, until the proper acidity is reached. Many manufacturers, according to their unique recipes, will then mix this (the "yogurt" component) with a pasteurized ice cream mix of milk, cream, and sugar, plus stabilizers or other ingredients needed for desired consistency. This frozen yogurt base mix can then be blended with fruit or other ingredients and then frozen. The freezing process does not kill any significant amount of the cultures—in fact, during the freezing process the cultures go into a dormant state, but when eaten and returned to a warm temperature within the body, they again become active and are capable of providing all the benefits of cultures in a refrigerated yogurt product.

Not all products termed "frozen yogurt" actually contain live and active cultures. Some so-called "frozen yogurts" use heat-treated yogurt, which kills the live and active cultures, or they may simply add in cultures to the mix along with acidifiers, and skip the fermentation step all together. To make sure that a frozen yogurt contains yogurt produced by traditional fermentation and has a significant amount of live and active cultures, look for the NYA Live & Active Cultures seal.

Contains active yogurt cultures: Yogurt labeled with this phrase contains the live and active bacteria thought to provide yogurt with its many desirable healthful properties. Look for the National Yogurt Association's (NYA) Live & Active Cultures seal to ensure that the yogurt you buy contains a significant amount of live and active cultures.

Heat-treated: Yogurt labeled with this phrase has been heated after culturing, thereby killing the beneficial live and active yogurt cultures.

Liquid or drinkable yogurt: Fruit and yogurt are blended into a drinkable liquid.

Made with active cultures: FDA regulations require that all yogurts be made with active cultures. Only those that are not heat-treated, however, retain live and active cultures when they reach consumers.

Sundae or fruit-on-the-bottom: Fruit is on the bottom, so that turned upside down, it looks like a sundae. Consumers can mix the fruit and yogurt together to make it smooth and creamy.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-19005/The-good-yoghurt-guide.html

What kind of yoghurt do you like? I would love to hear from you.