Why Yogurt Should Be Your Go To Snack
Snacking is one spot that a lot of people get in trouble, since most prepackaged or “convenient” snack foods are full of preservatives, sugar, fat, and all kinds of other weird stuff. Yogurt however, is one very conveniently packaged snack that can be found without all that unnecessary stuff, but still offer up a boost of protein and all kinds of other health benefits. Some of the health benefits of yogurt can be attributed to the probiotics or healthy bacteria it contains, and the more research that is done on that healthy bacteria the more good stuff is revealed. Here are some ways probiotics can work for you.
Allergy reduction through food? Yep. The probiotic B. Lactis has been proven to cut nasal symptoms in half, which might have to do with its ability to decrease the amount of histamines the cells send out. You are probably familiar with the medicine antihistamine, here’s a more natural way to get some of the same result.
No one likes to talk too in depthly about the ending portion of the digestion process but sometimes that stuff gets messed up.?L. acidophilus can reduce constipation and keep things working properly in there by lowering the pH levels in your digestive system. When the pH levels are lowered it can set off some signals that the activity in the gut can be increased, meaning things get moving.
For the sufferers of a digestive system that moves too quickly, yogurt can come to the rescue in this case as well. A lot of distress in the digestive system can be caused by pathogens that don’t need to be there and yogurt with live active cultures of probiotics can knock out the funny business and restore your gut to peaceful working order. IBS be gone.
Some research has found that the probiotic?L. casei Shirota can speed up the recovery time from respiratory infections. The good bacteria can actually encourage the body to fire up more of its fighter cells to attack the sickness more efficiently.
One study found that people who eat two to three servings of dairy each day had up to a 50 percent reduced risk of developing high blood pressure in comparison to those who did not. Just be sure to keep it of the low fat variety.
Yogurt seems to stabilize the blood glucose in the body in thanks to its mixture of probiotics, vitamins, and minerals. Since yogurt comes from an animal source it’s full of calcium, some B vitamins, potassium, and magnesium. When the blood glucose remains stable instead of spiking and dropping, your body will be more stable in the short term but in the long term this can also prevent the development of type-2 diabetes.
Always go with the yogurt options that advertise live and active probiotic cultures to make sure you’re getting all the benefits they have to offer. Yogurt is high in protein but relatively low in fat, and it comes in individual portion sizes which takes all the guesswork out of it.?Just be sure when you’re stocking up on yogurt that you skip the flavor crazy ones with added sugar. If you need to spruce up your snack throw on some fresh berries instead.
About Kate Ferguson Kate Fergus is a Los Angeles local and freelance writer for a variety of blogs and online magazines. When she's not writing, the UC Davis graduate is focused on pursuits of the entertainment industry, spin class, and hot sauce.