1. The best alternative for milk
Yogurt is good news for those who hate milk. When you consume a large bowl of yogurt with your breakfast or lunch, you are taking in all the goodness of milk in an easily digestible and delicious way.
2. Assists digestion
Yogurt contains beneficial bacteria or probiotics that facilitate digestion. Consuming yogurt after lunch is a great way to stimulate the digestive process. One of the health benefits of yogurt is that it helps to break down complex food into smaller nutritional components so that they can be easily and quickly absorbed into the bloodstream.
3. Rich in vitamins
Most of the vitamins found in milk are also present in yogurt. The vitamin content differs according to the way the yogurt has been made. Some of the important ones are phosphorus, potassium, iodine, zinc, riboflavin, and vitamins A, E, D, B5, and B12.
4. Excellent source of Calcium
Calcium is important for strong and healthy bones and teeth. It also helps in muscular contraction, neurotransmission in the brain, and nerves and release of hormones. Just as milk, yogurt is rich in Calcium.
5. Great source of protein
If you want the real health benefits of yogurt, it is important to consume it in its natural form without any additives like sugars or artificial flavors. Naturally made yogurt is an excellent way of providing easily digestible proteins to the body.
6. Immunity booster
Consuming yogurt daily is believed to increase the strength and activity of T cells which are an important part of the immune system of our body. The beneficial micro-organisms found in yogurt send signals to the T cells which then help the body fight against infections and other illnesses.
7. Bits of help keep blood pressure down
Studies have shown that consuming yogurt and other dairy products as a part of the daily diet reduces the risk of high blood pressure by a significant 50 percent.
8. Keeps Osteoporosis at bay
Yogurt, being rich in Calcium and vitamin D, helps fight the debilitating disease of the bones called Osteoporosis. Calcium makes the bones strong while vitamin D helps in Calcium absorption.
9. Good for people with lactose intolerance
The bacterial action during the fermentation process of milk into yogurt converts most of the lactose to lactic acid. This lessens the effect of lactose intolerance and thus yogurt can be safely consumed even by people with lactose intolerance.
10. Relieves side-effects of antibiotics
Antibiotics can cause many side-effects like diarrhea, bloating, intestinal pain, etc. due to its ill-effects on the bacterial balance in the digestive tract. Consuming foods like yogurt which are rich in probiotics can restore the balance and relieve the side-effects.
Consuming yogurt regularly has many health benefits and therefore it should be an essential part of our diet.
Sources:
http://www.symptomfind.com/nutrition-supplements/10-health-benefits-of-yogurt/
http://www.healthyeating.org/Milk-Dairy/Nutrients-in-Milk-Cheese-Yogurt/Yogurt-Nutrition.aspx
