First of all, this is not a sponsored post nor am I promoting any product.
I mean it would be a good tie-in…but no.
I just got this topic idea for the benefits of yogurt from the Lifehack queue. I decided to be sneaky and use some of my research for the blog to point out my favorites for the Did You Know link-up happening on the blog tomorrow!
For those of you who have not yet participated, Did You Know is a nutrition/health/fitness related link-up party that happens the first Friday of each month. [Find out more about Did You Know here!]
Yogurt is one of those things that I go back and forth on. Yes, it is beneficial for digestion. Anyone who has seen Jamie Lee Curtis curl up with a cup of the stuff knows that. It’s also a complete protein as I discussed in my post all about complete proteins.
BUT when you have mild lactose-intolerance issues…yogurt can sometimes leave you curled up in a ball on the couch, waiting for the sharp daggers of pain in your stomach to go away. (<–that was before I figured out what was causing my stomach issues)
I have figured out I can do Greek yogurt, but sometimes that makes me feel bloated. I can also do a few bites of frozen yogurt…sometimes it’s necessary to satisfy the craving, ya know?? So like I said…I go back and forth on eating the stuff.
Now me and this dairy food are back-on-again because researching the many benefits of yogurt makes me want to head to the store for a whole case!
Allow me to make my point with these
5 surprising benefits of yogurt:
1. Makes your teeth pretty.
This is something I’ve been struggling with lately as it seems that my coffee/sugar addictions have finally taken a toll on my teeth and gums. I was diagnosed with slight gingivitis a few months back (that I mostly remedied with daily doses of potent Listerine) so I am very aware of all things concerning my pearly whites.
It seems that although yogurt tends to have a high sugar content, it has no effect on the enamel. The lactic acid supposedly helps protect gums and teeth from damage.
2. Decreases allergy symptoms.
I always seem to forget just how bad my allergies are until I emerge from my winter hibernation for a blissful outdoor Spring run and boom! Sneezy, runny nose, watery eyes attack!
The wonderful probiotics that help digestion may also help decrease your body’s overreaction to pollen and other allergens. Score!
3. Yogurt serves as a great pre or post-workout snack.
The carbs help to give you energy or replace energy lost. The protein keeps you full. The potassium and sodium helps replace what is lost during a workout. All good stuff!
4. Could prevent the common cold.
Okay, really you can’t cure the common cold, but you can boost your immune system! Yogurt has been shown to make your T-cells (or infection-fighting cells) stronger and more active.
5. Helps prevent yeast infections.
Step aside, Monistat. Yogurt’s active cultures can help balance pH levels and prevent those painfully uncomfortable yeast infections. Antibiotics can increase the occurrences of yeast infections, so be sure to stock plenty of the live-cultured snack when you are using them.
In my opinion, these benefits of yogurt are enough reason to keep it in your dietary rotation.
What to Look For In Your Yogurt:
- Greek is preferred as there is a higher protein content and generally less sugar.
- “Live” or “Active” cultures means that it will help improve the good bacteria in your digestive tract
- Watch out for the sugar count as well as where in the ingredient list sugar is found. The first ingredients listed on nutrition labels are those in the highest amount, so you don’t want to see “cane sugar” first! Both fruit and dairy contain natural sugars, so you don’t need a whole lot of added sweetness anyways.
Don’t forget to join me tomorrow for another Did You Know link-up!
Make sure to grab one of the buttons below to stick in your post:
Or one of the buttons for your sidebar:
..as we do require you link-back to one of our blogs. (Feel free to ask if you need help with the buttons!)
Tell me….
Are you a yogurt fan? What’s your favorite kind?
Do you suffer from allergies? What kinds of things to you do to remedy your symptoms?
Linking up to:
Thinking Out Loud with Amanda at Running with Spoons
Did You Know a monthly nutrition/fitness/health-related link-up
PS I’m all about Pinterest this year, so I would LOVE IT if you could pin one (or two!) of these images. Just hover over the image to reveal the “pin it” button or use the handy dandy buttons at the bottom and top of each post to display the whole list of pins.
Also follow me so I can check out YOUR Pinterest account! 🙂
Follow SemiHealthNut
Stay in the loop with bloglovin’!
Information Sources:
Info my brain has retained from nutrition classes
Love this Amanda, I have been on a real Greek Yogurt kick for a while now as it is so high in protein, and I need lots of it for my training to keep calories up while getting nutrition. This was really interesting, and I did not know most of those facts! Thanks for the help, have a wonderful day!
It was fun researching! I will have to social media-ize the full article when it goes up on Lifehack! (although it might not be as personal/fun as this one haha)
Definitely a yogurt fan–my pic on instagram from lunch yesterday proves it! And it is definitely one of my favorite after workout refueling options–great balance of all the good stuff. I don’t generally buy varieties with the fruit on the bottom, etc, because they are so high in sugar (some more than a candy bar!). So I’ll buy plain and then mix in some stevia and I love to mix in freeze-dried berries–for some reason that spreads the flavor around better. Thanks for the info!
Oh that’s a great idea to do frozen berries! I have some in the freezer now!!
Very informative article! I’m like you with yogurt, on-again, off-again… I’ve learned to just listen to my body. If I’m craving it I’ll go for it, if not nope. However after reading this maybe I should try and have a least a little everyday!
Yes researching it definitely has me craving it!! Like head to the store right now at 8pm to get some craving it…
I love yogurt!!! It is such an easy and nutritious snack!
Yogurt is the love of my life. Seriously. There was a time where I could literally go through a small (500g) tub a day, and I’d probably still be doing it if it wasn’t so harsh on my wallet and if I didn’t think I needed to add more variety into my diet. But it’s seriously the bees knees.
And concerning the teeth and gum health… Have you considered oil pulling? I’ve been doing it for a month and a half and I’ve seen HUGE improvements. I have a detailed post on it coming up tomorrow 😀
I’ve tried oil pulling a couple of times…I should be more diligent about it though. I will definitely read that post to see how you do it!!
I’m a yogurt fan! I go in spurts of craving it and not really eating it though. I think my favorite might be Chobani pineapple. Yum!
I do love me some Cho!!
I love Greek yogurt. Fage 2% is my absolutely favorite. I like it plain so I can add my own mix-ins like flax, chia, or hemp seeds, cocoa powder, and tons of cinnamon. Lately I,m loving it with blackberries
Yes, mix-ins are the best! I need some texture to my yogurt.
Great tip on allergies, I didn’t know that about yogurt! Love adding some Greek plain yogurt to my overnight oats to make them extra thick and creamy. Other than cottage cheese, yogurt is really the only dairy I eat. Including the frozen variety ; )
Yes I’m planning on getting yogurt regularly to try to help with seasonal allergies!!
I used to be all about the greek yogurt before following a primarily paleo lifestyle. My stomach used to HATE it too – too much bloat & other issues, if you get my drift. lol Dairy & yogurt can be tasty, but to be honest, I really wonder about the hormones coming from it all… after all, it IS meant to nourish & grow big, huge cows quickly. Another reason most of us don’t have much for lactase when we get older – we usually would have no need for milk, hence the widespread lactose intolerances. I’m not saying people shouldn’t eat dairy or yogurt (to each his/her own)… I just like to question things & explore other avenues. Maybe it’s the biology geek in me. 🙂
I hear ya. Ideally we would all eat hormone-free dairy AND meat products in my humble opinion.
Sometimes you take the bad with the good though as there is no perfect food. The same issues of hormones exist with meats and bloating can also occur with too many veggies. Too many fruits can hurt the stomach plus fruits contain a lot of sugar.
I’m with you on exploring and studying up on nutrition! Overall it seems like nutrition ideals change over the years so really we have to find what works for us individually. I’m glad Paleo seems to be working for you! 🙂
After eliminating it and adding it back my body has decided it doesn’t like dairy. I’m looking for a dairy free alternative to greek yogurt.
I’m curious to see what you find! You could always take probiotics and calcium pills, but I wonder what a food alternative would be.
There are a few out there, but alas, none with the protein options (that I’ve seen). You could do chia pudding with an alternative milk and then add a probiotic capsule to it?
GIVE ME ALL THE YOGURT (re: digestIon). 🙂
Huzzah for digestive health!! 😉