Natural Yogurt Benefits – Your #1 Healthy Alternative to Good Gut Health!

Last Updated on March 12, 2024 by Jeremy

Yogurt – food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk.

It is food that has been around for thousands of years and is mostly associated with Greek, Middle Eastern and other Mediterranean-style cuisine.

With reports stemming from 5000 BC (since milk-producing animals were domesticated) of the Neolithic people first making yogurt, it has been passed down and made in many countries like Greece, Turkey and recently Iceland among others.

With the popular trend of fermented foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, and such on the rise, it was only a matter of time for yogurt to make the list.

Below will list what milk is used, how to make your own yogurt, natural yogurt benefits, and all the different varieties of yogurt products.

What Milk is Used for Yogurt?

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People have used cow’s milk to make yogurt since the animal was domesticated. That said, other animals’ milk have been utilized to make yogurt.

Other milk sources are:

• Water buffalo
• Goats
• Ewes (sheep)
• Mares (horses)
• Camels
• Dri (Yak)

Each animal’s milk will give a different texture or consistency and taste pending on the fat content and proteins.

How to Make Your Own Yogurt

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To make homemade yogurt, you must first have milk. It can be homogenized, non-homogenized, pasteurized or raw with each giving it different variations of yogurt in both taste and texture.

The milk is put into a pot and heated to 85 C (185 F) to destroy the milk proteins that cause milk to form curds. After heating, the milk has to cool until the temperature reaches 45 C (113 F).

From there the bacterial culture of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus bacteria is added.

For the next 4 to 12 hours for the fermentation process to happen, the temperature is kept constant between 30-45 C (86-113 F) . If the temperature is higher, the process may shorten but at a risk of lumpy texture and whey separation.

Alternatively, you can make your own Kombucha, Kefir, Yogurt, Tempeh, & more at Fermentation Revolution.com!

Natural Yogurt Benefits

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Yogurt has steadily climbed in consumption so much so that the average American ate 13.7 lbs (6.2 kg) of yogurt in 2017, as per Wikipedia. This is because of its health benefits.

A serving of yogurt made with whole milk gives you 9% protein along with daily values of vitamin B12 (31%), riboflavin (23%), selenium (14-19%) and phosphorus.

Other vitamins and minerals obtained through the consumption of yogurt are:

• Potassium
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K
• Thiamine
• Niacin
• Vitamin B6
• Folate
• Choline

Below I will give a brief description of WHY these vitamins and minerals are important to the human body:

• Potassium – main intracellular ion for all types of cells, while having a major role in maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance which is necessary for the function of all cells
• Vitamin A – is a fat soluble vitamin that is essential for embryo development and growth as well as maintenance of the immune system
• Vitamin C – is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables. It is used to prevent and treat scurvy and well as it being an essential nutrient in the repairing of tissue
• Vitamin E – fat soluble antioxidant which helps protect cell membranes from reactive oxygen species like peroxides
• Vitamin K – another fat soluble vitamin required for assisting in clotting blood
• Thiamine – also known as Vitamin B1, it is an essential micro nutrient not made in the body and is found in food and supplements
• Riboflavin – also known as Vitamin B2, it is found in food and supplements. It is essential to the formation of 2 major co-enzymes: flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide which are involved in energy metabolism, cellular respiration, antibody production and normal growth and development
• Niacin – known as Vitamin B3, it is part of a family of vitamins that include 3 forms of vitamers: niacin (nicotinic acid), nicotinamide (niacinamide) and nicotinamide riboside which are all converted to form NAD, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
• Vitamin B6 – a vitamin obtained via food of plants or animals
• Folate – also known as Vitamin B9, it is essential for body production of DNA and RNA as well as metabolize amino acids imperative for cell division
• Vitamin B12 – a water-soluble vitamin used for metabolism. It is also important to 2 systems of the body – the nervous system and the circulatory system. For the nervous system, it plays a role in the synthesis of myelin and for the circulatory system, vitamin B12 matures red blood cells in the bone marrow
• Choline – serves as a synthetic precursor for other essential cell components and signaling molecules that form cell membranes

On top of the already loaded array of vitamins, yogurt is associated with probiotics as it may contain live cultures.

Probiotics – live micro-organisms that are consumed to aid in improving or restoring gut microbiota

Probiotics have been associated with positive effects on the immune system, cardiovascular system or metabolic health.

Different Variations of Yogurt

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There are 3 different varieties of yogurt that is sold commercially worldwide – flavored and sweetened, strained, and beverage form.

Flavored and Sweetened

To offset the natural sourness of yogurt, it is sweetened with jam on the bottom or with fruit, such as bananas in the containers. There are 2 styles of this variation: set-style and Swiss-style.

• Set-style – is poured into individual containers to set
• Swiss-style – is stirred yogurt before packaging

Strained

• this yogurt is put through a filter, which removes the whey to make a thicker consistency.
• traditionally the filter was muslin cloth, but nowadays it is made with non-muslin cloth and paper
• straining yogurt is done at home but if skim milk is used, it will lead to a thinner yogurt

Beverages

• these beverages contain sweetened yogurt that is also referred to as “drinkable yogurt”

Conclusion

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Reading through this article and it amazes me how beneficial natural yogurt is to a person. Not only is it packed full of essential vitamins and minerals, it is also versatile in its plain version.

There are many sauces and substitutions that utilize yogurt to make a healthier version of a recipe:

• Tzatziki sauce, which is made with grated cucumber, plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and fresh dill or mint, is used as a condiment in gyros. A mint tzatziki sauce would pair well with lamb like lamb koftas or other lamb dishes.
• Pancakes – Greek yogurt pancakes make for a more filling breakfast that is packed with protein to keep a person fuller longer.
• Associated with many Mediterranean dishes.
• Substitute for sour cream in many recipes.
• Plain Greek yogurt can make an excellent breakfast – add honey, cinnamon, hemp hearts, vanilla, fresh fruit or syrup to add a touch of sweetness to an otherwise sour dish.

Regardless of the usage, yogurt makes a delicious meal, snack or sauce that is not only easy on the purse strings, but beneficial to maintaining a healthy body.

I hope you enjoyed reading about these natural yogurt benefits! Feel free to get making your own yogurt today, and remember, check out https://shop.revolutionfermentation.com/yogurt for some real awesome how-to’s and FAQs!

Feel free to leave us a comment on your favourite yogurt recipe or flavour below and we’ll be sure to answer back!

Earth is Heart!