Superfood of the week: Yogurt!

Pin It PIN IT!

Yogurt should be dubbed the superfood of LIFE with all of the amazing nutrients and body boosting benefits this creamy breakfast treat offers. So what exactly makes yogurt so super? A few things actually!

To start with, yogurt is stock full of probiotics, which to those who don’t know, is healthy bacteria. I know you might be thinking “bacteria, isn’t that bad for you?” and normally, that answer is yes. However, probiotics, which mean “for life” are a healthy type of living organism that have serious health benefits when eaten in adequate amounts.

Another benefit of yogurt is that it is naturally full of calcium, which helps to prevent osteoporosis and works to build strong bones.  Many yogurt’s are also made with added vitamin D, which combined with calcium have clear skeletal benefits, as well as help repair broken bones.

Along with those benefits, recent studies have found a strong link between yogurt and lower blood pressure! A recent study which followed nearly 5,000 students found that those who ate dairy everyday had lower blood pressure than those who did not. [They saw a 50% reduction in those who ate dairy 3 times a day!]

Along with added nutrients, yogurt also helps to aid weight loss efforts and helps to alleviate common gastrointestinal problems, such as constipation, bloating and diarrhea. Yogurt can also help prevent colon cancer! Some varieties of yogurt, like Fage Greek yogurt for example, contain up to 16 grams of protein, which will fill you up faster and keep you fuller longer. [This is, in part, due to the fact foods high in protein and fiber take longer for your body to digest].

If those aren’t enough reasons to start eating, I’ll give you one more! People who eat yogurt as a part of their weight loss nutrition plan lose more abdominal fat than those who don’t! Due to yogurt’s healthy bacteria, people who eat it have slimmer stomachs than those who don’t!

However, not all yogurt is treated equally. Some yogurts house up to 5 teaspoons of sugar, which is enough to be classified as a dessert! So before you hit the dairy section, check out my choices for the best yogurt out there to ensure you are getting the “cream of the crop!”

Fage Total 0%: 90 calories, 0 gm. fat, 7 gm. sugar

Dannon Activia: 170 calories, 3 gm. fat, 17 gm. sugar

Stonyfield Fat Free French Vanilla: 130 calories, 0 gm. fat, 17 gm. sugar

Dannon All Natural Nonfat Yogurt: 90 calories, 0 gm. fat, 7 gm. sugar

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.