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Eating Yogurt Daily Has Various Health Benefits

Published by The Poughkeepsie Journal.

Link to the original newspaper article.

Yogurt's got power-boosting protein, bone-building calcium, and killer immunity-promoters. Spoon up the surprising benefits of this delicious snack.

Yogurt can give you flat abs. Eat 18 ounces a day and you can drop a jeans size. People who ate that much-in conjunction with cutting their total calories lost 22 percent more weight and 81 percent more belly fat than dieters who skipped the snack, according to research from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

They also retained one-third more calorie-torching lean muscle mass, which can help you maintain weight loss.

"Fat around your waist produces the hormone cortisol, which tells your body to accumulate even more belly flab," said nutrition professor and lead study author Michael Zemel, Ph.D.

When you eat yogurt, the calcium signals your fat cells to pump out less cortisol, making it easier for you to drop pounds, while the amino acids help burn fat.

A cup a day can help you recover faster after a workout. With the right ratio of protein to carbohydrates, yogurt, particularly high-protein Greek yogurt, makes an excellent post-sweat-session snack.

"The perfect time to grab a container is within 60 minutes of exercise," said Keri Gans, R.D., a nutritionist in New York City.

The protein provides the amino acids your muscles need to repair themselves, Gans said, and the carbohydrates replace your muscles' energy stores, which are depleted after a hard workout.

It's a bonus if you drink a bottle of water along with it: The protein in yogurt may also help increase the amount of water absorbed by the intestines, improving hydration.

A daily serving keeps colds away. Dig into four ounces each day, and you may find yourself sniffle-free in the months ahead, according to a study at the University of Vienna. Women eating this amount had much stronger and more active T cells, which battle illness and infection, than they did before they started consuming it.

"The healthy bacteria in yogurt help send signals to the immune-boosting cells in your body to power up and fight off harmful bugs," said lead study author Alexa Meyer, Ph.D., a nutrition researcher at the university.

Allergy sufferers, who typically have low levels of certain T cells, may also find relief by adding yogurt to their diets. In a study in The Journal of Nutrition, people who ate seven ounces a day had fewer symptoms than those who opted for none at all.

- Gannett News Service

 

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Disclaimer: As a Health Coach, I will never attempt to diagnose, treat, make claims, prevent or cure any disease or condition. I advise my clients that Health Coaching is not intended to substitute for the advice, treatment and/or diagnosis of a qualified licensed health care professional.