Yogurt — like it or hate it, it’s here to stay. Especially the wildly popular Greek-style variety, which since 2009 has seen a staggering 2,500-percent increase in sales.
Historians believe that yogurt was one of the first processed foods, possibly going back 7,000 years.
Yet back in the late Dark Ages, like 2007, a measly two choices of yogurt were available to boggle the mind. These were the type with fruit on the bottom that had to be mixed into the product, and the boring stuff that had the fruit already blended, thereby letting frantic consumers spend more time doing more crucial tasks like checking email for the umpteenth time in a day.
Enter 2014. The litany of yogurt-based styles morphs on almost a daily basis. Consider this list: Full-fat, low-fat or non-fat; plain or flavored; fiber-added yogurt; Greek or regular; organic or conventional, etc. ad nauseum.
And then there is Kefir yogurt, begging for a definition. Kefir and other yogurts are cultured milk derivatives that transform liquid milk into the sour taste and thick consistency of yogurt. However each kind contain differing bacteria strains.
Yogurt has transient bacteria that render the digestive system clean and provide food for the good bacteria that reside there. Kefir contains several major strains of good bacteria not commonly found in yogurt and also contains beneficial yeasts. Kefir’s curd size is smaller, thus is more digestible. It is often recommend for infants, the elderly and those with digestive problems.
Yogurt is nutrient rich with needed calcium, vitamin D, protein, potassium and B vitamins. After purchasing, most nutritionists advise eating the whey. Whey is the liquid that can pool at the top of a yogurt container and can look really yucky. But it is the main source of calcium and should be stirred into the rest of the product.
Back to Greek-style yogurt: most of the whey has been removed by straining. That is why it is thicker and holds about twice the amount of protein — but less calcium unless added back in — than its non-Greek yogurt cousins.
In what can only be considered a major force in the time management systems of its coterie of consumers, Greek yogurt does not require stirring. This frees up time for them to enjoy the educational offerings on, say, You Tube, or to wax poetic on Facebook.
For people with lactose intolerance but still like dairy foods, yogurt may be a good option. It contains less lactose than ice cream and milk. However people with many symptoms of lactose intolerance should eat yogurt with other foods such as cereal or fruit, and in smaller amounts. There is less lactose because the introduced bacteria — the “live cultures” such as Lactobacillus acidophilus — help to digest it.
Source: Your West Valley
