9 reasons why you should eat Greek yogurt

Greek yogurt is a healthy, nutritious and highly digestible dairy product, ideal for all ages. Greek yogurt is a healthy snack, easy and fast and at the same time is extremely rich in nutrients, which can be consumed at any time of the day.

1. Greek yogurt has high nutritional value

Greek yogurt gives us all the nutrients of milk: protein, carbohydrates, fats, calcium, phosphorus, other minerals and trace elements and vitamins A and B complex.

2. It is really good for our health

First of all, it gives us calcium and phosphorus, like other dairy products, so it is very important for the health of our bones and teeth. Also, thanks to the microorganisms it contains, it acts protectively for the intestine, as it is a rich source of probiotics. In addition, according to research, it seems to help in weight loss, strengthen the immune system, but also protect against some forms of cancer.

3. Greek yogurt is better tolerated than milk

In Greek yogurt, the carbohydrates of milk (lactose) are fermented. They give lactic acid, which is also responsible for the characteristic sour taste of yogurt, and thus, as a fermentation product, yogurt is more digestible. This is why people who are lactose intolerant can often consume yogurt more easily and thus not be deprived of the calcium that is essential for the body.

4. We can easily maintain it

The yogurt is always kept in the refrigerator, closed in the cup in which we buy it. Its expiration date is always written on the package, which we must respect and not consume after its expiration. A general rule, however, is that yogurt is stored at 0-2 ° C for 15 days.

5. Greek yogurts have probiotics

According to the definition of the World Health Organization, probiotics are living microbes that when consumed in sufficient quantities, have health benefits and for the treatment of certain diseases. In general, fermented products, such as yogurt and sour milk, contain such good live germs.

In recent years, the industry has created probiotic products to which it has added (to the already existing “good” microorganisms) a higher percentage of live microbes, in order to increase their usefulness. Thus, there is in the market the category of yogurts that are enriched with probiotic cultivation.

6. It has many types

Yogurt is distinguished, depending on the type of milk from which it is made, into cow’s milk, which is the most common now, sheep’s and goat’s. Also, depending on the way it is processed, it is divided into: traditional, which can be either cow or sheep, it has skin and it is full (it has up to 4% fat when it is cow and up to 7% fat when it is sheep), drained, which is usually cow’s milk.

It is called strained because the yogurt is drained and the whey is eliminated, resulting in it becoming thicker. In this category the yogurts may have different fats (even 10%, when flower milk has been added) or they are stirred (mixed), which are mainly beef, contain enough water and are lighter and have less fat than whole (from 0% to 4%).

Finally, yogurt can be categorized based on the fat it contains. It is important to note that there are also yogurt desserts which they also contain various other ingredients, such as gelatin, chocolate, cookies, etc., yogurts for babies, fortified yogurts (for exaple with vitamin or iron) and sour milk, which is essentially a liquid form of yogurt.

7. Contributes to intestinal health

It contains living microorganisms, resulting from the fermentation of milk, which regulate the balance of the intestinal flora, which is important for the proper functioning of the intestine and the avoidance of gastrointestinal problems. In addition, one of the yogurt bacteria, lactobacilli, has been shown to suppress the production of enzymes that promote the growth of malignant tumors in the large intestine.

8. Helps in weight loss

When calcium intake from food is high, its concentration in the blood increases resulting in a decrease in the secretion of the hormone calcitonin, whose biological role is to reduce lipolysis and increase the storage of fats (triglycerides) in adipose tissue. This results in the inhibition of fat storage (triglycerides) in adipose tissue and the acceleration of the lipolysis process.

As for the fats contained in yogurt, they are listed on the package and can be from 0% to 10%. The calories given to us by a greek yogurtrange from 80 to 180 in each cup (240 g).

9. Greek yogurt strengthens the immune system

Vitamin D3 and calcium, which are abundant in yogurt, in addition to their important contribution to bone health and the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, are also involved in strengthening the body’s defenses. They are essential components for all immune cells and especially for phagocytes, which bind and neutralize all pathogens. In addition, the high content of dairy products in vitamin A and B vitamins (B1, B2 and B12) results in additional protection of the health of your immune system.