For thousands of years yoghurt has been known as a health food.  In 76Bc the Roman historian Pliny recommended fermented milk products (like yoghurt) for treating gastroenteritis.  And a Persian version of the Old Testament (Genesis 18:8) states ‘Abraham owed his longevity to the consumption of sour milk.’

Yoghurt is most widely known for the benefits it brings to the digestive system.  It provides both prebiotics and probiotics.   Probiotics are micro-organisms that when taken in adequate amounts can improve the microbial content of our intestine, which in effect, can benefit our health.  Prebiotics are substances that feed the probiotics in our intestines.  But yoghurt is not only a ‘digesto’-food; it also provides protein, calcium and lots of B vitamins.  An interesting study has even showed that it you eat yoghurt with live active cultures (probiotics) you decrease the amount of one particular ‘bad’ bacteria, (Staphylococcus aureus) in the nasal passages.  This is a clear sign that yoghurt is stimulating the immune system and benefiting the immune system lining the GI tract and the upper airway passages.  Yoghurt is also known for absorbing mutagens that cause cancer, particularly colon cancer.

Only about ¼ of the world’s adults can digest milk, often because they lack the enzyme to break down milk sugar, lactose.  The bacteria in yoghurt digests the lactose for you thus allowing you to eat yoghurt even if you are denied other milk products.  Yoghurt can also help regulate the body’s inflammatory response, which relieves Inflammatory Bowel Disease.  It also stimulates the production of drug like substances that act in the body like pharmacological blood pressure lowering medicines.  And on the cholesterol front, it helps to lower it!  Over 30 years ago scientists were intrigued to find that the Masai tribesmen of Africa has low cholesterol and coronary heart disease, despite having a very meaty diet.  It was attributed to their extremely high intake of fermented milk (yoghurt) – up to 5 litres daily!  And if that wasn’t enough, yoghurt also helps relieve diarrhoea, vaginal and urinary tract infections by crowding out the various systems with good bacteria so that the bad bacteria get displaced.

It is important to remember that not all yoghurt is necessarily health promoting, it must contain live active cultures to be of benefit.  Yoghurt is milk that has been curdled.  Milk is heated and bacteria are added.  When kept in a warm place the milk sugar turns into lactic acid which thickens the yoghurt and gives it its characteristically tart, tangy flavour.  It is similar to the process used for making beer, wine or cheese, in that beneficial bacteria ferment and transform the basic food.  To be health promoting it also shouldn’t have additives or sugar added.  Many yoghurts advertise themselves as healthy when in fact there are many unbeneficial ingredients in them…so do read labels.

Try and eat organic live sugar free yoghurt every day – you might just end up living many more days with more vitality than ever before!