The name for yogurt is of Turkish origin. The food itself comes from herdsmen in Central Asia around 6,000 B.C. who were milking their animals and storing the milk in animal stomachs. The animal stomachs had enzymes in them that started to curdle the milk and it resulted in yogurt. Yogurt is not made in the same way anymore, but yogurt health benefits are the same as they always were.

There have been a couple of sources that show that Genghis Khan and men more or less lived off of yogurt. Yogurt has also been used for medicinal uses around the time of Genghis Khan as well.

Yogurt Health Benefits

1. Digestive Health

Plain yogurt has probiotics which can really help your digestion. When buying yogurt, you want to make sure that it is unpasteurized because pasteurizing yogurt kills the probiotics. Because of the probiotics, plain yogurt helps to calm the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

 

2. Immune System

The probiotics in plain yogurt do not only help with your digestion but can also help to knock down your inflammation. Knocking out inflammation can let your body get illness-causing germs and other things out faster. Plain yogurt also has vitamin D, zinc, magnesium, and selenium. All of these minerals are great for building up your immune system.

 

3. Protein

Seven ounces of plain yogurt has 12 grams of protein and seven ounces of plain Greek yogurt have 22 grams. Protein is important because it is used for muscle health, hormone production, weight control, and appetite regulation.

 

4. Osteoporosis

Plain yogurt is loaded with calcium, potassium, vitamin D, phosphorus, and potassium. All of the minerals and the vitamin are vital for fighting off or at least postponing the onset of osteoporosis. The substances listed above are needed for helping with osteoporosis because they stop the bones from breaking as easily and from losing bone density.

5. Weight Management

The high amount of protein in the yogurt helps to produce a hormone that lessens your appetite. So eating more plain yogurt can limit your amount of body fats, and help you to lose weight. It can also stop or shrink your chances of obesity if your family has a history of weight management issues.

 

6. No Added Sugar

You should keep in mind that the added sugars that some companies put in the yogurt can cancel out and even reverse the health benefits that plain yogurt can give you. So when buying yogurt for its health benefits, you should keep that in mind.

Make sure that the yogurt you are buying is just plain. If you are not big of a fan of plain yogurt, you can get plain yogurt that has fruit in the bottom or you can cut up fresh fruit and it to the yogurt yourself.

7. Heart Health

Most fats are bad for you, but there are a couple of good fats that can help your health. The fats in plain yogurt are some of the good ones. Along with the healthy fats, plain yogurt also has the good kind of cholesterol called HDL. The HDL helps to lessen the bad cholesterol that can clog your arteries. With lower cholesterol, you have a smaller chance of heart diseases and strokes.  

 

8. Be Mindful

Some people have lactose intolerance and suffer from the effects of it if they eat too much or even any dairy. There way you can escape some of the effects of lactose intolerance, but there are other ways that you can get the health benefits of plain yogurt. If you have a minor allergy to dairy, eat what you can, but do not overdo it. If you feel yourself getting ill, back off from the yogurt or stop eating it all together.  

 

9. Vitamins

The vitamins and minerals that were mentioned fighting osteoporosis help with more than just that. The B12, iodine, B5, potassium, riboflavin, potassium, zinc, and phosphorus also fight to keep nervous systems safe, they keep red blood cells healthy.

10. Workout Recovery

The protein in plain yogurt helps to make amino acids for your muscles so they do not lose mass and strength, and so that your muscles are not as sore for as long. There are also carbs in the yogurt than help to refill the energy stores of your muscles. Drinking water while eating the plain yogurt can also help you to hydrate faster.

11. Dental Health

The lactic acid in plain yogurt is very important for keeping your teeth and gums healthy. Eating two ounces of yogurt a day can keep your gums healthy and fight off cavities. On top of the smaller chance of gum ailments and cavities, the plain yogurts can also keep away other periodontal diseases.

 

12. Hair Health

Plain yogurt has antifungal properties that can stop dandruff. You can just add the yogurt to your diet or you can actually use a little bit of the plain yogurt as a sort of hair mask that you should wash out in a shower.

 

13. Complexion

This tip is for overall skin health. Using plain yogurt as a face mask can do a lot for you. The lactic acid and zinc stop acne; the zinc itself can help to protect you from UV rays; adding a little bit of lemon juice can lighten pigmentation and other blemishes from acne; it can brighten your skin by exfoliating your skin. You can even apply a bit of plain yogurt to your feet to stop things athlete’s foot and ringworm.

14. Omega-3

Omega-3 is a kind of fatty acid that does so much for the body but gets so easily overlooked. Omega-3 is often taken in from fresh fish and other kinds of lean meat, but that can be an issue for vegetarians. As for why omega-3 is so important. it lessens inflammation, fights free radicals that cause cancer, helps to keep blood pressure where it should be, stops the decline of cognitive health, and it helps with losing weight.

 

15. Yeast Infections

No woman wants to deal with a yeast infection. They can itchy, uncomfortable, embarrassing, and sometimes even painful. Most often, yeast infections are caused by uneven pH levels in the vagina. Eat yogurt as an everyday protector since the plain yogurt helps to balance those pH levels. If you are not a fan of plain yogurt, you can apply it to the affected area and wash it off after a couple of minutes.

 

16. Mood Booster

The antibiotics and vitamins in plain yogurt have been found to lessen things like mood swings and Seasonal Effects Disorder. The vitamins also lessen anxiety and compulsive behaviors.    

Which of these yogurt health benefits do you like most? Comment below!

Sources

https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20532821,00.html?slide=117936#117936

https://www.naturalfoodseries.com/13-health-benefits-yogurt/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-benefits-of-yogurt#section3

https://www.dairygoodness.ca/yogurt/the-history-of-yogurt