Article by Dominika Zielińska
Increasingly popularized as a healthy food, yogurt has been consumed for centuries in many long-lived nations of the world. Now re-discovered as a probiotic, it is simply fermented with the participation of various strains of bacteria, including Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacteńum bifidum. Bacteria make the milk curd, and this happens thanks to the transformation of milk sugar into lactic acid. One of the biggest advantages of yogurt is that it strengthens the intestines, introducing “friendly” bacteria into them and contributing to the growth of intestinal bacterial flora.
Intestinal flora bacteria support the digestion and absorption of food, produce B vitamins, prevent the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and inhibit internal digestive processes. They also contribute to healthy intestinal acidity.
Yoghurt is especially beneficial for people who treat themselves with antibiotics, those who eat a lot of sweets, and those who drink chlorinated water, as well as those who have “depleted” friendly bacteria in one way or another.
It also helps in the synthesis of vitamin K, preventing internal bleeding, and reducing cholesterol level, reduces the risk of cancer, in particular colon cancer.
All the advantages of yoghurt should be added to its huge nutritional value. It is rich in high quality protein, vitamins and minerals: it contains vitamin A, a complex of vitamins B, vitamins E and D, it is a great source of easily absorbed calcium, potassium and phosphorus, it contains only a moderate amount of sodium. It is also highly digestible – most of the protein is digested within an hour.
It is of great value as a food used in cases of mucus of the digestive system, colitis, constipation, disorders in the secretion of bile, bloating, bad breath, high cholesterol, migraines and nervous exhaustion.
In addition, it serves people who can not consume milk in a different form due to lactose intolerance.
PROBIOTICS
This is the general name of all products that regenerate the intestines and rejuvenate the whole body. Probiotics stimulate the growth of intestinal bacterial flora, reducing the risk of diseases caused by microorganisms. In general, they ensure the health of the body as opposed to antibiotics and contraceptive pills that promote intestinal disease processes.
The probiotics include: yogurt, buttermilk and sour milk, digestive enzymes, FOS (fructooligosaccharides), sauerkraut, miso and thorium.
Yoghurts and sour milk contain cultures of friendly bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Bifidobacteria longumand Streptococus thermophilus, which are generally mentioned on the labels. Regular consumption of foods containing these bacteria is very beneficial to the body. They support the absorption of nutrients, increase the production of vitamins, maintain an adequate level of acidity in the intestines, increase resistance to diseases and prevent the development of intestinal cancer, as well as decreasing susceptibility to yeast overgrowth.
FOS is a type of sugar that selectively nourishes only friendly bacteria and stimulates there development. Excessive growth of pathogenic bacteria in the intestines is associated with such ailments as: allergies, eczema, bad odor from the mouth, constipation, arthritis, headaches, sinus disease, high cholesterol, colitis, yeast, mycosis and cystitis.
BACTERIAL MILK (LACTOBACILLUS)
The general name of the group of bacteria that live in the intestines, forming part of their bacterial flora.
They do not have flagella, do not produce survival forms, are acid-resistant. They belong to the “good” bacterial group, because they are extremely important for the proper course of the nutrient absorption process. They are involved in the transformation of carbohydrates in the intestine into lactic acid. They inhibit the growth of candida albicans yeast (causing mycosis). The intestinal flora is strengthened by lactic bacteria abundantly found in yoghurts. They can relieve many ailments, such as rotting food in the gut, vaginal yeast infection in women, constipation or flatulence, and even prevent them. The main enemy are antibiotics, which kill all bacteria, both “bad”, pathogenic as well as “good”. Therefore, it is very important to supplement the bacterial flora during antibiotic treatment, eating as much yogurt as possible and taking special capsules containing live bacterial cultures.
