Lahore: Yogurt contains power-boosting protein and bone-building calcium. It can also help one lose weight and fend off a cold. Compiled from Fitness Magazine, here’s the scoop on the benefits of yogurt. Whether you opt for greek yogurt, organic, or soy you’ll start seeing results instantly.
It can give you flat abs: Eat 18 ounces a day and you can drop a jeans size. People who ate that much in conjunction with cutting their total calories — lost 22% more weight and 81% more belly fat than dieters who skipped the snack, according to research from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
They also retained one-third more calorie-torching lean muscle mass, which can help you maintain weight loss.
“Fat around your waist produces the hormone cortisol, which tells your body to accumulate even more belly flab,” says nutrition professor and lead study author Michael Zemel. When you eat yogurt, the calcium signals your fat cells to pump out less cortisol, making it easier for you to drop pounds, while the amino acids help burn fat.
Most brands contain good-for-you bacteria:
The words “live and active cultures” on the container mean that your yogurt has probiotics, beneficial bugs that live in your digestive tract, and help crowd out harmful microorganisms that can cause intestinal infections. But many varieties now also contain unique strains of probiotics meant to help regulate your digestion or strengthen your immune system.
It is loaded with vitamins:
One serving is a significant source of potassium, phosphorous, riboflavin, iodine, zinc, and vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). Yogurt also contains B12, which maintains red blood cells and helps keep your nervous system functioning properly. Eating more yogurt can help close the nutrient gap: An eight-ounce serving contains 1.4 micrograms of the vitamin, about 60% of what adult women need daily.
It can help you recover faster after a workout:
With the right ratio of protein to carbohydrates, yogurt, particularly high-protein Greek yogurt, makes an excellent post-sweat-session snack. “The perfect time to grab a container is within 60 minutes of exercise,” says Keri Gans, a nutritionist in New York City. The protein provides the amino acids your muscles need to repair themselves, Gans explains, and the carbohydrates replace your muscles’ energy stores, which are depleted after a hard workout. It’s a bonus if you drink a bottle of water along with it. The protein in yogurt may also help increase the amount of water absorbed by the intestines, improving hydration.
It may prevent high blood pressure:
Every day 70% of us consume more than twice the recommended amount of salt; over time that can lead to hypertension and kidney and heart disease. The potassium in yogurt, almost 600 milligrams per eight ounces, may help flush some of the excess sodium out of your body, reducing the chances of high blood pressure as well.
