Benefits and Drawbacks of Consuming Yogurt in Your Daily Diet

Considered as one of the appetizing super foods and highly healthy for gut, yogurt has numerous health benefits that makes it an essential food choice for regular healthy and balanced diet. The diary product made by fermentation of milk with a yogurt culture by incubating at room temperature, yogurt is an excellent source of protein, calcium and probiotics that makes it favourable for gut. 

Nutrition Facts of Traditional Yogurt per 100gm

• Calorie – 98
• Sugar – 2.7 g
• Protein – 3.1 g
• Carbohydrate – 7.04 g
• Energy Kcal – 63
• Fat – 4 g
• Calcium – 183 mg
• Phosphorus – 144 mg
• Potassium – 234 mg
• Sodium – 70 mg
• Magnesium – 41 mg
• Zinc – 2.18 mg
• Vitamin A
• Retinol
• Beta Carotene
• Cholesterol – 14 mg
• Folate
• Niacin
• Thiamin
• Riboflavin

Yogurt has come a long way with its different varieties, forms and flavours that has more or less health benefits depending on the accuracy and organic culturing process of the product. Yogurt that has been a compulsory side appetizing dish in all parts of India, be it north, south, west or eastern region, yogurt is consumed mostly along with break fast and day time meals. There are a wide range of yogurt varieties such as French yogurt, Greek yogurt, soy milk yogurt, goat milk yogurt, coconut milk yogurt, almond milk yogurt, Icelandic yogurt along with India’s traditional cow milk yogurt and many more. Along with varieties, numerous health benefits of yogurt are a long list starting from soothing irritated bowel disease, proper digestion to aiding osteoporosis. However, there are few drawbacks of consuming yogurt too such as weight gain, obesity, calorie intake, preservative allergy and many more. Without much ado, let’s get into the pros and cons of eating yogurt in brief:

Benefits of Consuming Yogurt

1. Rice Source of Calcium

Yogurt is an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D, which helps building and promoting stronger bones according to the research by the National Institute of Health. As yogurt is rich in calcium and vitamin D, it is also recommended for older adults, who suffer from loss of bone-mineral density, osteoporosis and arthritis according to the Tufts University.

2. Probiotics improve gut health

Yogurt reduces inflammation by enhancing the cohesion of the intestinal lining. The probiotics or good bacteria bolster this layer of tissue in intestinal lining so that the endotoxins produced by the gut or good bacteria cannot pass into the bloodstream to promote inflammation. Some bacterial strains in yogurt reduce the risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, according to the study by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

3. Improves digestion and gastrointestinal diseases

Some common symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders such as constipation, bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, indigestion, peptic ulcers and acid reflux can be easily reduced and soothed by consuming moderate amount of yogurt daily in your diet. The good bacteria, probiotics have a soothing effect on stomach discomfort and also helps in reducing Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in the stomach which is one of the best benefits of consuming yogurt.

4. Boosts immunity

Yogurt is rich in probiotics, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which makes it great for overall health. The probiotics or good bacteria in yogurt helps in improving digestion and keeping gut health active and ailment free, which helps body’s natural immune system to improve and stay active.

5. Good for lactose intolerant people

Yogurt is usually low in lactose content, hence those who have lactose intolerance will likely find it more beneficial and tolerable than milk. As yogurt contains good bacteria or probiotics that improves digestion, hence individuals who suffer from gastric, discomfort, bloating flatulence after consuming milk and dairy products can more likely tolerate yogurt without any symptoms. One should try a very small amount of yogurt say 2 tablespoons, to examine how the body reacts to continue with low fat yogurt. People who are lactose intolerant more often lack calcium, hence yogurt can compensate their calcium deficiency by adding it into the diet. Individuals who are allergic to milk and dairy products will not be benefitted from it.

6. Low in calories

The fact is yogurt which is low in fat or non-fat and are not sweetened or contain no added sugar have low calories compared to yogurt that are made from full fat milk. Greek yogurt and goat milk yogurt are very less in calories as they have no added sugar and are less in fat content. These yogurts are also rich in protein which makes it a healthier choice for snacking.

7. Lowers risk of high blood pressure

Low-fat yogurt specially, Greek Yogurt are associated with lowing hypertension or increased blood pressure. According to a study by Tufts University, people who consume yogurt daily are more likely to have lower blood pressure or normal blood pressure than those who skip yogurt or eat yogurt once in a while. Lowering hypertension is another great benefit of consuming yogurt.

8. Improves Mood

Yogurt are rich in probiotics or good bacteria which is not only beneficial for digestive health, but also helps in boosting and improving mood. According to research at Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition in the Netherlands, probiotics may be a significant way to fight depression, stress and anxiety levels as in their study they clearly showed that the anxiety coping people who consumed yogurt daily were brilliant in coping with stress than the people who consumed yogurt less or without probiotics. The reason is the good bacteria in yogurt assists in relieving anxiety and stress by depleting activity in one of the brain regions called insula, which is associated with emotions.

Drawbacks of Consuming Yogurt

1. Increases blood sugar levels

There are some brands and varieties of yogurt that are sweetened and added with sugar that directly increases sugar level in your blood. One of the common drawbacks of consuming yogurt is increased blood sugar levels in blood which can lead to other serious health problems such as high blood pressure, heart diseases, and obesity. Hence, it is recommended to buy yogurt by checking label of the product which clearly shows sugar content is 10 gm or less than that which is ideal for diabetic people or check carbohydrate content less than 15 gm and high in protein.

2. Increases risk of heart diseases

Sweetened fruit flavored yogurt and full fat yogurt are high in fructose content or sugar which directly contributes to increased levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) which is clearly linked with bigger risk of cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis.

3. Increase in cholesterol levels

Full fat yogurt or curd is rich in cholesterol content. One cup of full fat yogurt which is 245 grams of yogurt contains 31.9 mg of cholesterol. Regular consumption of full fat yogurt can increase bad cholesterol which is LDL in blood leading to increased blood pressure.

4. Feeling of bloated stomach

Some people who are lactose intolerant can’t easily digest dairy products and yogurt gives them the feeling of fullness with bloating, gastric, discomfort and flatulence.

5. Overindulgence can lead to obesity

People usually get fond of yogurt and its special types available in stores. They have fancy variety of flavours with fruits and berries that can lead to overindulgence. People find excuses to have some yogurt and too much intake of yogurt can lead to excess sugar, calories, saturated fats and cholesterol that leads to serious weight gain and obesity which is another serious drawback of consuming yogurt in a regular diet.

6. Risk of kidney stones

Excess content of calcium in yogurt can cause increased risk of kidney stones and kidney diseases and prostrate cancer. Too much calcium can reduce the absorption process of iron and zinc in the body.