Curd/Yogurt

Yogurt/Curd

Yogurt, also known as curd or dahi is a custardlike food with a tart flavor, prepared from milk curdled by bacteria, especially Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. It is the part of milk that coagulates when the milk sours or is treated with enzymes.

Our grandmothers always encouraged us to eat curd regularly.
Curd can benefit our health in a variety of ways.


Calcium
Since curd is a dairy product, it is very high in calcium which is beneficial for teeth and bone health. It reduces the risk of osteroporosis which affects women .People with a risk of osteoporosis should eat at least one serving of yogurt per day.

Strenghtens immune system
It has also been shown that the bacteria found in curd can strengthen the immune system. Daily intake of curd helps the white blood cells fight off disease.It defenses the body has against viruses. Studies have also shown that yogurt can help fight against bacterial infections as well, namely slamonella or food poisoning. It has also been claimed that yogurt may protect against some types of cancer but more investigations are needed.

Aids digestion
Some people have trouble digesting lactose, a carbohydrate in milk and milk products, because of the deficiency of enzyme lactase in the body. Live yogurt cultures produce lactase and break down the lactose. Yogurt is a healthy way to get the nutrient the body needs, for the people who can not tolerate milk products.
They encourage the right kind of bacteria to multiply in the gut. These bacteria help to digest food and prevent stomach infections.

Fights yeast infection
Yeast infections can also be helped by the bacteria in yogurt. Yeast infections are caused by a fungus that lives in the vagina suddenly multiplying, causing itching, burning, and other uncomfortable conditions. Consuming yogurt seems to keep the healthy balance of natural bacteria found in the vagina, not allowing the fungus to thrive. A study conducted at Jewish Medical Center backs these recommendations, showing that women who frequently had yeast infections dropped their rate of infection significantly by adding a cup of yogurt each day.

Anti-diarrhoeal food
It is the safest food to prevent and treat diarrhoea. Eating curd may also help recover faster from diarrhoeal infections. The bacterial cultures in curd inhibit the ability of infectious bacteria to survive and thrive.

Anti-ulcer
Yogurt maybe helpful in the battle against ulcers. Ulcers are now known to be caused by bacteria living in the stomach, which is usually treated with large doses of antibiotics. However, some evidence shows that eating lots of live active culture yogurt keeps ulcer-causing bacteria under control. When yogurt is consumed, the beneficial bacteria take up residence in the digestive tract and begin to compete with the harmful ulcer causing bacteria.

Other gastrointestinal conditions
Yogurt with active cultures may help a wide variety of gastrointestinal conditions, including lactose intolerance,constipation ,diarrhea, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, H. pylori infection etc.


Eating Curd/Yogurt

Yogurt is quite popular and ingested in nearly all areas of the world. People in several regions utilize lots of yogurt in their food.

In India,various regions make use of curd in some form or other and make a tasty dish. For example-

Shrikhand in maharashtra
Lassi in punjab
Kadhi in gujrat,punjab,rajasthan
Curd rice in south india
Mishti doi in bengal

Many people in India end up their meal with some curd or buttermilk. It balances out all the spices and creates a cooiling effect in the stomach.


How to make curd at home

11 Healthy Ways to De-Stress With Food | Healthy Habits | Reader's Digest

Very interesting article on destressing foods- comfort foods.

11 Healthy Ways to De-Stress With Food | Healthy Habits | Reader's Digest

Almonds

Almonds are one of the most nutritious of all nuts.
Almonds has vitamin E and it is a very important antioxidant.
Almonds forms a vital part of many tonic preparation in Ayurveda and unani medicines.

Here are the advantages of eating almonds:

Loose weight - Almonds can also help you lose weight. Because they contain fiber, protein and the good type of fat, they help keep you full, making them an ideal healthy snack.  It has even been noticed that almonds reduce the risk of weight gain, if taken twice a week.

Good for heart - Almonds are very beneficial for heart health. It reduces the risk of heart attack. You may decrease your risk by as much as 50 percent just by eating almonds five times a week!


Blood sugar- Almonds assist in controlling diabetes, by lowering blood sugar after meals.This offers protection from diabetes. Almonds also helps hypoglycemic people.

 Anti-oxidant- Almonds provide essential anti-oxidants and help in the clean up of the free-radicals in the body. They also contain lots of fiber, which is good for the system.

Good for brain-  Almond is a source of many nutrients which help in development of the brain. Almond induces high intellectual level and has been considered as an essential food item for growing children. In India, many mothers give almonds soaked in water to their children daily in the morning (2-3 pieces of soaked almonds are good enough ). It is highly beneficial in preserving the vitality of the brain.

Regulates blood pressure- Potassium present in almond helps to regulates blood pressure.

Good in pregnancy- Almond contains folic acid. Folic acid helps to reduce the incidence of birth defects in newborn babies.

Boosts energy- The presence of manganese, copper and riboflavin helps in energy production.

Prolong life- Almonds helps physical and mental health and prolong life. It helps in the formation of new blood cells and hemoglobin. It also helps in maintaining smooth physiological functions of brain, nerves, bones, heart and liver.

Loss of memory- Almond is valuable food for increasing memory, strengthening the brain and curing disorders of the nervous system.

Beauty aid-  Almonds are good for hair and skin health.
     Skin:  Face pack made from almond paste mixed with milk cream and rose bud paste is an effective beauty aid. It softens and bleaches the skin and nourishes it.
     Soak almonds overnight and then boil and blend them with whipped cream. This acts as a natural moisturizer and gives soft and supple skin.
     Hair: One type of food that can fight against hair loss is almonds. They are a good source of protein, and contain abundant amounts of iron and vitamin E. A teaspoon of almond oil mixed with a teaspoon of amla juice messaged over scalp is valuable remedy for hairfall, dandruff.

Actress karishma kapoor has been snacking on almonds since childhood. Maybe this is the secret of her ever glowing face!

Acidity and acid reflux - A few almonds chewed very well have been hailed as the new miracle treatment for acid reflux by some people. The oil in almonds helps neutralize the acidity in the stomach.

Teeth and bones-  The phosphorus in almonds helps build strong bones and teeth.



Disadvantage-
 But just like any other food, even almonds have their cons. They contain oxalates and excessive oxalates can cause crystallization. So people having kidney or gallbladder problems should avoid eating too much almonds.



How many almonds to eat:
The Almond Board of California  recommends eating 23 almonds a day for maximum health benefits.
According to Ayurveda about ten almonds a day is the general recommendation, but if you have a Kapha imbalance, then eat about five almonds per day.

How to eat almonds:
There are two ways of eating almonds. Either eat it as it is or soak in water, remove the outer skin and eat. Ayurveda recommends the latter.
According to Ayurveda, the skin of almond is hard to digest for some and to make it easy to digest we should remove the skin after soaking and eat. It is also said the almond skin can cause allergy for some so these people also benefit by eating with without skin. And I have found that a general belief in Ayurveda is soaking nuts makes it more nutritious and imparts a cooling tendency in the nut so they recommend pitta people to soak nuts and eat. But I am still somewhat skeptical about this! I have a pitta tendency too but never felt worse by eating almonds as it is. It is so tasty as it is:) why soaking and remembering to eat after few hours! Eat whenever you feel like. Moreover I think almond skin may also contain some nutrients and why leave that out! If anyone has any suggestions, recommendations or personal experiences regarding this please share. I would really like to hear from others.




Almond Halwa

Here's a very tasty recipe of badam halwa. The pictures look so yummy that you can't resist to try some. Its very tempting and why should you resist it when you now know that almonds are so good for you. This recipe is of Saffron from Saffron hut. Thank you Saffron!

http://saffronhut.blogspot.com/2006/10/good-nut-almondbadam-halva.html

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