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