Greek Yogurt: Health Benefits, Uses and Side Effects

Yogurt is considered as a dairy product which has been consumed since ancient times.

There are so many types of yogurts available which includes this Greek style one as well.

This Greek style yogurt has way more protein than the other yogurt products.

Greek yogurt is also referred to as strained yogurt.

Greek yogurt is known to be present in so many varieties which are full fat, fat free, reduced fat and along with this it can be flavored as well as unflavored.

The Greek yogurt is known to contain a lot of nutrients and this makes it an amazing source of carbs, fats and proteins.

As this provides so many nutrients, you should know that it is a great source of vitamin B12, B 2 and selenium.

It is an amazing source of zinc, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A, pantothenic acid, potassium, etc.

It also has trace amounts of copper, magnesium and choline.

As far as you compare Greek yogurt with regular yogurt you should know that Greek yogurt has way more protein content and has lower levels of carbs in it.

There are so many nutrients present in this product which makes it very beneficial for our health. Some of the most common health benefits of this are mentioned below:

One of the most important benefits of Greek yogurt is that it is very rich in protein.

This is a macronutrient that is required for all the chemical reactions to proceed in the body. It helps in maintaining the immune function and helps to repair the tissue as well.

The need of this may vary but the optimal intake of this would be 0.54 to 0.9 g per pound of the body weight.

When you take 200 g of Greek yogurt you can consume around 20 g of protein and from this you can understand that it is a high protein food.

Apart from the protein, this is rich in minerals and essential vitamins which includes selenium, vitamin B12 and zinc.

These are known to play a very important role in supporting health.

It contains a lot of nutrients that are very important for the maintenance of health of the skeletal system which also includes the phosphorus, calcium, protein and magnesium.

It does not have the nutrients which are helpful for good bone health but it is also helpful in the promotion of bone formation.

People eating Greek yogurt on a daily basis had enhanced bone formation and reduced bone breakdown.

Intake of yogurt has been linked with huge bone mineral density and also has a reduced risk of osteoporosis and osteopenia in some adults.

When you eat yogurt on a regular basis your digestive system can remain very healthy just because of the enhanced bacterial diversity in the gut of some people.

You should always consume unsweetened Greek yogurt because the sugar can damage your gut health.

The sugar is known to lead the gut to bacterial imbalance or dysbiosis.

When you consume an adequate amount of protein your muscle recovery and overall health gets promoted.

Many athletes consider it an amazing post workout snack. It is so because of the high protein content of the Greek yogurt.

This is helpful in the promotion of synthesis of muscle protein and recovery as well.

Consumption of yogurt on a daily basis results in the gain of fat free mass, muscle strength and muscle thickness.

Protein is regarded as the most filling macronutrient and when you add a great source of protein like dairy products in your diet you will feel satisfied for a longer period of time.

Yogurt is a protein rich food and is filling as well. This is also very helpful in supporting a very healthy body weight.

People consuming yogurt results in smaller waist circumference, lower body fat and less weight gain.

You should also be aware of the fact that your complete diet and lifestyle also matters when you are concerned with having and maintaining a healthy body weight.

There are so many ways in which you can use this product but the best ways to use this product are mentioned below:

• You can add this into your smoothies for making it more proteinaceous
• You can add fresh or frozen berries or chop various nuts like walnuts or almonds as a topping on your Greek yogurt
• You can use it as the base for you savory or sweet dips
• You can add this in soups for a better and creamy texture
• You can add this in chicken, tuna and pasta salads
• You can use it as a topping instead of sour cream on top of baked potatoes, pancake and oatmeal

Greek yogurt as such does not have any kind of side effects but when you take the flavored Greek yogurt which is sweet in taste and its regular intake could lead you to suffer from medical conditions like obesity, heart disease, fatty liver, diabetes, depression, etc.

This has been consumed since ancient times and the Greeks are regarded as the first ones to document the consumption of use of this product in the 100 BC.

This word yogurt has come from the Turkish word 'yogurmak' which gives out the meaning of coagulate, thicken or curdle.

This yogurt is produced by the fermentation of yogurt in the tanks and various liquids which include whey strained from it during the last steps of the procedure.

When the process is completed you will get a thick product which has a very high amount of protein content.

Apart from this, some of the food manufacturers are known to produce Greek yogurt by adding some milk protein into the yogurt during the start or the end of the process.

Greek yogurt is a kind of yogurt that has a lot of protein in it and some other nutrients as well like selenium, vitamin B12 and calcium.

It has so many health benefits associated with itself because of the nutrients present in it.

It is a filling and very nutritious kitchen staple and this product is known to be used both as a savory recipe as well as sweet.