Why is yogurt better than milk? Is milk a perfect food? It is perfect and complete for babies, but adults need other foods. Milk may seem like water, but it must not be gulped down like water. The solid curd formed on meeting the rennin and hydrochloric acid of the stomach, is indigestible, and may cause heartburn. Sip slowly and masticate. Although milk, as such, is not an ideal food for adults, the milk products are excellent. Milk is a marvelous host for disease germs. Yogurt is much safer because when milk is properly fermented, the lactic acid destroys the harmful bacteria. Raw milk, unlike meat, does not putrefy because the sugar in it undergoes lactic fermentation. This high acidity prevents the growth of putrefactive organisms in the intestines. Some countries even use yogurt to preserve meat because lactic acid impedes the decay of meat, so it helps meat eaters.
Yogurt has little more actual food value than milk. Fermentation lowers its sugar content, but it is richer in protein. It can be considered a substitute for meat. All cultured milks, especially yogurt, are far more easily digested than milk. The milk proteins are partially digested during the fermentation process (the casein is in a more friendly divided state), and milk calcium is dissolved by the lactic acid formations. Yogurt can be taken when milk cannot. For example, in gastric irritations it helps relieve gastrointestinal diseases (such as colitis and dysenteries) and tests have shown that prune whip yogurt is highly effective in alleviating constipation or diabetic ulcers. Yogurt is a natural regulator, both from the point of view of a laxative, and also as a treatment for chronic diarrhea.
Besides being a cleanser and sweetener of the intestinal tract, its lactic acid has such antiseptic qualities that “matsoon,” the Middle East yogurt, has long been valued as a preventative and in the treatment of epidemics of cholera, typhus and typhoid fever.
The vitamins in milk may even be synthesized by the organisms and made available to the system. Much vitamin B (ribot16fin) is, created by organisms in the digestive tract. Some raw milk yogurts are rich in vitamins A, B, C and D. Research shows that because Most yogurt is especially beneficial in forming a health giving flora in the digestive tract, the elimination flow is assisted. Yogurt is an alkalinizing fooci.
Yogurt is useful in reducing diets due to the fact that it is low in calories (often being made from skim milk), and stays longer in the stomach than many other low-calorie foods. Though high in protein and calcium, yogurt is low in fat and is filling enough to satisfy hunger pains. It is a “natural” for diet-conscious persons and is featured at such swank resorts as Elizabeth Arden.
A general analysis of yogurt follows:
Water 85.43%; Fat 4.75; Alcohol 0.1 (less than); Lactose 4.79; salt .025; Calories 23.0 per oz.; Lactic Acid 1.41; Protein 4.21.
Using Yogurt
A most delicious way to eat yogurt is to mix 1 cup of yogurt with 1 tablespoon of Dr. Jensen’s Black Cherry Concentrate. Apple or Grape Concentrate may be substituted, or these can just be poured over a dish of yogurt. Serve thick as a custard, plain, or with honey or molasses; or beat it until it becomes smooth and serve as buttermilk. This also may be mixed with fruit juices or purées before serving.
Yogurt served over all kinds of fruit and berries is most delicious. This idea can be reversed by using the yogurt as a custard, and slicing fresh, canned fruit or berries over it.
Yogurt can be substituted for buttermilk or sour milk in cooking, but there is not the s.ame nutritional value left since the bacteria are killed by heat.
Besides eating the yogurt plain, there are many ways it can be used. It can be the basis of a salad dressing, substituted for sour cream in any recipe. (This also cuts down the calorie count.) Delicious drinks and deserts can also be made with yogurt.
