Drinking yogurt can also supplement calcium
We all know that milk is a holy grail for calcium supplementation, but in fact, the calcium-supplementing effect of yogurt is no worse than that of milk. This is because during the yogurt-making process, lactic acid bacteria break down the lactose in milk into lactic acid, reducing the lactose content while retaining all the other nutrients in milk. Therefore, yogurt still has the effect of supplementing calcium. In fact, yogurt can improve the absorption rate of minerals such as calcium and iron. The absorption rate of calcium in yogurt is only higher, not lower, than that in milk, because lactic acid promotes the absorption of various minerals, and peptides like CPP, produced from the breakdown of protein, can also effectively improve the absorption rate of minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc. Especially for the elderly with poor mineral absorption, yogurt is an excellent nutritional food.
What kind of yogurt is "real yogurt"?
Yogurt belongs to fermented milk. It is a sour milk product made from milk as the raw material, inoculated with a lactic acid bacteria starter, and then produced by a specific process. However, the products on the market include not only yogurt but also many yogurt drinks, so it is important to distinguish them clearly when purchasing.
According to different raw materials, it is basically divided into plain yogurt and flavored yogurt. The protein content of plain yogurt is ≥2.9%; for flavored yogurt and fruit yogurt, the protein content is ≥2.3%;
According to different appearances, it can also be divided into two major categories: the gelled type is called set yogurt, like various old yogurts; the viscous liquid type is called stirred yogurt, which contains a small amount of fruit juice, fruit pulp, and thickeners and other ingredients;
According to the fat content of the finished product, yogurt can be divided into three categories: whole-fat yogurt, partially skimmed yogurt, and skimmed yogurt, for consumers who need to control fat and cholesterol to choose from.
Therefore, as long as you see on the yogurt product packaging that the protein content is ≥2.3%, and the contents are viscous or gelled, you can basically determine that it belongs to yogurt. And other products, which are liquid but the contents are relatively thin, with a protein content ≥1.0%, are made by adding water, sugar, flavors, acidulants, or starters to milk. These are called acid milk drinks or lactic acid bacteria drinks and cannot be called yogurt.