Fruity Yogurt # 2 and a 25!!

Its really,really cold here and today it is -7 degree Celsius!All I can think of now is a warm bowl of soup or a piping hot cup of tea/ coffee.But that’s not what I am going to write about now.

Today’s post is a fruity yogurt .This pic has been in my draft for more than 6 months and I thought I will post it today.On a hot summer day this sure tastes like heaven.

The health benefits of yogurt are aplenty and mighty impressive!Here are a few that I found interesting…

• Yogurt has a good amount of ‘good’ bacteria,ie live bacteria or Probiotics that are essential to maintain healthy intestinal flora.For this the yogurt must be prepared with live/active bacteria.It helps in conditions like constipation/ diarrhea/colon cancer/Inflammatory bowel disease and H.pylori infection.
• Lactobacillus casei,a strain of bacteria helps in boosting the immunity.
• Calcium is one important mineral that is required to prevent osteoporosis and yogurt has loads of this vital nutrient.[Calcium is very important for women]
• Because of the presence of Calcium,it boosts the body’s ability to build bones.
• Prevents and heals arthritis.
• Protects against ulcer.
• It prevents vaginal yeast infections.
• It is also a good source of phosphorus,protein and energy.
• Last but not the least,a study proved that consuming around 90 grams of yogurt/day reduces bad breath and the amount of bacteria coating the tongue,reduces dental plaques,cavities and risk of gingivitis.

Selection of yogurt:

• When buying the commercial brands,look for one that mentions ‘active/live bacteria’.Some brands may pasteurize their products thereby killing the ‘friendly’ bacteria and with it all the benefits are lost.
• It is better to avoid buying yogurt with added sweeteners and flavorings.
• Don’t forget to check the ‘expiry date’ when buying the product.

To prepare yogurt at home just follow these simple steps.[This is what I do]

• Warm milk.[It should just be ‘lukewarm’.]
• Transfer it into a clean bowl.
• Add the ‘starter’ or a tablespoon of previous days yogurt.
• Mix gently,cover and let it rest in a warm place for a couple of hours.
• Once the yogurt is set store in the refrigerator.

If you live in a warm place,then the yogurt sets very quickly ,maybe in a couple of hours.If you are living in a cooler [or colder] region then leave it overnight to set.

If the yogurt is left outside for a long time in summer [or when the climate is warmer] after it sets,it turns sour and hence best to keep it refrigerated.

Before you finish off the bowl of yogurt made at home,don’t forget to take out a couple of spoons and keep it separately in the fridge for we need it to prepare another bowl of healthy yogurt tomorrow.

Coming to today’s recipe..In spite of preparing homemade yogurt I sometime[read- almost every time] buy yogurt from the dairy aisle.I always feel they call out to me and I cannot resist!So once I picked up a tub of blueberry yogurt and after polishing off half of it I made this fruity yogurt.

It had lots of blueberries and I added some sweet apple chunks,strawberries,lychee and topped it up with raisins.Tasted double yum and had double the benefits!

By the way,are you wondering what 25 is all about in the title?Well,this is my 25th post based on yogurt.I am sure you know about my love for yogurt and thought I will have a small celebration for this and hence this sweet yogurt recipe!

If you are in love with yogurt just like I am,don’t forget to check out the Yumm yogurt section for more yogurt based recipes…

Also check out EC’s blog-Simple Indian food, where she has featured me in ‘Super blogger Sunday’ series.Click here to read the interview.