FW: S&A HEALTH REPORT: This Food is a Living Miracle

[Guest guest]

Thought you all might find this

interesting…

Sharyn

S & A HEALTH REPORT: This Food Is a Living

Miracle

By Dr. Eifrig Jr.

September 10, 2006

Do you have any of these diseases or worry about getting them?

High blood pressure

Bad breath

Osteoporosis

Reflux disease

Colon

cancer

Constipation

If I could eat only one food to improve my body’s

functioning, this would be it…

Just this morning for breakfast I had a scoop of blueberries and

a scoop of raspberries with this food. Yesterday, before a long morning

of working in my garden (a tougher workout is hard to find), I added this

to my protein powder breakfast drink. Last week I felt the rumblings of a

sore throat approaching, and I gargled with this natural wonder. You can

find it mixed with onions, tomatoes, or garlic in your local Greek or

Indian restaurant. What is this miracle food that you absolutely must

consume weekly? READ ON!

It is a food like no other, mainly because it is actually ALIVE.

What is it? It is just plain, old yogurt. Yogurt is absolutely amazing.

Yogurt is simply cultured milk. This means that special organisms are

placed in the milk, the mixture is heated, and mere hours later…

voila!... yogurt.

Moreover, don’t limit yourself to cow milk. Any type of

milk will do: goat, sheep, horse, etc. After the warmed mixture has

brought the yogurt to life, the yogurt is then chilled, which keeps the

“bugs” alive but less active. Guess what? The organisms

inside the live yogurt are what give yogurt most of its health benefits.

Here, for the scientist in you, is the list of some of the most

beneficial bugs (bacteria) found within our yogurt:

1. Lactobacillus acidophilus

2. Lactobacillus bulgaricus

3. Lactobacillus casei

4. Lactobacillus reuteri

5. Bifobacterium bifidum

6. Streptococcus thermophilus

Interestingly, the live bugs in yogurt compete with the

“bad” bugs in the body and help enhance and fortify the

immune system. The live yogurt cultures crowd out the disease-causing

bacteria and are, hence, known as “probiotics” (as opposed to

“antibiotics). These yogurt bacteria are thought to greatly enhance

the immune system and as such are thought to help fight off colon cancer.

However, I think one of the most wonderful benefits of eating

yogurt is the improvement in the quality of stool produced. (I have now

officially become my father. There was actually a time in my life when

stool quality never entered my consciousness.) At this point, everyone

aged 39 years and younger can laugh at me and skip ahead to the next

paragraph. But remember, years from now you will appreciate my commentary

on a good bowel movement.

As it turns out, there are many other purported benefits of

yogurt consumption and, even better, many types of yogurt. As for the

benefits, I’ve already given you my No. 1 (or is it my No. 2?). In

addition to the health benefits of the bugs in your gut, yogurt is also

high in calcium, which adds about 15%-25% of your daily calcium requirements

with each portion of yogurt.

Moreover, yogurt has been associated with other important

benefits. Some are scientifically proven in humans, but some only in

animals. Common sense allows us to extrapolate the human health benefits

of adding yogurt to our diet. Yogurt…

Improves digestion

and relieves bloating, especially in lactose-intolerant

people who enjoy milk products.

Is high in B-vitamins,

iodine, zinc, potassium, protein, and molybdenum – all micronutrients

associated with health.

Is associated with

lower blood pressure – this may be due to calcium,

micronutrients, or immune regulation.

Improves constipation

by helping to further digest foods in the gut.

Helps prevent cavities

and tooth decay, reducing levels of plaque by competing with disease-causing

bacteria.

Is associated with longevity,

perhaps due to its association with the Mediterranean diet and

lifestyle.

Helps build bone mass

by increasing calcium intake – this can help prevent osteoporosis.

May help with weight

loss. Women in France

swear by it for keeping the pounds off. The calcium content helps

burn fat, too.

For women, it helps

prevent yeast infections by restoring the normal flora in the

female tracts.

Improves bad breath by

lowering hydrogen sulphide levels in the mouth (the major cause of

bad breath).

Reduces reflux

disease by helping the body digest foods quickly and appropriately,

thus avoiding food remaining stationary within the gut or stomach.

Reduces inflammation

in the body. The mechanism is not fully delineated but is thought to

be connected to pathways involving interleukins, interferon, and IgE

molecules.

Lowers colon cancer

risk – probably by lowering amounts of nitrate and nitrites in

the gut.

Lowers cholesterol

by binding bile acids and cholesterol.

Once you are convinced of the benefits of yogurt, the next step

is to be sure to buy the right kind. Or you can always make your own, as

I sometimes do. There is a confusing array of yogurts in most stores, and

yet there are only two important things to remember when purchasing:

1. Live and active cultures

2. Plain yogurt

First, make sure the container verifies the yogurt has live and

active cultures. Don’t buy anything that has been heated or

pasteurized after the mixing of the culture. The second tip is to avoid

anything but plain yogurt. Avoid the yogurts with fruit, sugars,

fructose, and added fillers. Most of the stuff added is just empty and

slimy extra calories that make you think you’re eating healthy.

What you want is good old “PLAIN YOGURT.” There are

a few brands that make this. They are often found in the lowest part of

the dairy case in your grocery store, and it is not unusual for them to

only come in large containers. There are a couple of brands of PLAIN that

I can recommend: Dannon and Stonyfield Farms. Buy the large tub and stop

by the fruit section and purchase some fresh fruit: e.g., raspberries,

peaches, bananas, or blueberries. Also try dipping dark chocolate in

plain yogurt. Yummy! (You already know my thoughts on the health benefits

of chocolate.)

Over the years, many of my friends have tasted my homemade

yogurt prepared for a dinner party, a salad dressing, or my special and

spectacular desserts. It is actually quite simple to make yourself. I

first started doing it back in 1978 when I bought my first Salton yogurt

maker. The white glass jars that came with the kit are long gone, but the

blue plastic spoon/thermometer combination lives on in my kitchen utensil

drawer. Cooked to the right temperature, the yogurt cultures come

alive and transform the milk to a spectacularly delicious fresh flavor by

the next day. You can substitute this yogurt in almost any recipe that

calls for a thick white sauce, cream, or other dairy product.

When it comes to yogurt, what do I do?

1.

I keep a tub of PLAIN YOGURT in my fridge

at all times.

2.

When I feel a sore throat coming on…

perhaps three times a year… I gargle with yogurt for one or two

minutes, and I am almost guaranteed to be symptom-free by the next

morning.

3.

I eat my berries (and other fruit, too)

with yogurt whenever I can.

4.

If I take an antibiotic (once a year…

more on this in another piece) I will be sure to eat yogurt with it.

This helps restore your body’s natural bacteria, since the

antibiotic will destroy both the good and bad bugs in the gut.

5.

When eating Greek or Indian food, I always

ask for extra yogurt side condiments such as tzatziki sauce (Greek) and

raita (Indian).

6.

I AVOID frozen yogurt since it is high in

sugars and fructose corn syrups, which counter the yogurt’s

healthy benefits.

7.

But I do make my own frozen concoction with

plain yogurt, vanilla flavoring, and dark chocolate pieces. Mmm!

8.

Almost daily I will add a little bit of

yogurt to a glass of milk or soy milk with some protein powder for a

quick, simple, and healthy breakfast smoothie.

Here’s to our health,

Eifrig Jr., M.D., M.B.A.