yougurt a

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I do not know if this is a good article or what. You check it out and

teach us.

Thanks

Norma

Why Fermented Milk Products are different. . .

For many of us, starting on the low-carb path has meant being a label

reader

and always, always looking to the carb counts. If you were a person that

enjoyed a dish of yogurt or a glass of buttermilk, you might have

assumed you

can no longer have them -- at least in any real quantity -- since their

labels show them to be high in carbs. But as you'll see when you read

on, you

can't always trust the label to give you the entire story. Doctors Jack

Goldberg, and O'Mara explain in their book The GO-Diet, there's an

exception here that works to your advantage. With proper credit to them,

here's the skinny:

There has been a lot of press in the recent years about yeast overgrowth

and

its effects on your health and well being. There is some reason to

believe

that high carbohydrate diets and the overuse of some drugs, like

antibiotics,

may promote abnormal yeast overgrowth in and on the body. One natural

way to

combat this problem is to use an ancient remedy that is natural and well

tolerated by anyone. This remedy is to restore healthy bacteria to your

body

in the form of cultured milk products such as kefir, yogurt, and

buttermilk.

A bacterium called " lactobacillus " is a very important conditioner of

the

human gastrointestinal tract. You can take pills, but again, we feel it

is

better to use natural sources. It is much more delicious to take your

bacteria in live culture kefir, yogurt, or buttermilk. Any of these

three

products can, and SHOULD, be used as part of your daily diet. Of the

three

choices, kefir may have even additional benefits because of the other

" good "

microorganisms it contains. Kefir is made from cultures containing a

specific

mixture of bacteria and " friendly " yeasts that are obtained from the

kefir

grain. There are currently research projects being undertaken in the

United

States to assess whether there are additional benefits to kefir. There

are

patents on anticancer substances extracted from kefir grains. This

product

has been widely used in western Europe, having originated several

centuries

ago.

Recent research has shown that among its many good qualities, these

bacteria

also stimulate the body to produce important immune response chemicals

called

" cytokines " . These molecules include interferons and tumor necrosis

factor

and therefore might improve our resistance to disease. They also form a

great

deal of bulk for the formation of well-formed, non-constipating stools.

Even

lactose-intolerant individuals can tolerate kefir, yogurt and

buttermilk.

That is because the lactose in the milk used to make these products has

been

digested by the " good " lactobacillus. For example, the actual lactose

left in

kefir made by a national manufacturer is 1% or less. IN THIS CASE ONLY,

AND

WITH THESE FOODS ONLY, don't count the carbohydrate on the package

labels.

Why not?

The problem with the stated carbohydrate content on the packages of

fermented

food products arises because the government makes manufacturers count

the

carbohydrates of food " by difference " . That means they measure

everything

else including water and ash and fats and proteins. Then " by

difference, "

they assume everything else is carbohydrate. This works quite well for

most

foods including milk. However, to make yogurt, buttermilk and kefir, the

milk

is inoculated with the lactic acid bacteria. These bacteria use up

almost all

the milk sugar called " lactose " and convert it into lactic acid. It is

this

lactic acid which curds the milk and gives the taste to the product.

Since

these bacteria have " eaten " most of the milk sugar by the time you buy

it (or

make it yourself.) At the time you eat it, how can there be much

carbohydrate

left? It is the lactic acid which is counted as carbohydrate. Therefore,

you

can eat up to a half cup of plain yogurt, buttermilk, or kefir and only

count

2 grams of carbohydrates (Dr. Goldberg has measured this in his own

laboratory.) One cup will contain about 4 grams of carbohydrates. Daily

consumption colonizes the intestine with these bacteria to handle small

amounts of lactose in yogurt (or even sugar-free ice cream later.)

When you go to buy ready-made kefir and yogurt, look for plain,

unsweetened

or artificially sweetened varieties. [Note: Blue Bunny now makes a

Splenda-sweetened version of their yogurts that are delicious! See our

review

of them 3/6/2001.] Don't be afraid of plain, unsweetened varieties. This

is

how kefir and yogurt have traditionally been used. You may find that

" plain "

tastes best of all. Or, you can add your own no-calorie sweeteners and

flavorings (or berries or nuts and seeds). It may be better if the

product is

" bovine growth hormone free " although this is still controversial. Does

it

matter if it's " nonfat " , " low fat " or " original, normal fat " ? No. This

will

affect the texture a bit, but on this diet, you can eat any fat content

product. Your preference rules here. We prefer the " mouth feel " of the

whole

milk varieties. Try them all and decide for yourself. You should also

get a

little gutsy now and try cheeses made from kefir and yogurt. These

products

are available ready made or you can make them yourself. Aim for at least

8

ounces of kefir, yogurt, or buttermilk daily.

Yogurt is a great health food and is enjoyed by just about everyone. The

cultures found in yogurt such as Acidophilus are beneficial to the

digestive

system. For example, Acidophilus, which is primarily found in the small

intestine, produces Lactase which is the enzyme that digests milk

sugars.

Bifidobacterium is another beneficial bacteria found primarily in the

large

intestine and these bacteria produce B-vitamins such as B1, B6 and B12

as

well as folic acid and some amino acids. Eating yogurt will help

maintain

healthy levels of beneficial bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract.

Kefir is one of the oldest cultured milks. It has a bubbly effervescence

and

no bitter aftertaste. It is a fermented milk and contains a mixture of

several species of lactic cultures. Kefir milk helps restore the

intestinal

flora and may help with digestive troubles because of its easy

digestion. It

is predigested due to the fermentation process and is tolerable for

those

people that are lactose intolerant.

source: http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/yogurt.html