Yay for Yogurt! Why it Rocks and 6 Fun Ways to Eat it!

So apparently I am a "healthcare professional" at least according to Dannon who sent me this promotional packet. Haha!  Well sorry Dannon, I do not have an office to display your materials in or clients to pass out your coupons to..but I did enjoy looking over the information you sent.

"The USDA recommends 3 servings of dairy every day. Make yogurt one of them!" is the main idea they wanted to express. They [Dannon] feel that consuming one serving of yogurt a day can promote a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.  I have been eating yogurt daily as either breakfast or a snack for years and I couldn't agree more!

Nutrient-dense yogurt contains calcium, vitamin D, the B vitamins, and potassium.  Choosing yogurt as one of your recommended 3 servings of dairy per day can provide up to 30% of the RDA for calcium and 6-14% of the RDA for potassium in most individuals.  Yogurt, especially Greek yogurt which is my current fave, is also a good source of protein.  And the ultimate selling point, yogurt has all of this good stuff in it while being low in saturated fat and sodium (The Dannon Company, 2014).

So what does all this nutritional value contribute to our health?  Studies have been linking regular yogurt consumption to healthy weight management, blood pressure control, and blood glucose regulation.  Yogurt is even suggested as an ideal way for lactose intolerant individuals to meet their dairy requirements since it is easier to digest than milk (The Dannon Company, 2014).

I used to buy all those cute little tubs of yogurt that come in so many different styles and flavor combinations.  I still do from time to time, I love me some key lime yogurt!  Though recently I have been opting for the larger containers of plain or vanilla yogurt and coming up with creative ways of working them into my diet like...

Vanilla Yogurt:

• Making my own yogurt cups by adding some of my favorite ingredients like berries, apples and cinnamon, granola, dried cranberries, raisins, chocolate chips, shredded coconut, pistachios, or almonds.  

• Blending a spoonful or two into my morning smoothies.

•  As a topping for desserts in place of whipped cream or ice cream, like in this "Healthified Apple Crisp ala Mode" recipe!

• As a dip for apple slices or other fresh fruit when spiced up with a dash of cinnamon.

Plain Yogurt:

• As a substitute for mayo when making tuna, chicken, or pasta salads.  I love this one because I absolutely hate mayo and its a much healthier alternative anyways!

• Combined with fresh cilantro and lime, or one of my frozen cilantro cubes, to accompany quesadillas, tacos, burritos, nachos or chips and salsa.

The Dannon Company. (2014). One yogurt every day [promotional materials].  Darien, CT: The Dannon Company, Inc.

The Dannon Company. (2014).  One yogurt every day.  Retrieved from http://www.oneyogurteveryday.com/

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