Does the YOGURT DIET actually work?

The original Yogurt Diet is a health and weight loss program that was developed by nutritionist Ana Lugue. The basis of her diet is the fact that many common chronic diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity are caused largely by poor diets. She believes that an inadequate intake of nutrients and good bacteria rather than excess calories is more of a contributor to those chronic diseases. By consuming three servings of yogurt a day, Lugue says your body will get the nutrients and good bacteria needed to help you lose weight and keep it off.

Yogurt provides your body with calcium, protein, vitamins and probiotics. Probiotics are some of those healthy bacteria. Probiotics help bolster the bacteria that naturally found in your body and can help ward off harmful bacteria. They also help keep your body’s digestive system running smoothly.

Research has shown that adding three servings of yogurt to your daily diet can help boost fat and weight loss. Some yogurt diets focus on just eating yogurt alone and cutting out all other foods, but by following Lugue’s diet of adding three servings of yogurt to a low-fat, reduced calorie diet, you will be following the best yogurt diet available.

Start by eliminating all foods that could be causing harm to your body. These includes things like processed foods, sugar and refined carbs. Replace those foods with whole grains, fruits, vegetables and of course yogurt. Look for whole-milk yogurts, low-fat and plain. Avoid yogurts that have added sugars and flavors. Eat a 4 to 5 ounce serving of yogurt 3 to 4 times a days, either before or after a meal, or as one of your snacks. Combining yogurt with clean living will provide the needed nutrients your body needs to lose weight fast.

Greek yogurt is a great alternative to regular yogurt because of its high protein content and fat-free nature. Greek yogurt contains up to twice the amount of protein as regular yogurts, and because of its natural thick and creamy texture, no thickeners like gelatin are added – making it a natural satisfying snack. Besides enjoying it as yogurt, you can use Greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream in dips and in most baking recipes – reducing the amount of fat in the recipes and providing your body with extra nutrients.

If you hate plain yogurt – you can follow the fruit yogurt diet by adding fresh fruit to your yogurt. By adding fresh fruit such as peaches, strawberries and blueberries you get the added nutrients of the fruit, sweetening your yogurt naturally. Avoid buying yogurts that have sweeteners already added to them because those sweeteners usually contain high amounts of sugar – thus diminishing the healthy benefits of the yogurt itself and adding extra, empty calories to your body.

Following the yogurt diet by adding three servings of yogurt to your daily meals can help boost your weight loss and help you prevent chronic disease such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and gastrointestinal diseases. Besides being full of proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats, yogurt contains a high amount of probiotic bacteria, which is imperative for proper digestion and ultimate health.

You can purchase Luque’s book on Amazon for a complete explanation on how the yogurt diet can benefit your body and help you lose weight. The book does a great job of clearly explaining how the digestive system works and why bacterial balance is imperative for you body to function properly. The book also includes 5 weeks of delicious menus made from combinations of foods that will help you lose weight. The recipes also include 90 different dessert options that will replace your favorite junk foods and curb your sweet tooth, by using yogurt as an ingredient substitute.

If you follow the yogurt diet eating rules and implement a regular exercise routine into your daily habits, you will find that weight loss will become easier and your body will function properly – making you feel better. You will not only be able to lose weight, but can help your body build defenses against chronic diseases that are plaguing society.

-Chauntel Katricia H. Savellano-

source: http://creativebioscience.com/blog/does-the-yogurt-diet-actually-work/

FEBRUARY HEART month Tips

-Chauntel Katricia H. Savellano-

Healthy Tip of the Day

-Chauntel Katricia H. Savellano

Special Yogurt vs Stomach Ulcer Bacteria

Results of the first human clinical studies confirm that a new yogurt fights the bacteria that cause gastritis and stomach ulcers with what researchers describe as almost vaccine-like effects, scientists in Japan reported March 22 at the 237th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.


Researchers have long known that yogurt, a fermented milk product containing live bacteria, is a healthy source of calcium, protein, and other nutrients. Some brands of yogurt are now made with "probiotics" — certain types of bacteria — intended to improve health. The new yogurt represents a unique approach to fighting stomach ulcers, which affect 25 million people in the United States alone, and is part of a growing "functional food" market that now generates $60 billion in sales annually.
"With this new yogurt, people can now enjoy the taste of yogurt while preventing or eliminating the bacteria that cause stomach ulcers," says study coordinator Hajime Hatta, Ph.D., a chemist at Kyoto Women's University in Kyoto, Japan.

The new yogurt is already on store shelves in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The study opens the door to possible arrival of the product in the U.S., the researchers suggest.

A type of bacteria called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) or over-use of aspirin and or other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, causes most stomach ulcers. H. pylori ulcers can be effectively treated and eliminated with antibiotics and acid suppressants. However, that simple regimen is unavailable to millions of poverty-stricken people in developing countries who are infected with H. pylori. New research also links childhood H. pylori infection to malnutrition, growth impairment and other health problems. As a result, scientists have been seeking more economical and convenient ways of dealing with these bacteria.

In the new study, Hatta and colleagues point out that H. pylori seems to rely on a protein called urease to attach to and infect the stomach lining. In an effort thwart that protein, or antigen, Hatta turned to classic vaccine-making technology. They injected chickens with urease and allowed the chickens' immune systems to produce an antibody to the protein. The researchers then harvested the antibody, called IgY-urease, from chicken eggs. Hatta and colleagues theorized that yogurt containing the antibody may help prevent the bacteria from adhering to the stomach lining.

To test their theory, the scientists recruited 42 people who tested positive for H. pylori. The volunteers consumed two cups daily of either plain yogurt or yogurt containing the antibody for four weeks. Levels of urea, a byproduct of urease, decreased significantly in the antibody group when compared with the control group, indicating reduced bacterial activity, the researchers say.

"The results indicate that the suppression of H. pylori infection in humans could be achieved by drinking yogurt fortified with urease antibody," Hatta states. The antibody was eventually destroyed by stomach acid, but not before having its beneficial effect.

Although the yogurt appears less effective than antibiotics for reducing levels of H. pylori, it is a lot easier to take than medicine and can be eaten daily as part of regular dietary routine, Hatta says. The antibody does not affect the yogurt's overall taste and does not cause any apparent adverse side effects, he notes.

But anti-ulcer yogurt is not for everyone, Hatta cautions. He notes that people who are allergic to milk or eggs should avoid the product. Although the yogurt contains egg yolk, which tends to have lower allergen levels than egg white, an allergy risk still exists, he adds.
Pharma Food International Company, Ltd. a Japanese firm that does research and development on the functional food ingredients, including the anti-ulcer yogurt, provided partial funding for the study.

Reference:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090322154405.htm

-Katrina A. Tan