Lifestyle Choices

There are many ways to incorporate yogurt and its health benefits into your diet. You can, of course, simply eat the yogurt plain. To increase the benefits of yogurt, mix in the contents of two capsules of acidophilus powder before consuming it. You can also add yogurt to fruit snacks. For a refreshing, healing beverage, replace ice cream shakes with mashed bananas and fresh berries blended into yogurt. Children love it!

To reduce calories and fat in salad dressings, potato salad, bean salad, cole slaw, pasta salads, tuna salad, and sandwich spreads, substitute a mixture of equal parts plain yogurt and soy mayonnaise for regular mayonnaise. Plain yogurt makes a good substitute in recipes calling for sour cream and is great on baked potatoes. Yogurt also can be substituted for buttermilk in waffles, pancakes, breads, muffins, biscuits, and in many other dishes. Experiment and try your own recipes. You should not substitute yogurt in cake mixes without adjusting the amount of leavening.

NONDAIRY YOGURT

Of special interest to Vegas and people who are allergic to dairy products, yogurts made from soymilk are getting better all the time. Silk Cultured Soy, made by White Wave, is the tastiest and creamiest nondairy yogurt I have found. The product is sweetened with juices and comes in a variety of flavors.

MAKING YOGURT AT HOME-IT’S EASY, INEXPENSIVE, AND TASTES BETTER!

The benefits of homemade yogurt are numerous. It aids in neutralizing uric acid in the body and helps to prevent and combat digestive tract infections. Live yogurt cultures flourish in the digestive tract and have a natural antibiotic effect.

Fresh homemade yogurt contains bulgaricus and they-MPhil’s cultures in high amounts. It has a smooth taste and a mild, nontangy flavor. All you will need is a yogurt maker, milk, and yogurt starter. Follow the directions that come with your yogurt maker. If you use skim milk, low-fat milk, or nonfat milk, the resulting yogurt should have a soft consistency. If the yogurt is too soft, add powdered nonfat dry milk directly to the fluid milk before heating it. Use 1/4 to 1/2 cup of powder per quart of milk. This will make your yogurt thicker and creamier. The longer the yogurt remains in the machine, the firmer and more tart it will become. The curd and they may eventually separate.

Make sure to get yogurt starter that is fresh, with expiration date months ahead. The freeze-dried yogurt starter Yogourmet, available in health food stores, makes a good, firm yogurt. You can also use commercial yogurt as starter, but make sure that the product contains live cultures and has not been entirely pasteurized to prolong its shelf life. Only unpasteurized, unflavored yogurt contains live cultures.

Following are some yogurt-making do’s and don’ts and other tips:

• Do not heat the milk for too long or on too high a temperature. This will produce a poor-quality yogurt.
• Never use an electric mixer. If the yogurt turns out too liquid because the culture used was not strong enough or there were antibiotics in the milk, try using this liquid yogurt in dressings or fruit drinks-or simply drink it as is.
• Most health food stores carry yogurt thermometers, needed for accurate temperature control, as well as automatic yogurt makers. (Many yogurt makers come with their own thermometers.) Compared to purchasing yogurt, investing $25 to $35 in an automatic yogurt maker can save a great deal of money over the years.
• When you are ready to place the yogurt in jars, fill them to the rim before refrigerating. If there is no room for excess air, the yogurt can be preserved for a longer period of time.
• For a thicker and smoother texture, strain the yogurt through a white cotton cloth before refrigerating it. Don’t waste the strained-off liquid-drink it. This is whey, and it contains live cultures.
• If there is a watery substance on the top of your yogurt after refrigeration, you can either mix it in or pour it off before eating the yogurt.
• If you want to flavor your yogurt, do so after it has been refrigerated for several hours or right before eating it.
• Always save 4 tablespoons of plain yogurt to make the next batch. Yogurt takes eight to ten hours to develop with yogurt culture, but only three to five hours using fresh yogurt from the last batch.
• If you would like to try making yogurt without a specially designed yogurt maker, that is a relatively simple process also, though not as easily managed without the special equipment, of course. Some of Homemade Yogurt Recipes:

1. HOMEMADE YOGURT
2. Low-FAT MIRACLE SPREAD
3. YOGURT DRESSING
4. YOGURT AVOCADO DRESSING
5. YOGURT CREAM CHEESE
6. FLAVORING YOGURT
7. YOGURT CHEESE
8. COLD CUCUMBER SOUP

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