FOODIE SPECIAL .....................GUIDE FOR YOGURT

GUIDE FOR YOGURT   Curdled milk provides tons of benefits. Dahi or its fermented sibling, yogurt, comprises tons of friendly, health-improving bacteria. But which one do you buy? Which dahi contains what benefits? Here is your ultimate go-to guide for yogurt... SPICE IT UP! Greek yogurt: A thicker, strained version of dahi, Greek yogurt is made by draining the liquid whey from curd, resulting in a protein-heavy offering. This kind of yogurt is packed with probiotics, B12, iodine, calcium, potassium, and is rich in amino acids. Sweeten it, spice it up, eat as a side dish or a mid-meal snack. It is one of the most versatile healthy foods on earth. CHUCK SUGAR, ADD HONEY Sweetened yogurt: Yogurt can finish off a meal like nothing else can. Sweetened yogurt has most of the add-on benefits of yogurt but it is very important to note that sweeteners can turn a relatively low-fat innocuous bowlful into a high-fat devil. The healthiest way to sweeten your yogurt is to simply mix chunks of fruit in the low-fat version or add a glob of honey to it.Don't blend, just gently fold the fruit in. Blended fruit smoothies -while also being nutritious -can pump your body with too much sugar at once, converting the unutilised sugar already stored in your body into fat. MISHTI DOI Homemade mishti doi is another sweet, relatively healthier way to have your doi. Somewhere in the alchemy between milk, caramelised sugar, dahi and an earthen pot lies a homecooked delicacy that can satisfy the most fickle of palates. Mishti doi is an excellent meal-ender that has no added fat and is also a good way to get spoonfuls of probicalcium and protein. KEFIR Kefir... is neither dahi yogurt but similar to drinkable probiotic yogurt. The reason it features on these pages is that it is fermented milk all the same and it's a gutbenefiting, life-enhancing drink, which works well to maintain your body's digestive ecosystem. It's also a source of minerals, vitamins and protein. GUT FEELS RIGHT Probiotic yogurts... or the little bottles of drinkable yogurt contain probiotic cultures that keep your gut, or intestinal tract, happy. And a happy gut is a far healthier you. Other drinkable yogurt options like packaged chaas are refreshing alternatives as well. Drinkable yogurts are good, portable fillers and are hydrating, cooling, healthy, nourishing and convenient. DAHI ON THE GO Homemade and packaged dahi: Both have their own fair share of probiotics. Packaged dahi uses a different culture and technique as opposed to the `jaman' used at home. Both have their advantages, the only difference is that if you're setting dahi at home, the consis tency -whether you like it set well or with whey -can be controlled to your liking. However, on-the-shelf dahi is convenient to carry around and you don't have to worry about the cli mate, because the stabilisers and the method of packag ing pretty much takes care of it: you just pick it up and get going. FROZEN CALORIES Frozen yogurt is healthier than the high-fat alternative: ice cream. But since the markets have been flooded with a variety of flavours, don't negate the relative low-cal benefits of fro-yo by adding too many toppings or flavours. by Pooja Makhija Consulting Nutritionist & Clinical Dietician TL12JUL15