Winter season is here and with change in season, it becomes imperative to take care of our health to avoid catching cold or flu. It's the time when you pay attention to your immunity and lifestyle habits. One of the easiest ways to ensure strong immunity is to watch your diet. Including some foods in your diet may help you boost your immunity levels to a great extent. One such food item that can play a crucial role in improving your immunity this winter season is yogurt. According to the book 'Healing Foods' by DK Publishing House, "The human intestines contain around 400 different species of bacteria, good or bad. Live yogurt, which is colonised by or cultured with certain types of 'good' bacteria, can help keep things in balance; good bacteria helps to turn organic acids into glucose, lowers cholesterol, helps metabolise nutrients, breaks down the enzymes, proteins and fibres in food, and helps kick-start the immune system."
Probiotics in yogurt have a general immunity-boosting effect and inhibit a range of pathogenic bacteria and yeasts in the gut. Probiotics are also known to show potential in preventing allergies such as eczema, particularly in children. In older or immune-compromised people, live yogurt may help increase resistance to bacterial and viral diseases.
In order to make the most of yogurt, look for products that state specifically that yogurt is 'live' or 'probiotic'. Avoid yogurts with artificial colours, flavours, thickeners and sweeteners. Buy good quality organic, plain, live yogurt and add your own ingredients. You can also try various alternatives. Sheep- and goat-milk yogurts may be easier for some to digest than cow-milk yogurts. Sheep milk is richer in fat and is a particularly creamy alternative.
So, this winter season, eat a bowlful of yogurt and give your immunity a healthy boost.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
10 Reasons Why You Should Have Plain Yogurt Daily 5 Greek Yogurt Dessert Recipes That Will Turn You Into The Biggest Yogurt Fan Ditch Heavy, Sugar-Laden Desserts For Healthy Fruit Yogurts. You'll Love Them At Olympics Opening Ceremony, Drag Parody Of 'The Last Supper' Draws Flak Centre Fact-Checks Mamata Banerjee's Mic-Off Claim, She Hits Back Children Of Indian-Americans Face Deportation As Time Runs Out "Goa Would Have Collapsed Had The Congress Rule Continued": Kiren Rijiju Trump Vows To Hold Rallies With More Security Despite Assassination Attempt Fake Billing Scam Worth Thousands Of Crores Unearthed: Punjab Minister Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.