March/April 2009
Optimum Wellness Magazine
Online Edition
Editor’s Letter
Spring is in the air. After the vernal equinox, which is marked by equal hours of daylight and darkness, the days become longer. It is a time of moving toward growth and coming out of hibernation; time to prepare our garden, literally and metaphorically. For me, the metaphor of spring “showers” symbolizes my dreams, desires, goals, and intentions. I think about the power of planting seeds and designing my life landscape. With the power of thinking, we plant seeds, grow our missions, and harvest the health, joy, abundance, vitality, and love that we are here to know and to show.
Planting thoughts of peace, energy, and well-being is our choice. It is important to do this with the same kind of faith that we would have if we were to plant the seeds of a particular flower, anticipating the blooms that we expect to see in the future.
Thinking well, and actively choosing a healthful diet, mindful and inspiring exercise, and rejuvenating rest and relaxation, is much like watering the seeds of awareness to positively grow our confidence. Keeping an active, compassionate, and steadfast watch over our thoughts and daily choices is essential fo keeping unwanted and unhealthy patterns or other unnecessary “stuff” from growing in your life’s garden.
This spring I invite you to plant some new seeds; reinvent yourself. Begin by experimenting with one or all of the nutrient-packed power foods featured in “south American Superfoods”. Try not to be intimidated. I know quinoa sounds unusual, but it has become one of my favorite grains, and I love how easy it is to prepare! I might consider adding yogurt to that list of superfoods: as you’ll learn in our feature on yogurt, it may offer some very worthwhile healthy benefits. I know I have become somewhat “addicted” to a few of the Greek-style yogurts. I especially love their high-protein, low-fat, low-sugar nutritional profile. “Bake Sale Beauties” offers some fun and tasty ways for htose with a dietary challenges to participate in this timeless tradition. Treat yourself to a fresh and flavorful beauty regimen beginning with our kitchen tale beauty favorites.
Wishing for you a glorious spring, a blessed Easter and/or Passover, and an abundant garden of health, joy, abundance, and love.
Yogurt and Our Health
Yogurt has long been a dietary staple in Europe, the Middle East, and areas of Asia. It took a little longer to get to the States and wasn’t widely obtainable until the 1940′s. Yogurt gained popularity in the 1970′s with the health food craze that swept the nation and now it is readily available in most supermarkets and even convenience stores. Unfortunately, many of these yogurts have become “tainted” by artificial flavors, sweeteners, additives, and colorings. Truly natural yogurts contain few additives and are fermented by lactic acid bacterium (LAB), usually Lactobacillus bulgaricus and/or Streptococcus thermophilus, which curdle milk (cow’s milk, goat’s milk or even soy milk), causing the milk sugar (lactose) to turn into lactic acid. Many yogurts also contain cultures of probiotics (microorganisms containing beneficial or “friendly” bacteria). Not all LAB are probiotics. Meaning, some bacteria never make it to the small intestine because they do not survive the acid in the stomach. Most probiotic activity takes place in the small intestine.
People usually eat yogurt because it tastes good but a promising amount of scientific research suggests that eating yogurt may help prevent or improve many health issues. As an overall “health food” yogurt and probiotics may have a beneficial effect on the immune system. Yogurt may help restore intestinal balance and improve gastrointestinal (GI) conditions like constipation, diarrhea, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel diseases, gas and bloating, Helicobacter pylori infection (the main cause of gastric ulcers), lactose intolerance, allergies, obesity, and yeast infections. Most of these benefits have been attributed to the live cultures (probiotics) and enzymes that yogurt introduces into the digestive tract.
Yogurt is a great source of riboflavin, vitamin B12, calcium and zinc and also contains selenium, potassium and magnesium. Organic yogurts come from milk certified to be free of any antibiotic or hormone residues. But just because a yogurt reads “organic” does not mean it contains beneficial bacteria. Try to avoid the yogurts that contain food coloring and other unnatural additives. If it is bright green, it isn’t natural and your kids don’t need the artificial coloring. There are plenty of natural choices to be had and yogurt is widely available. Often people who are sensitive to dairy or “lactose intolerant” can eat yogurt that contains live cultures because it helps to digest the lactose that may be present. Most lactose in yogurt has been transformed into lactic acid.
When purchasing yogurt, read the label to make sure you are getting a product made with active bacterial cultures and probiotics such as Lactobacillis acidophilus, Lactobacillis casei and/or Bifidobacterium. In fact in writing this article I pulled an organic yogurt from the refrigerator and noticed that the ingredient list did not include even one LAB! The label should state that the product contains live cultures since the beneficial bacteria may be killed off if the yogurt is pasteurized after it has been fermented.
Plain yogurt is the best way to buy yogurt since it is so much lower in sugar. It is easy to add your own flavoring in the form of fresh fruit or preserves to lend zest and versatility to your yogurt. You can also use yogurt in place of sour cream or mayonnaise in many dishes and it can be used in baking, desserts, smoothies, dressings, and dips.
March 1, 2009
by Optimum WellnessComments
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