yogurt

[anthrax]

I am not a woman but I eat and LOVE yogurts
Good for its calcium (see above) and its probiotics

A new study suggests that eating three daily servings of dairy products is an easy way to help build stronger bones and better bodies.

In the study, which appears in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers examined the dietary intakes of 29 postmenopausal women with typically low calcium intakes. Half of them consumed three servings of fruit-flavored yogurt and the other half consumed three servings of a jelled snack for seven to 11 days.

The results showed that the women who ate the yogurt snack three times a day significantly increased their intake of calcium and other nutrients and decreased the rate of bone breakdown. The added nutrients in yogurt, such as calcium, protein and riboflavin, improved overall diet quality and displaced less nutritious foods. Additionally, the study notes that the women found the yogurt very satisfying, felt an increased sense of fullness and ate less of other foods.

 

[makedah]

Heaney, R.P. et al. Effect of yogurt on a urinary marker of bone resorption in postmenopausal women. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2002; 102: 1672-1673.

just for more info, here's the abstract from Medline

Adding three servings of yogurt to the daily diet of older women with habitually low calcium intakes resulted in a significant reduction in urinary excretion of N-telepeptide, a marker for bone resorption. Results were compared to the effects of three servings of a nutrition-poor snack and differences were apparent 7-10 days of starting the diet change. The satiety effect of the snacks resulted in a decrease in intake of other foods. The added nutrients of the yogurt improved overall diet quality substantially, while diet quality declined with the nutrient-poor snack. The results show that diets low in dairy intake are often marginal for several nutrients and that, so far as calcium is concerned, bone makes up for what the diet lacks. Moreover, bone resorption responds rapidly and sensitively to improvements in calcium intake that are readily achievable by an older female population.


If folks like yogurt, that's their business. Eat up! I like Dannon Whips! from time to time as a snack. But I don't think dairy is necessary for a healthful diet. [edited to clarify my position]

Be aware that the guy who headed this study (well, his name is listed first in the citation), is cheek-to-jowl with the National Dairy Council, which is the marketing arm of the U.S. dairy industry. Heaney's done tons of studies to show that milk does a body good, and his phone # is listed on several NDC pages in case journalists need some yummy quotes about the necessity and goodness of dairy products. Now, I know that scientists often need corporate funding for their research - I don't think Heaney's dairy ties mean that he's a bad scientist (in fact, I don't know the extent of those ties - but he does seem to do a lot of studies that get funded/endorsed by the NDC). I just think that it's important to know who's footing the bill for such studies and to think about what that might mean.

I've NEVER seen, quoted in the American press, a study about the health benefits of dairy that WASN'T funded in part by the Dairy Council. That makes me wonder...

 

[cccp]

boo - ya!! I love yogurt!!!!!

 

[Puddles]

I love yogurt but yogurt doesn't love me.

 

[JJFigure]

One of my snacks has been Dannon light vanilla yogurt and cottage cheese with some cinnamon. It's actually pretty good. Of course, as soon as I start my contest prep, that one's out the window, but it's nice to be able to dairy right now.

 

[Fyre]

I mix cottage cheese and yogurt too! Some people look at you weird when you tell them that...hehehe....i love it and i add lots of cinnamon to it too. When was your avatar pic taken JJ, your abs look smokin'!

 

[JJFigure]

Thanks Fyre! It was taken the weekend before WFF Worlds - beginning of December. I'm about two weeks out from my next diet cycle, so I thought I'd keep a little reminder around to keep me motivated. Every little bit helps.

 

[takniteasy]

JJ, I use that idea too! I have a photo taken 2 years ago, and I find it hard to believe it is me in the pic. So I printed it up and keep it on the visor in my car to remind me everyday of my goal, to once again look like I did in that pic! It is better motivation than trying to achieve someone else's look.

 

[Surgical]

I like to throw in a ton of toasted wheat germ into my yogurt. It's the best!!!