Chances are your family loves yogurt. It seems that most households keep at least a few of those little containers in their fridge for a quick snack, lunch or dessert. Well, did you know that you can make your own yogurt for just a fraction of the cost, and it’s SO much healthier?!
Store bought yogurt is certainly convenient and easy to just pick up as you walk through the grocery store. But have you ever looked at the label to see what has been added? The most familiar and popular brands have ingredients added that you may not want. Pectin, sugar, artificial flavors and “exclusive probiotic cultures” are typical on the ingredient label of the big name yogurts. One company even admits to using carmine to give its fruit “flavored” yogurt its pink color. Don’t know about carmine? Well it’s a dye extracted from cochineal insects, beetle type bugs that are native to Mexico. I don’t want bugs in my food if I can avoid them!
Homemade yogurt on the other hand has just what you put in it. Milk, a starter culture, and that’s it until you add toppings. Homemade yogurt is just milk that has been fermented by strains of lactic acid producing bacteria. While many diets consider dairy to be an “iffy” item, yogurt is on the good list because of the beneficial supply of natural probiotics and enzymes, necessary for proper digestion and digestive tract function. The good bacteria found in yogurt may help make you feel fuller, may aid in calcium intake, and may help kill off certain types of infection. While I am certainly no medical expert (you can talk to yours if you want professional advice!), I know that our family feels better when they eat the yogurt I make. There are several ways to make your own yogurt- here’s how I do it:
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| Yogotherm yogurt maker |
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