Does Yogurt Have Vitamin D

October 17, 2021

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Putting It All Together

Natural Sources Of Vitamin D | RSMS

For this Blueberry Compote Yogurt Parfait recipe, I made a blueberry compote. For compote whole pieces of fruit are cooked down in sugar syrup without any additional thickeners . Unlike jam, in which the fruit matter is broken up into a more spreadable form, the fruit in compote is left whole. This Food & Wine article does an excellent job breaking down the difference between compote, jam, marmalade, and others.

After making the compote, I layered Greek yogurt on the bottom then compote and granola and drizzled honey on top. Other toppings and mix-ins that you could add would be peaches, mint, and nuts. Its a simple breakfast to make when short on time or just want to start your day off right!

1 lb. fresh or frozen blueberries
4 tbsp fresh orange juice
4 tbsp chia seeds
Optional: peaches, mint, honey or agave, nuts

What Is Yogurt And How Is It Made

Yogurt is a popular dairy product thats made by the bacterial fermentation of milk.

The bacteria used to make yogurt are called yogurt cultures, which ferment lactose, the natural sugar found in milk.

This process produces lactic acid, a substance that causes milk proteins to curdle, giving yogurt its unique flavor and texture.

Yogurt can be made from all types of milk. Varieties made from skim milk are considered fat-free, whereas those made from whole milk are considered full-fat.

Plain yogurt without added colorants is a white, thick liquid with a tangy flavor.

Unfortunately, most commercial brands contain added ingredients, such as sugar and artificial flavors. These yogurts are not good for your health.

On the other hand, plain, unsweetened yogurt offers many health benefits.

So without further ado, here are 7 science-based health benefits of natural yogurt.

But They’re Only In New York And Texas

Unfortunately, only two states allow the public to try their creative creations. In New York City, you have the option of going to the first cafe location in SoHo or the vendor located in the Target in the TriBeCa neighborhood. Alternatively, you can head to Tomball, Texas to check out Chobani’s newest cafe location in The Woodlands’ Wal-Mart. If you’re looking to enjoy Chobani yogurt straight away, check out our top picks on our list of best yogurts for weight loss.

Eat This, Not That!

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Traditional Or Regular Yogurt:

This was the mainstay until Greek yogurts popularity started to take off about 10 years ago. Today its challenging to find regular yogurt thats not loaded with added sugars, unless you choose plain yogurt, which is a good source of protein and is higher in calcium than Greek yogurt. Most regular, plain yogurt is only available in 32 oz. tubs , so having re-useable containers is a must if youre taking your yogurt on the go. Here are a few examples that provide at least 7 grams of protein and at least 25% DV for calcium in a 6 ounce serving.

HEALTHY REGULAR YOGURT

Just like with Greek yogurt, if plain yogurt isnt your thing, look for vanilla yogurt and check the label for a brand with the least amount of added sugar. Keep in mind there will be naturally occurring sugar so pay closest attention to the added sugar on the Nutrition Facts label. Other options are to add a bit of honey or add cinnamon and fresh fruit to the plain yogurt to give it some sweetness without adding a lot of sugar.

Coconut Yogurt Versus Other Yogurts

The regular yogurt you’ll usually find in a supermarket is typically made from cow’s milk. However, this fermented product can be made from virtually any animal’s milk. Other popular animal-based yogurts are made from the milk of goats, sheep, camels, yaks and buffaloes.

More often than not, commercial yogurt products are sweetened and full of additives. You should always try to avoid sweetened yogurts, as they are typically unhealthy. Greek yogurt is known as one of the healthiest types of animal milk-based yogurts you can find in supermarkets. In 100 grams of Greek yogurt, you can find:

8 percent of the DV for calcium
11 percent of the DV for phosphorus
5 percent of the DV for zinc
18 percent of the DV for selenium
21 percent of the DV for vitamin B2
7 percent of the DV for vitamin B5
31 percent of the DV for vitamin B12

Greek yogurt has 9 grams of protein and 4 grams of carbohydrates, none of which come from fiber. It also has 5 grams of fat, half of which come from saturated fat. This means that its amount of saturated fat is actually similar to that of coconut yogurt. The average unsweetened yogurt, such as Greek yogurt, has less carbohydrate and more nutrients than the equivalent commercially produced coconut yogurt product. This makes it better at reducing blood glucose compared to plant-based products.

However, coconut yogurt is comparable to other plant-based yogurts such as soy yogurt. One hundred grams of unsweetened soy yogurt has:

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Nutritional Benefits Of Coconut Yogurt

Coconut yogurt is typically made from coconut milk , starch and live cultures. You can easily find unsweetened and sweetened versions of this product, as well as flavored types. Many supermarket products are fortified with additional vitamins, like B-complex vitamins and vitamin D.

In 100 grams of coconut yogurt, like So Delicious Coconut Non Dairy Greek Yogurt, you can find:

21 percent of the daily value for calcium
21 percent of the DV for magnesium
21 percent of the DV for vitamin B12
18 percent of the DV for vitamin D

A 100-gram serving of coconut yogurt has 1.2 grams of protein and 2.9 grams of fat, the majority of which is saturated fat. It also contains 12.9 grams of carbohydrates, 5.3 grams of which are fiber.

Commercially produced coconut yogurt doesn’t contain that many nutrients compared to other coconut-based products, like coconut milk or cream. Homemade coconut yogurt is therefore more likely to have a richer nutrient content.

Cultured coconut yogurt has health benefits, as it’s a probiotic-rich food packed with good bacteria that can support your digestive system. The bacteria in coconut yogurt are usually Lactobacillus bacteria, like Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Other healthy bacteria, like Bifidobacterium bifidum and Streptococcus thermophilus, are also often present.

Cereal Can Be Fortified With Vitamin D And Oatmeal Offers Fiber

A packet of unsweetened, fortified oatmeal can add a solid dose of vitamin D to your diet. Ready-to-eat fortified cereal typically gives you 40 IU of vitamin D per serving, per the NIH, but it may provide more if you choose a more heavily fortified cereal, like Raisin Bran, which has 60.2 IU per cup, notes the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Fortified cereal can be a solid base for a nutrient-rich, high-fiber meal especially if you add fortified low-fat or fat-free milk to your bowl for an extra 60 IU per half cup. Or you can be more adventurous and make a breakfast cookie that includes both fortified cereal and vitamin Dfortified margarine.

Also Check: What Food Has Calcium And Vitamin D

People At Risk Of A Vitamin D Deficiency

Breastfed Infants Who are Not in the Sun – The amount of vitamin D in breast milk depends on the amount of vitamin D in the mother. However, breast-milk typically does not contain adequate amounts of vitamin D. Be sure infants get some exposure to the sun to ensure adequate levels of vitamin D.
Older Adults – As skin ages it is less and less able to make vitamin D from the sun, so vitamin D has to be attained from foods or supplements.
People With Little Sun Exposure on the Skin – Wearing sunscreen, or lots of clothing, hampers the production of vitamin D from the sun.
People with Darker Skin – Melanin, a pigment found in skin, reduces the body’s ability to manufacture vitamin D from the sun.
People who have Problems Absorbing Fat – Vitamin D is fat soluble, which means it is found in fats, and your body has to be able to digest fats in order for you to absorb the vitamin D.
People Taking Certain Medications
Steroid Corticosteroid medications used to alleviate inflammation can reduce calcium absorption and impair vitamin D metabolism.
Weight-loss drugs with orlistat as well as cholesterol-lowering drugs with cholestyramine can reduce the absorption of vitamin D and other fat-soluble vitamins.
Medicines used to treat epileptic seizures, particularly phenobarbital and phenytoin, interfere with Vitamin D and reduces calcium absorption.

Each Container Is Made With Live Probiotics

How much Vitamin D do you need in one day

Contrary to what you might think, not all yogurts will provide you with gut-healthy probioticsthe live bacteria that scientists believe may play a role in lowering your incidence of obesity and levels of inflammation. That’s because some products are heat-treated after fermentation, which will kill most of the beneficial active cultures. As you’ll see on Chobani’s label, their Greek yogurt is made with five “live and active cultures.” Three of them have been found to be probiotic strains: L. Bulgaricus, L. Acidophilus, and Bifidus the other two strains listed, S. Thermophilus and L. Casei, are known as active cultures.

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What Does The Research Show

The authors searched the medical literature and found 9 studies that looked at the health benefits of eating 1 or 2 pots of vitamin D-fortified yogurt every day compared with unfortified yogurt.

Overall, the studies showed that blood levels of vitamin D increased in people eating vitamin D-fortified yogurt. Compared with the unfortified yogurt group, people who ate vitamin D-fortified yogurt lost more weight and had healthier levels of fats in their blood. They also appeared to have better blood glucose control, suggesting that fortified yogurt might be associated with reducing the risk of diabetes.

Tuna Swordfish And Salmon Are All Good Sources Of Vitamin D

Are you getting enough vitamin D in your diet? This nutrient is important for growing healthy cells, keeping your immune system humming to ward off illness, and aiding in calcium absorption so your bones stay strong. It also helps prevent the bone disease rickets in children, and with calcium, the so-called Sunshine Vitamin can help guard against osteoporosis in older adults, the National Institutes of Health notes.

Vitamin D is produced in your body when the suns ultraviolet rays hit your skin, and the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D is 600 international units , which is 15 micrograms for most adults, according to the NIH. For those older than 80, the RDA is 800 IU .

Yet most people dont get enough vitamin D via sunlight, nor is food a good source of the nutrient, says Lori Zanini, RD, a Los Angelesbased dietitian.

People typically dont exceed 288 IU per day from diet alone. Even if you drink milk fortified with vitamin D, 8 fluid ounces has only 100 IU one-sixth the amount that you need daily. No wonder 41.6 percent of Americans have a vitamin D deficiency, per a study. A vitamin D deficiency means you have 20nanograms per milliliter or less of the nutrient in your blood. If you are nonwhite, obese, or do not have a college education, you may be at greater risk for being vitamin D deficient. Your healthcare provider can test your blood to find out for sure.

What Is Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin produced by our body when our skin is exposed to ultraviolet rays from sunlight. It is also present in some foods, which should be a part of your diet to maintain adequate vitamin D levels in your body.

Some of the benefits of this vitamin include being responsible for maintaining adequate concentrations of calcium and phosphate, which are the key to the health of our bones. It also enables our immune system to function normally.

Kefir May Reduce The Severity Of Allergies

How Vitamin D is important for our good health?

Some initial research suggests that the probiotic strains in kefir may help to lower allergic responses.

In an animal study, kefir displayed anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects in a mouse asthma model .

Mice studies do not infer that the same effect would be true in humans. However, it is an area for future research in human trials.

Additionally, kefir may hold a benefit for the treatment of the nasal condition allergic rhinitis.

On this note, numerous randomized controlled trials have shown that treatment with Lactobacillus probiotics, as found in kefir, reduces symptoms of allergic rhinitis in both adults and children .

Key Point:

What Makes Dairy And Fruit A Power Couple

Dairy contains 13 essential nutrients like high-quality protein, calcium, vitamins A and D, zinc and more. Many of those nutrients fruit by itself lacks like high-quality protein, calcium, and vitamin D. Three components of food that many Americans are lacking.

I try to think about a few things when working with clients to create meals and snacks. One, what combination of food is going to provide enough fiber, fat, and protein to fill you up and keep you satisfied. And two, what is going to taste good!

The combination of fiber, fat, and protein can be easily met from this dairy and fruit combo. Dairy is a great source of protein and, depending on what product you choose, fat. And fruit is a great source of fiber. If you choose a low-fat dairy I would encourage adding some source of fat, like the nuts that this Blueberry Compote Yogurt Parfait had.

More dairy and fruit combos

Kefir and mango
Fresh mozzarella, peaches, and basil. Check out Peach and Basil Crostini recipe for something similar!
Ice cream and strawberries with Nutella
Berry smoothie with milk and whey protein

They Went Through A Massive Redesign

If you didn’t already notice in the lead image, on November 28, 2017, Chobani unveiled their new packaging. Chief Creative Officer Leland Maschmeyer told AdAge that inspiration for the new branding “came from 19th-century American folk art, particularly quilt work from the Mid-Atlantic region.” With the packaging overhaul also comes a simplification of their products. Chobani will no longer sell previously core offerings like Simply 100 or their Mezze yogurt dips.

Dairy + Plants = Superfood Power Couple: Featuring Blueberry Compote Yogurt Parfait

This recipe is part of a two-part series developed in partnership with Midwest Dairy. Join me in learning about how dairy & plants are coming together to form the ultimate superfood power couple in this Blueberry Compote Yogurt Parfait recipe. Check out the first recipe from this series, a Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl.

In my first blog post in this series, dairy and vegetables were coming together to form a superfood power couple. Now dairy and fruit are coming together to form their own nutrition power couple. As a dietitian, I LOVE this concept about how we can combine foods to boost nutrition and flavor. Its all about creating balanced meals and snacks that satisfy.

How B12 Works In The Body

All about Vitamin D and its sources

The Harvard Medical School Special Health Report Making Sense of Vitamins and Minerals explains that vitamin B12, like all B vitamins, is water soluble, which means the body expels what it does not use. Its main job is to maintain healthy nerve cells, support proper brain function, and assist in the production of DNA and RNA. B12 also works with other B vitamins to improve certain functions. For instance, B12 and B9 together help to make red blood cells. B12, B6, and B9 team up to control blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, high levels of which have been associated with possible heart disease.

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They Don’t Offer A Low

Fat content is often a deciding factor when it comes to purchasing a yogurt container. We always recommend having at least 1% fat in your dairy products. That’s because the healthy fats will not only help your body absorb fat-soluble nutrients like vitamin A, D, E, and K but will also help keep you satiated longer. Ilyse Schapiro, MS, RD, CDN, and founder of Ilyse Schapiro Nutrition tells ETNT “I typically recommend 2% because it’s a happy medium .” Unfortunately, Chobani’s only plain yogurt options are non-fat and whole milk . If you are looking for low-fat options, you’ll have to go for a higher-sugar variety from the “Blended” or “Fruit on the Bottom” line.

Their Plain Flavors Have No Added Sugars

For those of us who adhere to a low-sugar diet, this is music to our ears! When you’re picking out a container of Greek yogurt, you want to read just two ingredients: milk and live active cultures. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case among every product on the dairy aisle shelves in fact, some brands have plain vanilla flavors that climb up to 21 grams of sugar per serving! Whether you’re grabbing their whole milk flavor or non-fat, both will fill you up with not much more than gut-friendly probiotics, healthy fats, and muscle-building protein.

Their Greek Yogurt Is High In Protein

Regular yogurt you grew up eating is unstrained. Greek yogurt is strained, meaning the manufacturer removes the excess liquid whey, which results in a thicker, creamier yogurt. It also means you get a cream with an average of 12 grams of protein per 5.3 oz. cup, whereas regular yogurt has a mere 6 grams. Eating a high-protein snack won’t only keep your hunger pangs at bay, it’ll also help you build lean muscle mass, which will then burn more calories at rest than fathelping you lose belly fat.

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