What I Eat – Homemade Yogurt
A lot of the people who walk into my clinic, whether they’re suffering from a Candida yeast infection or not, ask me the same question. They want to know what foods they should really be eating in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. While there are certainly dozens of ways to answer this question, one of the items that always tops the list – no matter what I’m treating – is yogurt.
I will tell you that making yogurt tends to be quite tedious. There are a lot of benefits to it, but if you just want to get probiotics, it’s best to take the probacto probiotics if you have candida. They work very well, and are very potent. You can also consider making kefir.
Why Yogurt?
Cultured or fermented dairy products, like yogurt, have existed for hundreds of years. Milks were preserved with Streptococcus and Lactobacillus bacteria in order to keep them for longer periods of time in eras where refrigeration was not common. Over the past couple of centuries, science and technology have refined the fermentation processes, allowing us to buy products like these commercially. Popular fermented dairy products include not only yogurt, but kefir, sour cream, and buttermilk as well.
In terms of choosing a yogurt, you can buy it at the store if you are able to find a high-quality yogurts; preferably organic. The problem with store-bought varieties is that they’re full of added chemicals, flavorings, and sugars. I prefer homemade yogurt for just his reason – less additives and a higher probiotic count.
A Note about Dairy Allergies and Intolerances
Before I show you one of my own processes, I want to address a concern many people have about dairy allergies and yogurt. I often find that those who are lactose intolerant can tolerate fermented products just fine. This is because the fermentation process transforms the lactose you are reacting to into lactic acid, a different substance altogether. If you have a true allergy, not just an intolerance – especially to casein – dairy products like yogurt should still be avoided. In cases like those, you may still be able to make your own yogurts with almond, coconut, or some other variation of milk.
Making Your Own Yogurt
There are tons of websites and pages dedicated to the process of making homemade yogurt. I urge you to look around and find a method that works best for you. Some people like to ferment their yogurt in the oven and others like to use a crock pot. I personally prefer to use a yogurt maker, like the Euro Cuisine pictured here, because I don’t have to worry about any inconsistency in the temperature. If you’d like to make a minor investment, there are tons of other varieties and brands out there to choose from and they’re relatively inexpensive.
The process of making yogurt takes time – but it’s not active time spent working in the kitchen as much as it is time spent waiting, so don’t be discouraged.
I started by taking about 1 liter of milk (the yogurt pictured here used 2%). I brought the milk to a boil (to the point where it was climbing the sides of the pan) and then removed it from the heat. I waited until the milk cooled to 37C (or 95F) – you’ll need to use a thermometer to make sure you’re at the right temperature so you don’t kill your starter culture – before adding 5g of freeze dried yogurt culture.
Once the culture was mixed into the now room temperature milk, I was able to pour it into the jars. The jars were placed into the machine, without lids, and covered. After turning the machine on, I allowed the yogurt to sit, undisturbed, for 10 hours. The time will vary depending on the type of milk you use. Once the time was up, I placed the lids on the jars and put them in the refrigerator.
I prefer to make plain yogurt and flavor it when I eat it, but there are methods you can use to flavor your yogurt before the fermentation process begins. It’s really up to you.
Take note – if you’re used to eating store-bought yogurts, you’ll find homemade yogurt to be a bit thinner. The reason for this is because most manufacturers add pectin, a natural thickener, to the yogurt during the cooking process. You can do this, if you choose, but it’s not necessary at all.
And there you have it – homemade yogurt. It’s very easy to make and incredibly beneficial to your health. You simply can’t go wrong!
