爲什麼每天都要喝酸奶?
Working with the Yogurt Council made me aware of the huge number of health benefits of yoghurt. And today, many experts say we should have at least a pot a day, and if possible, two. I usually have mine as dessert, but the latest research says I should be?eating it as a starter.
與酸奶委員會的合作使我意識到：酸奶的好處實在是太多了。現而今，很多專家表示，每天應至少喝一罐酸奶，如果可能的話，請喝兩罐。通常，我都把酸奶當作甜點，但最近的研究表明，應該將酸奶作爲開胃菜。
That was the suggestion from a US study which found that women who ate yoghurt before a high-fat, high-carb breakfast (two sausage muffins and two hash browns) had lower levels of inflammation in their blood and less blood sugar than those who hadn't.
美國的一項研究得出了這樣的結果，研究發現：攝入高脂、高碳水化合物的早餐之前（兩個香腸鬆餅、兩個土豆煎餅），相較不喝酸奶的女性，喝酸奶的女性有着更低的血液炎症水平、血糖水平也更低。
"Yoghurt before a meal is a feasible way to improve post-meal ?metabolism and may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases," said the team from Wisconsin, US.
"餐前喝酸奶是提高餐後代謝的可行方法，或有助於降低患心血管和代謝疾病的風險，"美國威斯康辛州的研究小組說道。
A simple pot of yoghurt can ease hay fever symptoms, keep bones strong and even reduce the risk of heart disease. It may also help with weight loss and prevent infections. And perhaps more surprising is the more fat there is in a yoghurt, the better. Yoghurt is heavyweight nutrition, providing around a third of our daily iodine and calcium, and nearly 15% of our daily protein, which is similar to a boiled egg.
一杯酸奶就可以緩解花粉熱症狀、保持骨骼強健、甚至還能降低患心臟病的風險。喝酸奶還有助於減肥、預防感染。更令人驚訝的是，酸奶中的脂肪越多、越有益健康。酸奶是重量級的營養成分，提供人體日常所需碘元素和鈣元素的30%，提供近15%的日常所需蛋白質，幾乎與白煮蛋所提供的含量持平。
It also provides 30% of our daily phosphorus, needed for healthy bones and teeth, and around a fifth of our recommended amount of vitamin B12 (to release energy from food) and potassium (which helps with healthy blood pressure).
同時還能提供日常所需磷元素的30%，而健康的骨骼和牙齒離不開磷元素。酸奶約提供日常所需維生素B12（釋放食物能量）和鉀元素（保持血壓處於健康水平）的近五分之一。
My mum used to feed my sister and I sour milk and it's the curdling that makes yoghurt a wonder food. Yoghurts are made by fermenting (curdling) milk with two bacteria, streptococcus thermophilus and lactobacillus bulgaricus, which produce an acid that preserves the yoghurt and kills off harmful bacteria such as salmonella .
以前，母親總讓我和妹妹吃酸奶，這一凝乳賦予了酸奶如此多的神奇益處。酸奶是由兩種細菌（嗜熱鏈球菌和保加利亞乳桿菌）發酵的牛奶製作而成，有助於產生使酸奶保鮮並殺死沙門氏菌等有害細菌的酸。
Fermented yoghurt helps control blood pressure and therefore the risk of heart attack and stroke. Fermentation makes good bacteria called probiotics, which contribute to our gut health, and prebiotics, which feed the good bacteria. Together they boost our immunity levels.
發酵酸奶有助於控制血壓，從而控制心臟病和中風的風險。發酵會產生益生菌，有助於腸道健康，同時會產生餵養益生菌的益生元。兩者可增強免疫力。
