Yogurt (or yoghurt as the British like to say) has been eaten for centuries by Middle Eastern and Mediterranean civilisations. In the west yogurt has now become an often over-processed, snack food. But, yogurt is such a wonder food it really seems a shame for us not to be using it to its full potential.

Many people who suffer with diseases such as Colitis and Chrohn's find it very difficult to digest cow's milk. But, these same people can digest yogurt. So consuming yogurt is a great way for lactose intolerant people to get some calcium into their diet.

Yogurt can be used to introduce 'lactobacillus acidophilus' and other beneficial bacterial cultures into the gut. These 'good' bacteria prevent harmful bacteria and yeasts taking over the gut. Thus, consuming 'live' yogurt which still contains these helpful bacteria can help eliminate Candida,along with the 'yeast syndrome' symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, wind and bad breath.

Live yogurt can also be applied onto the skin to help clear up other yeast infections such as thrush.

Anyone who takes antibiotics regularly, or over the long term will know they remove all the 'good' as well as 'bad' bacteria in your system. This leaves people vulnerable to gastric problems and so it is recommended they take one portion of live yogurt each day, to recolonize their gut with 'helpful' bacteria.

As well as the helpful bacteria and easy to digest calcium, yogurt is rich in protein, making it a valuable food source for vegetarians and those wishing to consume less meat.

So, we can see that yogurt is healthy, but its readily available in a myriad of colours, flavours and sizes at the store, why make your own? Simple, much of the yogurt sold commercially is over processed, high sugar, high fat and no longer 'live' so contains none of the useful bacteria we want. Although all yogurts will still supply calcium in an easy to digest form, why not make your own yogurt and ensure you really do get all the health benefits available from yogurt.

Many commercial yogurts are no longer 'live yogurt', because they are processed to increase shelf life much of the bacterial life is lost. When buying yogurt make sure it is 'live', to get the most benefit from it. Ordinary full-fat yogurt is pretty high in fat, but still a good source of calcium. If you opt for a low-fat yogurt you really need to check the labels. Many low-fat yogurts are very high in sugar, or very high in artificial sweeteners which are a risk to health.

If you make homemade yogurt you can easily ensure all the life is still in it. Plus, by choosing what kind of milk to use to make your own yogurt you can reduce the fat content, if you like whilst being able to control the sugar content too.

Yogurt is such a wonderful food, it seems a shame to let it get swamped with preservatives, colours and sweeteners. Make your own homemade yogurt to ensure you get the very best possible food for your family.