Bugs Are Good For You!

If the title of this blog entry freaks you out a little, take heart! It's true!! Well, bugs is a loose term that I use to describe probiotics. Probiotics are bacteria that serve a specific and positive purpose by helping to increase the proportion of healthy bacteria colonizing the gut. Maintaining healthy "gut flora" can help improve your immune system, increase your uptake of Calcium and some other nutrients, result in better bowel habits, which all result in better health! There's a ton of great research out there and more and more coming along all the time. One great way to get more probiotics is to eat yogurt. Now, I love yogurt, but I don't love the spendy price of yogurt, so I decided to make my own! Here's how it goes...

I purchased an inexpensive "yogurt maker" (that's really just a warming tray with a cover) from the internet for about $40. The maker came with seven reusable glass jars, lids, 2 different sized covers (for small or large jars) and instructions. I then read the instructions - very important!

Ingredients: 1 liter of milk (I like Horizon Organic), 6 oz of plain yogurt (Stonyfield), a generous helping of patience

Whisk together the milk and yogurt and divide among the jars. Then, place the jars, uncovered, on the tray and cover overnight or for at least 8 hours. After 8 hours, it's good to begin checking to see how well set the yogurt is - if too loose, keep "cooking". Once the yogurt is set, it will smell slightly sour and have little bubbles across the top, cover and refrigerate until ready to eat. You can also sample it warm and it's delicious!

I made yogurt with 2% cow's milk, skim milk, and soy milk. My favorite was the 2%, but the skim was delicious too. The soy milk yogurt was acceptable, but not my favorite. The yogurt is fantastic with a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of granola, but is also yummy with fruit or a tablespoon of preserves. Best of all, the cost of the yogurt was 1/2 of what I pay at retail and there are no little cartons to go in the trash. Making homemade yogurt? It only looks scary. Try it, because bugs are good for you!