Revamp Your Yogurt

Although ayurvedic healers do not recommend consumption of fermented foods (such as yeast breads), they make an exception for yogurt because it boasts so many healing properties.

Yogurt soothes the stomach, making it an ideal food for battling problems such as bloating. Vegetarians should include at least a cup of yogurt in their diet daily, because it gives you protein, calcium, B complex and other essential minerals. In ayurvedic terms, yogurt, being a sour food, balances an aggravated Vata dosha.

But wait: don’t set out to buy your cup of yogurt at the supermarket just yet. Store-bought yogurt is cold, heavy and hard-to-digest. That’s because it has been sitting on those shelves, and no longer has the active, digestion-friendly bacteria that a fresh batch of home set yogurt gives you. Besides, the sheer taste of fresh yogurt beats the store-bought stuff!

Home-made yogurt it is easy to set.

Directions:

1 quart whole milk
2 tbsp yogurt (the freshest batch you can find)

Heat milk until it foams up. Turn off heat and allow it to cool to about body temperature. Mix in the yogurt, and stir well in a bowl. Cover the bowl with a fitting lid and put in a warm, draft-free place such as inside an oven with just the light on. By morning, your yogurt will be ready!

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Setting the perfect bowl of yogurt at home can take some practice, but believe me, the results will be delicious and healthy. And then, you can churn your yogurt to make light and luscious buttermilk, spiked with healing spices and herbs. But more about that in my next post…

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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JL A.

11:08AM PST on Dec 17, 2012

good to have in reserve

December 17
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Sonny H.

8:38AM PDT on Jul 26, 2012

Thanks.

July 26
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Kirsten B.

5:27AM PST on Feb 6, 2012

Got redirected to this again ... and a good time for feedback.
I've stopped buying yogurt altogether and now only make mine. The consistency is different each time, but I'm sure that I will soon get a constant one.
Thank you once again for sharing this recipe.

February 6
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Laurie J.

8:50AM PST on Feb 3, 2012

Is this where a glass bowl is better than a steel bowl?

February 3
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Kim S.

7:16AM PST on Jan 10, 2012

I'm definitely going to try this. I've tried to make yogurt before, but it never turned out right. I would love to be able to make my own, so I don't have all of those little plastic contains!

January 10
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Lynn C.

8:18PM PST on Dec 7, 2011

Thanks for the idea.

December 7
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10:56AM PST on Dec 6, 2011

Made this yesterday. I had to use 1 spoonful of vanilla yogurt too because the plain had all been eaten up, but it was great! I'll be doing this fairly regularly from now on. :)

December 6
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Carmen S.

8:54AM PST on Dec 1, 2011

thanks so much for this information

December 1
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Pradip C.

7:51AM PST on Dec 1, 2011

I WOULD LIKE TO ADD HERE
WHEN THE CURD IS ABOUT TO SET i.e. it is neither solid nor liquid. In this state if the curd is stirred and given to weak patients - it is easily digestible, has all the healthy bacteria and good for health as sourness has not set in. For jaundice patients in India a bowl of semi set curd mixed with two teaspoon of PAPAD KHAR (a type of soda used in making papads) is given and this rejuvenates the sluggish liver.

Past Member .

7:16AM PST on Nov 28, 2011

Yogurt machine maintains the temp and does make it easier and less of a hassle.