Curd or as Indian likes to say dahi is a most cherished dairy product in every Indian household. The benefits of dahi make it a reason for its great consumption but it’s equally good when it comes to improving the overall taste of your food. You can pair it with paranthas, or you can make lassi or raita from it, list keeps getting bigger but you got the idea.
Dahi has multiple proven health benefits and it’s being used for centuries to improve our bone, heart, and immunity as well as skin and hair health. Dahi also has a cooling effect due to this it is also used to pacify heat waves, especially in summer.
What is Dahi?
Curd or dahi is a milk product that is prepared with the help of fermentation. Lactobacillus delbrueckii bacteria help in fermenting milk and turning it into curd. This bacteria turns milk’s lactose sugar into lactic acid which is responsible for curds’ unique texture and sour taste.
Counting macros and calories is the first step you can take towards building a healthy diet and leading a healthy lifestyle, Trying to lose weight or gain weight. All falls down to what you eat so it’s important to know the nutritional value of food in your diet.
Nutritional Value of Dahi/Curd for a 100-gram serving (1)…
- Energy – 146 kcal
- Fat – 7.5 g
- Saturated Fat – 3.6 g
- Trans Fat – 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat – 3.2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat – 0.7 g
- Carbohydrates – 6 g
- Sugar – 6 g
- Protein – 14 g
- Sodium – 53 mg
- Cholesterol – 20 mg
- Potassium – 212 mg
Glycemic Index
The glycemic index of dahi si ate 45 putting it into the low Gi food category and its glycemic load is at 10.3. The glycemic index refers to the number of carbohydrates in a food that can cause a rise in blood sugar levels. Low GI food can help you maintain your blood sugar level.
Now you know the nutritional value lets us dive right into the benefits of dahi.
Benefits of Dahi
1. Heart Health
Don’t get misguided by reading the fat content and decide that it’s bad for your heart health in reality it can improve your heart health by increasing the number of good cholesterol and reducing blood pressure. Good cholesterol also helps in cleaning the arteries thus ensuring good blood flow. Cholesterol and blood pressure are two major reasons for various heart conditions and control over them can decrease the chance of you suffering from heart disease.
2. Boost Immunity
Dahi/Curd is rich in nutrients it is filled with various minerals, probiotics, and vitamins. These nutrients play an essential part in building your body’s immune system. Probiotics present in the curd help in reducing inflammation that can cause various chronic diseases. The minerals that help in boosting our immune systems are magnesium, zinc, selenium, and vitamin D. Microorganism that comes with probiotics allows and enables our body to fight off various viral and bacterial infections. The curd will help you improve your immunity and that in turn will protect you from a common cold, flu, and other infection and keep you healthy.
3. Bone and Teeth Health
This is one of the great benefits of dahi because it can help you improve your declining bone and teeth health by increasing phosphorous and calcium intake in your body. Calcium is like a treasure for you if you’re suffering from a decline in bone and tooth density, curd is rich in calcium so consuming curd will fulfill your daily requirement of calcium and phosphorous. It will strengthen your bone health and in long run, it will reduce your chances of suffering from health conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, tooth decay, weak gums, etc.
4. Weight Loss
Curd can be a great addition to your diet if you’re trying to lose weight. Curd has a high protein content and high protein food helps in reducing appetite hormones such as GPL-1 and peptide YY and makes you feel full for a longer duration.
Curd is also rich in calcium, calcium can help you reduce cortisol levels in your body and high cortisol level can cause weight gain so daily consumption of curd can keep your cortisol level in check and thus reduce weight.
5. Good for Skin & Hair
Dahi/Curd has been the most popular and effective home remedy for centuries. There is one person in every Indian household who knows the benefits of dahi for skin and hair. Its antimicrobial properties and lactic acid help in removing dandruff from the scalp. Applying its paste paired with henna will remove dandruff but it will also give your hair a smooth and shiny look.
Dahi is also a good source of Zinc and vitamin E which is essential for good skin so you can achieve good glowing skin by applying curd directly to your face as a face pack. It does act as a natural bleach and gives you a fair complexion.
6. Vagina Health
You must have never thought that the consumption of dahi would be good for your vaginal health but it is true. There are some foods that are good for the vagina and dahi/curd is one of them. Dahi has the ability to balance the levels of acid in your body as well as aid in managing the body’s PH level. A balanced PH level can keep your vagina healthy and help you avoid conditions like irritability or vaginal burning.
7. Blood Sugar Level
Dahi offers a good amount of protein and any food that offers a high protein is associated with reducing blood sugar levels. Some studies were conducted and proved that Dahi/Curd helped in reducing insulin resistance and glucose level in the body. Therefore it also proves that daily consumption of dahi can control the risk of some heart conditions as well as diabetes.
8. Great Alternative for Lactose intolerant.
Another great benefit of dahi is that it’s safe to consume for people that suffer from lactose intolerant. It provides almost the same nutrients as milk so people that are lactose intolerant can also get the nutrients.
What are the side effects of Dahi?
Now you do know the benefits of Dahi but as food as benefits, anything that’s consumed in excess also has effects on your health. If you’re trying to lose weight dahi can be helpful but if you eat it in excess, you can throw out your weight loss goal.
Dahi has been shown to reduce the risk of arthritis and osteoporosis and strengthen your bones but if you’re already suffering from these conditions you should not consume curd as it can cause swelling and joint pain. Eating Dahi can night can be a problem for people with weak digestion because it can cause acidity.
Conclusion
The benefits of Dahi are great this food not only enhances your health but also improves your skin health. Properties like being rich in proteins, low GI, minerals, and vitamins can make it a great addition to your diet. Adding it to your diet and pairing it with a workout can help you achieve overall improved health and it can also improve your endurance and stamina.