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Yogurt: The new fad food for healthy eaters

Lady in black: Sour Sally brand ambassador Alena Wu (right) enjoys Black Sakura in a red cone

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak (The Jakarta Post)
Sun, August 30, 2015

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Yogurt: The new fad food for healthy eaters Lady in black: Sour Sally brand ambassador Alena Wu (right) enjoys Black Sakura in a red cone.(JP/Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak)" border="0" height="384" width="511">Lady in black: Sour Sally brand ambassador Alena Wu (right) enjoys Black Sakura in a red cone.(JP/Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak)

The feasting days of the Idul Fitri holiday are long gone and now comes the hardest part — harder than the whole month of fasting that preceded it — detoxification.

There are any number of weight-loss diets, but all have one thing in common: yogurt on the menu.

Yogurt is widely considered a top health food because it is a rich source of calcium, yet easier to digest than milk. It contains predigested protein, fats, carbohydrates and minerals and is therefore ideal for children and the elderly.

It is also recommended for people who cannot consume milk, whether because of a protein allergy or lactose intolerance.

The culturing process of yogurt creates bacterial enzymes that can boost immunity and make it easier for the body to absorb other food nutrients. Certain studies, moreover, have suggested that daily consumption of live-culture yogurt could lower blood cholesterol.

Singer and actress Alena Wu enjoys the benefit of regular consumption of yogurt.

“Regardless of whether we realize it or not, we are exposed to toxins and chemical substances harmful to our health such as pesticides and preservatives in our food. It’s important to keep our digestive system healthy.

“I love to eat and when it comes to my favorite food, I prefer big portions. Yogurt, especially frozen yogurt, is the only food I can indulge my appetite for without worries. It’s my guiltless pleasure,” added the face of Indonesian frozen yogurt brand Sour Sally.

Just a cup or two of yogurt contains all its benefits, so it is usually consumed as a single meal, especially for weight-loss purposes.

“Yogurt is safe for consumption even during fasting,” said nutritionist Marya Haryono of Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital.

“Some people may think yogurt is acidic because of its sour taste, but in fact it is about 4 to 5 on the pH scale. Even an empty stomach can tolerate it,” she said recently.

Solutions with a pH of less than 7 are acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are alkaline or basic.

New offerings: Heavenly Blush marketing director Ivonne Aryanti (left) talks with nutritionist Marya Haryono at the launch of the brand’s new products: thicker Greek yogurt and Yo! Yogurt for Kids.(Courtesy of Heavenly Blush)

Lady in black: Sour Sally brand ambassador Alena Wu (right) enjoys Black Sakura in a red cone.(JP/Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak)

The feasting days of the Idul Fitri holiday are long gone and now comes the hardest part '€” harder than the whole month of fasting that preceded it '€” detoxification.

There are any number of weight-loss diets, but all have one thing in common: yogurt on the menu.

Yogurt is widely considered a top health food because it is a rich source of calcium, yet easier to digest than milk. It contains predigested protein, fats, carbohydrates and minerals and is therefore ideal for children and the elderly.

It is also recommended for people who cannot consume milk, whether because of a protein allergy or lactose intolerance.

The culturing process of yogurt creates bacterial enzymes that can boost immunity and make it easier for the body to absorb other food nutrients. Certain studies, moreover, have suggested that daily consumption of live-culture yogurt could lower blood cholesterol.

Singer and actress Alena Wu enjoys the benefit of regular consumption of yogurt.

'€œRegardless of whether we realize it or not, we are exposed to toxins and chemical substances harmful to our health such as pesticides and preservatives in our food. It'€™s important to keep our digestive system healthy.

'€œI love to eat and when it comes to my favorite food, I prefer big portions. Yogurt, especially frozen yogurt, is the only food I can indulge my appetite for without worries. It'€™s my guiltless pleasure,'€ added the face of Indonesian frozen yogurt brand Sour Sally.

Just a cup or two of yogurt contains all its benefits, so it is usually consumed as a single meal, especially for weight-loss purposes.

'€œYogurt is safe for consumption even during fasting,'€ said nutritionist Marya Haryono of Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital.

'€œSome people may think yogurt is acidic because of its sour taste, but in fact it is about 4 to 5 on the pH scale. Even an empty stomach can tolerate it,'€ she said recently.

Solutions with a pH of less than 7 are acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are alkaline or basic.

New offerings: Heavenly Blush marketing director Ivonne Aryanti (left) talks with nutritionist Marya Haryono at the launch of the brand'€™s new products: thicker Greek yogurt and Yo! Yogurt for Kids.(Courtesy of Heavenly Blush)
New offerings: Heavenly Blush marketing director Ivonne Aryanti (left) talks with nutritionist Marya Haryono at the launch of the brand'€™s new products: thicker Greek yogurt and Yo! Yogurt for Kids.(Courtesy of Heavenly Blush)

Marya was speaking at a press conference on the release of a new variant of packed yogurt named Heavenly Blush.

She suggested the consumption of yogurt once a day before and after the fasting period, plus an extra portion at night to ensure the supply of carbohydrates and calcium.

'€œThe probiotic bacterial enzyme in yogurt could lower the amount of bacteria that causes bad breath during fasting,'€ she added.

While in the past yogurt was considered spoiled milk, it nowadays comes in many flavors that it contradicts the saying '€œif it tastes good, it must be bad for your health'€.

Heavenly Blush recently joined the latest yogurt trend by releasing its Greek Yogurt product and Yo! Yogurt for Kids.

Greek yogurt has a thicker consistency than regular yogurt, because the liquid whey is strained from the solid yogurt more times. As a result, Greek yogurt has a stronger flavor and is higher in protein, but lower in fat, sugar and sodium.

Heavenly Blush marketing director Ivonne Aryanti said that the yogurt product for kids was fortified with nutrients from various fruit and vegetables, including broccoli and carrot, and was high in fiber.

 '€œThe product is for parents who are worried about their picky-eating children,'€ she said.

For those for whom the health benefits of yogurt are not enough, producers of yogurt-based food and beverages add flavors and colors to make their products more attractive.

Sour Sally has incorporated the latest fashionable super food into its products.

Japan-licensed natural activated charcoal is blended with the yogurt to enhance its detoxification function.

Karin Wiradarma, a nutritionist at Klikdokter.com '€” a popular ask-your-doctor website '€” said that natural activated charcoal was effective in gathering toxic and chemical substances contained in food.

'€œCharcoal has long been used to stop diarrhea, reduce gas in the digestive system and cure food poisoning.  It'€™s made of natural material that will not be absorbed during the digestive process and will not build up in the body,'€ she said.

Besides Black Sakura (charcoal-enhanced frozen yogurt with cherry blossom flavor), Sour Sally also released White Skim '€” yogurt with Greenfields Hi-Calcium Skim Milk '€” on its seventh anniversary in May.

With the tagline '€œbetter than ice cream'€, Sour Sally founder and CEO Ie Donny Pramono said that the products and the toppings were free of artificial sweeteners, coloring, flavors and chemical substances.

He said that the new concept could strengthen the company'€™s position and help it compete in the ice cream market.

'€œThe increasing numbers and affluence of the middle classes shifts their consciousness, leading them to demand a healthy lifestyle,'€ said Donny.

'€œWe have created a delicious product with lots of '€˜feel-good'€™ factor and inspired a healthy lifestyle trend.'€


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