10 Health Benefits of Buttermilk
Buttermilk is the liquid that remains once butter is removed from milk. The liquid is cultured to form the delicious buttermilk drink that most people know. Buttermilk contains less fat than milk because most of the fat is used to make butter.
However, buttermilk is a good source of protein, minerals like potassium, calcium, and magnesium, and a number of vitamins including vitamin B2 and vitamin C. Additionally, buttermilk contains good bacteria, also called beneficial bacteria.
Beneficial bacteria are microorganisms that are required to achieve a good balance between harmful and beneficial microorganisms in the digestive tract. The presence of all these nutrients and other elements in buttermilk make it a great addition to any diet. Here are the top 10 health benefits of buttermilk.
Health Benefit #1: Aids Digestion
One of the most popular health benefits of buttermilk is its capability to improve digestion. If you are one of those people suffering from indigestion or have a sensitive stomach, consuming buttermilk as opposed to normal milk is advisable. Buttermilk is more readily digestible compared to normal milk. It also contains higher levels of lactic acid than that found in skimmed milk.
Buttermilk, due to the presence of bacterial cultures in it, can help restore the balance of good versus bad bacteria in the gut. This balance is usually messed up due to the prolonged use of some drugs, especially antibiotics. Beneficial bacteria promote proper digestion, nutrition, gut health, and general health.
Health Benefit #2: Prevents Yeast Infections
Yeast infections are a frequent occurrence, especially among women. This can cause considerable discomfort and even embarrassment, which can lower your self-esteem. You should not suffer in silence or have to wait to use conventional drugs to tackle yeast infections. Regular intake of buttermilk has the potential to help you surmount the challenges of developing yeast infections around your genitals.
Buttermilk is rich in probiotics, which will help keep the right balance between the bacteria and yeast naturally present in the vagina. You should consider increasing your intake of buttermilk, especially if you are using antibiotic drugs or birth control pills that have the tendency of destroying the good balance of microorganisms in your vagina.
Health Benefit #3: Bodybuilding
Your body is in a dynamic state of maintaining effectively working cells and tissues. While some cells are removed from the body due to aging or injury, new ones are produced. A balance between these activities is vital for a normal and properly functioning body.
Tissue repair, cell growth, and renewal are mainly carried out using proteins. Buttermilk has high protein content with one cup containing an average of 8.1 g of protein. This accounts for between 15 and 17 percent of the total amount of protein recommended per day. Consistent intake of buttermilk will, therefore, promote bodybuilding, tissue repair, and boost your body’s ability to fend off infections.
Health Benefit #4: Rich Source of B Vitamins
Buttermilk contains B vitamins, including vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin. Riboflavin plays a very important role in enabling body proteins known as enzymes to function properly. Some of the enzymes are critical in the energy-production processes of the body.
Proper functioning of the liver, the major organ that performs major detoxification roles in the body, requires riboflavin. Some of the chemicals that perform antioxidant activities in the body are made in the liver. Thus, a deficiency in this vitamin would compromise the ability of your body to maintain a healthy state free of toxins.
Health Benefit #5: Prevents Dehydration
During the summer months when temperatures are extremely high, especially during the day, you lose a lot of water. This can cause you to feel extremely dehydrated. One way to deal with dehydration is to take a glass of buttermilk. Besides the feeling of satiety, buttermilk will help you replenish the fluids that your body has lost and to restore your strength and vigor.
Additionally, being rich in nutrients, buttermilk is important in restoring your body’s electrolytes. You should, therefore, consider making buttermilk a favorite companion during hot weather. In fact, it makes sense for you to pack some buttermilk as you set out from home. Together with drinking water, buttermilk will enable you to stay well hydrated.
Health Benefit #6: Lowers Cholesterol
Managing your cholesterol levels to maintain healthy blood pressure and intact blood vessels does not require you to always use cholesterol-lowering drugs. You can simply manage your cholesterol by ensuring that your diet includes some buttermilk. It has been shown that buttermilk modifies the absorption of cholesterol within the intestines. As a result, the levels of cholesterol that get into blood circulation is reduced.
Also, research findings indicate that the fatty material in buttermilk contain substances that can decrease the amount of cholesterol in blood. Collectively, these cholesterol-lowering effects are beneficial to overall good health including preventing high blood pressure and heart diseases.
Health Benefit #7: Improves Skin Health
For a healthier, bright-looking, and wrinkle-free skin, buttermilk should feature frequently in your diet. One way through which buttermilk promotes skin health is by the removal of toxins and facilitating total body nourishment. Thus, the appearance of your skin reflects how well you are eating and nourishing your body. Besides, buttermilk may also be used in the preparation of skin masks, which are used to improve skin appearance.
The buttermilk-containing masks have been applied to rid the skin of marks left behind after extended exposure to sunlight. Such products are popularly used as facial cleansers and anti-aging agents. You should, therefore, consider increasing your consumption of buttermilk, and if you like, applying it on your skin to improve your looks and delay wrinkles from forming.
Health Benefit #8: Blood Pressure Control
Beyond the smooth, tasty sip of a glass of buttermilk, therein lies the potential to keep your blood pressure well controlled and healthy. Studies have shown that in the fat molecules present in buttermilk are some proteins that modulate the components that influence the structural composition and functioning of blood vessels.
As mentioned elsewhere, a decrease in cholesterol levels reduces the chances of formation of fatty-plaques on the walls of blood vessels and the accompanying inflammation. Therefore, regular intake of buttermilk can improve your general health, lower your blood pressure, and help you put at bay diseases related to high blood pressure such as heart disease.
Health Benefit #9: Great Source of Calcium
Buttermilk is a rich source of calcium, an important mineral required for several cellular activities and bone development. Calcium is involved in the inter-cell communication. It is also a central component in the process of muscle contraction. Typically, a healthy balanced diet should aim at supplying your body with about 1,000 mg of calcium daily.
When you take a glass of buttermilk a day, you will be providing your body with a quarter of the total daily calcium requirement. Ensuring enough intake of calcium is important as it helps delay bone wasting related to aging and supports new bone development.
Health Benefit #10: Helps to Lose Weight
If you are at your wits end, struggling to find a suitable diet plan for your planned weight loss, you can try out buttermilk. Buttermilk has less calories and fat content compared to an equivalent amount of whole milk. Buttermilk is also filling and will naturally cause you to eat fewer food portions.
Moreover, buttermilk washes down the fat and oil that may be lining your gut. This, together with improved digestion and metabolic reactions that breakdown food to provide the body with energy, can facilitate weight loss and give you a feeling of being healthy.
