Probiotic yogurt has myriad health benefits for individuals who consume them on a regular basis. If you are about to consider incorporating probiotic yogurt in your regular diet, here are some of the benefits you can reap from the best probiotic yogurts.

• Help support your gut
  Studies have revealed that the increased probiotic content (healthy bacteria) in probiotic yogurt can help influence the gut and aid in healthy digestion. The active cultures present in the yogurt can also help treat a number of digestive system–related disorders, including diarrhea, constipation, digestive distress caused by lactose intolerance, and gastrointestinal problems.

• Help increase bone density
  Calcium and Vitamin D are essential nutrients for bone health. The skeletal benefits of these nutrients are well known with many doctors recommending individuals to have them on a daily basis to ward off conditions like osteoporosis. Probiotic yogurt contains a healthy dose of calcium and Vitamin D to keep your bones healthy and strong for many years to come.

• Promote fat loss as well as weight loss
  Probiotic yogurt promote fat loss. Studies have revealed that individuals who consumed probiotic yogurt on a daily basis experienced more fat loss when compared to those who didn’t eat yogurt. The studies also revealed that individuals who ate probiotic yogurt regularly experienced weight loss, with many of them losing body fat in and around the belly region.

• Boost the immune system
  The best probiotic yogurts boost the health and strength of the immune system. It is a known fact that a healthy gut promotes a healthy and strong immune system. By taking care of the gut and all the disorders/diseases related to it, probiotic yogurt ensures that the digestive tract is free of infection–causing pathogens. This, in turn, ensures that the immune system is left healthy, fit, and strong.

• Help regulate mood
  No one can remain in a good mood with an unhealthy gut. The probiotics present in probiotic yogurt have a soothing effect on the mind, derived from their ability to keep the gut healthy. A healthy gut translates to a better mood as well. Hence, individuals who consume probiotic yogurt on a daily basis are more prone to exercise better control of their emotions, and experience less stress and anxiety when faced with emotional situations.

• Protect the urinary tract from infections
  Probiotic yogurt also benefit individuals suffering from urinary tract infection. The healthy bacteria in probiotic yogurt help to curb the bad bacteria from entering and affecting the urinary tract. A good amount of healthy bacteria in the adherence sites of the tract can also keep invading bacteria at bay, thus preventing urinary tract infection recurrences in the long run.

In a nutshell, probiotic yogurt has many physical and psychological benefits for individuals. Consuming a healthy amount of probiotic yogurt on a daily basis can keep you healthy, fit, strong, and disease free for long.

Many individuals have turned to probiotic yogurt, owing to the health benefits it offers. However, with so many probiotic yogurt available in the market today,narrowing down on the healthiest ones becomes hard for the buyer. Here is a simple guide that will help you choose the best probiotic yogurts for your needs.

Read the label carefully
It is extremely important that you read the label, especially the panel that reads Nutrition Facts, before buying a probiotic yogurt. A look at this panel will let you know the nutritional value of the yogurt as well as the measure of the ingredients in it. It will then become easier for you to choose the right product to supplement your health needs.

Check for calcium content
There is no doubt that yogurt contains calcium. However, the amount of calcium present in it may vary between brands and yogurt types. In the case of probiotic yogurt, it is wise to choose a type that has at least 15% or more of calcium (daily value). Probiotic yogurt containing anywhere between 15% and 35% of calcium is considered healthy.

Check for sugar content
Many yogurt brands have added sugar in them, which will combine with the naturally occurring lactose to spike up your blood glucose levels. Don’t be fooled by the number of grams of sugar listed on the label, as this figure will include both the lactose and the added sugars. Your best bet, in this case, is to opt for sugar-free probiotic yogurt or one that derives its sweetness from natural fruits added to it. If you see sugar in the first two ingredients in the list, avoid the product.

Check for fruit content
Many probiotic yogurt brands come with fruits added to them. Ensure that the yogurt you choose has natural fruits added to it, as some products can contain food coloring and sugar. If you are wary of the presence or absence of fruit in your probiotic yogurt, opt for plain yogurt. You can then simply choose to add your choice of fresh fruit to it for an enriched flavor.

Check the fat content
Probiotic yogurt can be made from low fat or whole fat. There are fat-free versions of probiotic yogurt as well. To zero in on the best probiotic yogurts, you will need to choose ones that are either low in fat or fat-free. Be forewarned though that fat-free yogurt can contain added sugars as well. So check the label carefully before buying them.

Check for probiotic content
Yogurt usually contains some amount of healthy bacteria in it. Probiotic yogurt, however, will have added probiotic bacteria for additional health benefits. In this case, you will need to choose yogurt that contains probiotic bacteria, as some brands may contain bacteria that are not probiotic. Also, ensure you choose the yogurt that has been produced recently, as bacteria tends to die over a period.

In today’s era, people are becoming very health conscious. Most of them are adapting to healthy food habits, both at home and at restaurants. To cater to the needs of healthy consumers, food chain restaurants are including healthy options on their menu. Since vegan diet does not include any eggs or dairy products, more and more people are adapting to the vegan lifestyle for a healthier life.

As a vegan, you have lots of options to eat at home, but when you step out to dine, your option suddenly becomes limited. Most of the Indian, Mexican and Thai restaurants have a wide range of food options for vegans and vegetarians. However, if you feel like eating something cheesy like a pizza, then you may have to stop and think because not all pizza places have vegan options available. For a vegetarian or a vegan or looking for a gluten free menu, you can find multiple varieties of toppings to pamper you at the Pizza Hut.

Vegan Menu at Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut has a separate menu for vegans where you can customize your pizza and have a hearty meal without cheese. Their menu consists of vegan sauces, crusts, and toppings as well. Vegan crusts on their menu include thin n crispy crust and the dessert crust. The sauces that go on the vegan crust include the all-natural old world pizza sauce, all-natural pizza sauce, and the all-natural sweet pizza sauce. The wide varieties of toppings are black olives, banana peppers, green peppers, green olives, mushroom, multigrain crust, red onion, tomatoes, thin n crispy dough, sliced jalapenos, mushrooms and the p’zone dough.

Gluten-free pizza at Pizza Hut
People from Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) can also order gluten-free pizzas at this chain restaurant. Gluten is a protein that binds breads and prevents it from crumbling. The Pizza Hut gluten free pizza is made from Udi’s signature crust but is made delicious with a set of tasty ingredients. The toppings and the ingredients used in the gluten-free pizzas are kept separately in a gluten-free kit. The people who make gluten-free pizzas wear gloves and bake the pizza on a parchment paper. They also use a pizza cutter that is designated to be used for gluten-free pizzas only. In addition, this menu is quite appealing to the people who suffer from the celiac disease. This is an inherited auto-immune disease and it damages the small intestine if your diet includes gluten.

So you do not have to stick to homemade food anymore if you are a vegan or in case you are on a gluten-free diet. Join your friends and family and enjoy your meal with various options available.

Who doesn’t love to have pizzas? It is one of the favorite foods of America. And when you think of ordering a pizza, you always think of Pizza Hut. This popular pizza chain has been serving hot pizzas to consumers for over six decades now. This brand is present in 86 countries with over 10,000 shops serving customized pizzas. Whether you are a vegetarian or a meat lover, you are sure to get something tasty and cheesy to pick here.

Where it originated
Pizza Hut was founded by brothers Dan and Frank Carney in 1958 while studying at Wichita State University. They borrowed $600 from their mother, rented a place, bought an equipment and started their first Pizza Hut. After one year, they opened their first franchise in Topeka, Kansas. Their first commercial was aired on television in the year 1965.

Logo
Did you know in the earlier days they had a mascot called Pizza Pete as its logo? This mascot, a cartoon chef with a mustache who wore a hat, an apron, and a neckerchief, served pizzas to the customers. This cartoon character was also used on cups, bags, and advertisements before being replaced by the current Red roof logo.

Released limited edition perfumes
Another interesting fact is that the pizza chain released a limited edition of perfume that smelled like fresh dough with a bit of spice. The perfumes were gifted to 100 selected fans on their Facebook profile in Canada and some perfumes were gifted to American fans during Valentine’s Day. The perfume was sold on eBay for $495.

Started a reading program
This pizza chain initiated a reading program called Book It where the kids are encouraged to read and are then rewarded with a pizza called praise, recognition, and pizza. Today this program has 60 million children enrolled in it. It is the longest running reading program in the country that is supported by a corporate.

First to deliver to space
Pizza Hut is the first company to deliver food to space. In 2001, they delivered pies to International Space Station. The recipe had to be put under severe stabilized thermal conditions before being sealed and sent to space.

First to take an online order
They are also the first to take an order online. In 1994, along with The Santa Cruz Operations (SCO), Pizza Hut created PizzaNet, which allowed the user to place their orders online.

Today Pizza Hut servers around four million customers every day around the world. They are one of the biggest restaurant franchises across the globe. The key to their success is their continuous innovation. They constantly innovate their menu, keeping the tastes of their target consumers in mind.

The pulled pork recipe demands careful, slow cooking in order to achieve the desired juicy nuggets of pork bliss. In other words, meat cooked gently and tenderly with smoky and juicy flavors gives you the best results.

An authentic pulled pork is typically a barbecue dish that is cooked for hours under charcoal or oven until it is ready to be shredded apart or pulled apart and then served with a signature sauce. The actual sauce ingredients of the pulled pork recipe, however, is debatable, since there are many versions to it.

Here are some ultimate tips to serving up an authentic pulled pork dish that is sure to make a lasting impression on your guests.

Choice of meat
Ideally, pork shoulder is touted to be the best for pulled pork recipes. It has the optimum mix of content that enables to create tender and juicy meat. Also, pork shoulder should be skinless in order to allow the flavors to permeate in the dish. So, ensure you remove the skin. Whichever part of the pork you use, it is up to your preference whether you like to retain the bone or not or get them boneless.

Marinate with choicest of spices
Dry rub the meat with sugar and salt before cooking. Let it marinate overnight in the fridge. This absorbs the moisture and enables easy cooking. Once ready for cooking, rinse it off thoroughly and marinate with your choice of spices, before putting it in the oven. Whether you want a classic flavor of salt, sugar, and paprika or ramp up the flavor with exclusive spices such as pepper, garlic, cumin, etc. Get under your creative hat to serve up a delectable dish.

Temperature and time matters
The recommended cooking time for pulled pork recipe is two hours per kilogram at a temperature of 140 degree Celsius. It is ready to be taken off when it is easily pulled apart using a fork. It is also a good idea to place the meat on a wired rack and then put it a baking tin. Pour water in the bottom of the tin and wrap it wholly in a thin foil. This will facilitate a steamy atmosphere for the meat to get cooked without drying it off too much.

Shred it right
Once the pork is ready, separate your cooked meat using two forks. Push the pork from the center in an outwards direction. Discard fatty bits and shred the meat carefully. If you want, you can leave some large chunks of meat as well.

Sauce it
If you have kept water in the bottom of your baking tin, it will serve as a good medium of cooking juice with porky flavors and you can add these to your sauces. Drain the water from the pan and cool it. Skim off the excess fat and mix it with your choice of sauce. Then pour the sauce over the shredded meat. Viola! Your pulled pork is ready.

Serve with buns
Most of the pulled pork recipes are best served with sweet and soft buns of your choice. A burger style serving is the best with the meat sandwiched between two layers of super soft bread and crunchy coleslaw. Yum!

Pork meat is delicious and healthy. In this pulled pork recipe, we look at how to make a smoky pulled pork, accompanied by broccoli yogurt sauces and delicious mashed potatoes. You can have the pork separately too, but the accompaniments add up the flavor and you are in for a treat.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 6 hours
Serves: 4
Ingredients needed:
Pork houlder 700 gm
Onions 4
Garlic cloves 4
Paprika 3 tablespoon
Brown sugar 1 tablespoon
Pepper 1 teaspoon
Salt To taste
Thyme 3 springs
Olive oil 2 tablespoon
Mustard paste 1 tablespoon
Potatoes 4
Spring onions 2

To make the marinating paste:
Take the onions and cut them into small equal parts. Next, remove the skin of the garlic and mash them along with the onion to a pulp. Take the juice extracts in a bowl. Add 3 tablespoon of smoked paprika to it along with a tablespoon of brown sugar. Season it with salt and pepper as per taste. Finally, add the oil and make a thick paste out of it. Keep it aside for about 20 minutes for the ingredients to blend well.

To bake the pork:
Take a baking pan, add some onion in it, and place the pork meat on top. Marinate it with the paste you have made above and cover it with the chopped thyme leaves. Now add olive oil to it and slow roast in the oven for about 6 hours.

To make the mashed potatoes:
Take the potatoes and cook them in boiling water along with a little salt. After boiling for about 10 minutes, peel off the skin. Take some spring onions and capsicum and cut them into fine chops. Add this to the potato along with salt and pepper and mash them nicely so that the flavor dissolves. If required, you can add a dash of grated cheese to the mashed potato to enrich the flavor.

To make the broccoli yogurt:
Take some broccoli and cut them into fine slices. Take some shallots too and cut them to fine chops. Now add both of them to the yogurt and mix well along with pepper and salt to taste. Add in a dash of apple cider vinegar to it and mix well. Cook it in the oven at 180 degrees for about 10 minutes. Take it out and mix it well once again. Do not cook for more than 10 minutes as the yogurt may lose its flavor.

To set the table:
After 6 hours, take out the pork, pull out the tender meat and cut them as per your liking and portions. Keep them on a serving plate. Add the mashed potatoes on one side. On the other side, serve a generous helping of broccoli yogurt. Mix the flavors and enjoy this juicy pulled pork recipe.

Bon Appetite!

For the body, food acts as fuel that drives us, day in and day out. Whether we earn to eat food, or we eat food to get up the next morning and earn well, it is one of the basic requirements that cannot be ignored. Yet, the wrong kind of food can also lead to a slew of problems for the body as well as the mind. The heart is one such organ which depends on our lifestyle choices when it comes to the proper functioning of the same. Which is why, you need to include the best heart healthy foods in your diet plan to avoid falling prey to the various heart conditions. Also, to take care of our heart and fight the risk of fatalities in case we are already suffering from any cardiovascular condition or heart disease is vital as well.

There are a number of foods that we can have for heart health, but the mere sound of some ingredients may be off putting. But if you try different recipes to cook a particular ingredient, you might end up eating it. Let our list of recipes inspire you.

Roasted salmon
This is a delicious and lightweight recipe, which is great for your heart. Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and has other nutrients that makes it part of the best heart healthy foods. You can roast the salmon on a skillet using a drizzle of extra healthy extra virgin olive oil. Season the fish fillet with some salt, pepper and freshly chopped herbs and garlic as well. Garlic is a well known ingredient that is hailed as good food for heart health. You can then add some toasted beans, carrots and shallots to the side of the dish so that you have a wholesome meal ready with minimum preparation and cooking time.

Broccoli pesto
You can prepare pesto with broccoli, an iron-rich green vegetable that’s good for the heart health. This can be had with a rice salad as well as a risotto or even whole-wheat pasta–all of this makes for a healthy meal in a bowl. This is the perfect heart food as it has the goodness of iron which helps in strengthening the muscles of the heart.

Bean tostadas
You can combine crunchy tostadas with one of the best heart healthy foods, beans. Black beans and other legumes are known to be rich in many dietary fibers, much like fruit and vegetables. This can help in creating a metabolic rate so that the bad cholesterol does not get a chance to settle and choke the arteries. You can boil black beans and drizzle some salsa over it before putting a few spoonfuls over a tostada for your dinner. And the best part? The crunchy and fresh taste will make it a mouth watering meal.

Quinoa bowl
This is a heart healthy food which is rich in proteins. Combine this ingredient with plenty of fresh salad greens for a yum salad or a side-dish. A boring, dull and boring Monday can also be transformed into an awesome day with such recipes.