Healthy Living

Every morning in America, as families rush to get ready for work, school, and the labor of the day, they are in need for a quick fix at the breakfast table. Recently more and more men and women have been choosing yogurt, as their quick healthy morning snack. Several classmates have posted recently that they enjoy yogurt in the morning for breakfast, because of its convenience, affordable cost, and flavor, which makes sense with the hectic college lifestyle we live.

Yogurt is delicious, easy, quick, healthy, and nutritious. What more could we ask for out a breakfast snack? According to the article, The Nutrition and Health Benefits of Yoghurt in the International Journal of Dairy Technology, “one pot of yoghurt would provide a 5-year-old with 41% of their daily calcium requirements and an adult or teenage girl with about a quarter of their daily calcium needs” (McKinley). Yogurt truly is a great nutritious breakfast in the go, so it is no wonder McKinley states “Yoghurt is one of the most popular fermented milk products worldwide and has gained widespread consumer acceptance as a healthy food” (McKinley).

Recently advertisements for yogurt have gotten much more popular. There are ads where a husband "steals" his wife's yogurt to show yogurt is for men too, and others trying to reach the healthy lifestyle demographic. One ad that I saw recently was done by Nestle. It starts out with a group of young adults protesting with signs that say "real men love real fruit" (Nestle commercial).  Than a sign saying "deliciously healthy forever" comes across the screen, and at the end of the video a female pleads, "Take a stand for healthy snacking".

The commercial tries to convince viewers that males and people concerned about their health should eat there delicious yogurt. I asked around campus to see how frequently men were eating yogurt. Brian Lupo, a sophomore at the University of Denver, said, “I love yogurt. I have been eating it a lot lately since I started my diet. I’m trying to eat healthier and yogurt is a great snack.” This opinion was echoed by other men on campus, and yogurts popularity is prominent as seen by being one of the 8 healthiest breakfast snacks in the Food Network’s “Healthy Eats.” The article, Better Breakfasts: 8 Healthiest Breakfast Foods, has low fat and nonfat Yogurt is the first suggestion. (Amidor)

Men and women alike have begun to eat yogurt for health reasons, and despite critics that argue diary increases fat have begun to be disproven by studies. McKinley writes, “studies suggests that consumption of milk and dairy products may help to encourage weight, and fat, loss as part of a calorie-controlled diet. For example, a longitudinal study of infants who were followed until they were 8 years old found that a higher dietary calcium intake from calcium-rich foods like milk, cheese and yoghurt was associated with a lower percentage of body fat. (McKinley)

            Because of the convenience, nutritional benefits, and the taste yogurt has become a very popular snack and breakfast in a society that is increasingly getting obese. Americans live one of the fastest paced lifestyles in the world, and people who are healthy eaters have begun to choose yogurt over the alternative sugary breakfast cereal.