How to Make Homemade Yogurt- Cheaper & Healthier

A lot of people turn to yogurt as a healthy snack. The probiotics help ensure that you have a healthy gut flora, which aid in digestion of nutrients. Having healthy bacteria has some evidence of reducing colon cancer. They also help to alleviate cramps/gas (although having way too much has its own negative effects).
However, a lot of yogurts you can buy at the store contain added sugars, artificial colors and flavors, and other unnecessary things. They also cost more than homemade yogurt.

6oz Chobani Greek Yogurt: On sale for $1
32oz (Quart) of Homemade Yogurt: As little as $2.00

For the freshest and most nutritious yogurt, why not make it yourself? It is not difficult at all and you'll be loving what you get.

You only need:

1. Basic kitchen items (pot/saucepan, spoon, container with lid).
2. Milk (equal to or slightly less than the amount of liquid the container can hold). Whole milk gives more body and flavor to the yogurt but you can use any milk. 
3. Powdered Milk, 1/2 scoop to 1 cup (to make the yogurt thicker,add more/less if desired)
4. A pinch of Probiotic powder, usually Lactobacillus bulgaricus or Streptococcus thermophilus is used, although other strains may work as well. You could find those at drug stores or online here

          -Or you can just use commercial yogurt instead of probiotic powder (6oz to 4 cups of milk).
                   

Step 1: Measure out how much milk you'll need. If you're going to use some yogurt as a starter, use a little less milk. Heat the milk to about 180°F, basically to the point where bubbles start to form but do not burst up to the surface like a simmering. This kills bacteria and denatures the milk proteins, meaning that the chemical bonds break down and allow the milk to coagulate/gel together. This makes the milk less runny. Some say to let the milk heat at this temperature for 30 minutes, but this length of time isn't necessary unless you're using unpasteurized milk.

Step 2: Let the milk cool down so that it is warm. Add the yogurt/probiotics and powdered milk and mix well, making sure that there's no clumps. 

Step 3: Pour the mixture into a container, cover, and let it sit in a warm room/area for at least 6-8 hours. The yogurt itself will thicken as you let it ferment for about 8 hours). It might take longer depending on how fast the bacteria works and environmental conditions. If the yogurt is not thick enough, give it a few more hours. If that still fails, consider adding more yogurt/probiotics to it. 

Done! 

It really isn't that hard to do so get at it! Thanks for reading and enjoy your yogurt!

Paleo Summit Online Event Presentations

Hi everyone, I am back from my break/hiatus. Sorry I've been so busy! But I have been catching the Paleo Summit videos on health, fitness, and nutrition. They've been awesome.

When my friend Sean Croxton at Undergroundwellness announced that he was hosting an 8-day online health summit, I really had no idea what to expect.

But after viewing the presentations of the past several days, I must say that Sean has certainly outdone himself.

Reading through the comments posted in the virtual presentation rooms, many attendees are calling The Paleo Summit the best online health conference ever put together.

Man Suffers Heart Attack at the Heart Attack Grill

*Sigh* Today's news involves a male customer at the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vagas, Nevada. While eating a "triple bypass burger", a man started sweating, shaking, and having chest pains, all symptoms of a heart attack. Truly ironic you could say. I'm pretty perplexed that people actually eat at a restaurant that serves horribly unhealthy food and encourages bad eating habits and obesity. The "quadruple bypass burger" can easily exceed 8,000 calories. Customers over 350lbs eat free. And come on, the restaurant is pretty ridiculous itself! The staff are called "nurses", the owner "Doctor", and the customers "patients". A bottle of whiskey sits in a sealed case on the wall as an emergency defibrillator. The hospital theme is pretty much a mockery of health. Tasty food is one thing but this is just insane.

Donate to Food Bank of New York City

Hi guys, quick post. Please try to donate money to feed the needy! SigmaThetaRho Fraternity is trying to raise $1500 for Food Bank of New York City. "Proceeds from gifts made through the Virtual Food Drive go toward the programs and efforts of the Food Bank For New York City where they are needed most, in an effort to most effectively fulfill our mission to end hunger in New York City by organizing food, information and support for community survival and dignity. "
Every dollar counts!

 Donate here.

 

Controversial: Preschooler's Lunch Deemed Inadequate, Supplemented With Chicken Nuggets

A very interesting story came up today, reported first by the CarolinaJournal. A North Carolina preschooler was told by an inspector to eat chicken nuggets with her homemade meal. The child ended up eating only the nuggets.

You need to eat these too! Says food monitor

Not good enough...

"The Division of Child Development and Early Education at the Department of Health and Human Services requires all lunches served in pre-kindergarten programs — including in-home day care centers — to meet USDA guidelines. That means lunches must consist of one serving of meat, one serving of milk, one serving of grain, and two servings of fruit or vegetables, even if the lunches are brought from home." The meal consisted of the following: turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice. As you can see, there's one serving of meat (turkey), 1 serving of milk (cheese), 1 serving of grain, and 2 servings of fruit (banana and apple juice). Unless the portions were really tiny, the meal fits the bill. Nevertheless, the child was given chicken nuggets and a $1.25 bill. I'm still very sketchy about chicken nuggets after doing this blog post. Chances are, the school's nuggets aren't that good either.
Since the incident, the mother has complained to North Carolina Representative G.L. Pridgen of Robeson County.
Are these lunch regulations necessary? Do they provide important oversight to help ensure kids are eating healthy, balanced meals? Or do they impede on parents' liberties and send children the wrong message?