Ilimo Dairy Farms Yoghurt has hit shelves in the nations capital, causing quite a stir amongst local consumers. Many who have been exposed to the benefits of yoghurt are now able to purchase this healthy food at a much more affordable price. Previsouly Papua New Guinean consumers were only able to purchase expensive imported yoghurt, limiting access to yoghurts nutritional benefits.
Yoghurt has long been a super food staple. Yoghurt is a great source of protein, calcium and vitamin b2. For people who are vegetarian, or have limited access to other animal protein, it also contains vitamin b12 which you can only be found in animal products. As one of the oldest and most popular fermented foods, yogurt is known around the world for its great taste and nutritional probiotic benefits.
Yoghurt gets the super food reputation because it is so easily digested and is a good source of protein and calcium. Yoghurt also has a probiotic ability to clean up your colon and keep you healthy from the inside.
Business Development Manager Gallit Tamir said “Bacteria comes in two forms, both good and bad. Yoghurt contains good ‘probiotic’ bacteria that help promote a healthy gut. Some also have prebiotics, which feed the bacteria and help them do their job. Together they function like the maintenance department of your colon. For example, the workers are the probiotics and the mops and buckets are the prebiotics. We are often concerned about our external appearance because its what the world can see. Internal health is often neglected, resulting in poor gut health, and higher risks of disease”.
Choosing yoghurt that is the freshest and has the furthest expiration date will ensure optimum good bacteria for your body.
Tamir said “Obviously locally produced yoghurt will be the freshest yoghurt. It has had less time in transit. Our yohgurt is made right here in the Central Province from locally produced Ilimo Dairy fresh milk. It is completely locally made and consumers will see this in the cost per unit – our yoghurt is affordable and so ordinary Papua New Guineans now have access to the nutritional benefits of this super food.”
Studies being undertaken globally consistently find that including yoghurt in a healthy balanced diet is essential to good gut health, which can lead to a reduced risk of colon cancer.
Unhealthy snacking is frequent in children and teenagers, and many of the available and commonly consumed snacks are nutrient-poor, energy-dense items such as salty snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages. Substituting those products with nutrient-rich foods such as dairy products could have a positive impact on childhood obesity and overall health. As stated in the American Heart Association’s scientific statement on sugar and cardiovascular health, even when sugar is added to otherwise nutrient-rich food, such as sugar-sweetened dairy products like flavored milk and yogurt, the quality of childhood and adolescent diet is improved. Furthermore, high-protein snacks and meals induce a greater reduction in appetite than isoenergetic high-fat or high-carbohydrate foods. An Ilimo Dairy yoghurt or some other form of dairy snack is more satisfying.
Studies have show that globally vitamin D and potassium intakes are low among children 2-11, however both are often found in yogurt. A child’s bones grow quickly, and the calcium and protein found in yogurt are essential to children’s bone health. There is evidence that children and adolescents who consume yogurt regularly, that is at least once a week, have a healthier diet than infrequent yogurt consumers. Yogurt is also a dietary source of vitamin B, riboflavin, iodine, and phosphorus for children .
Yogurt has also been reported to be easy to digest and to bring essential nutrients to children with lactose intolerance and diarrhea. Most individuals diagnosed with lactose intolerance or lactose maldigestion can tolerate up to 12 g of lactose in a single dose with few or no symptoms and can tolerate even higher amounts if intakes are spread throughout the day (20–24 g).
Chairman of IAI Ilan Weiss said “ Yoghurt, one of the most nutrition dense foods, recognized globally as a superfood, is now accessible. Nutrition packed locally manufactured Ilimo Dairy fresh milk is now accessible. Agriculture has the power to build a stronger PNG. IAI is proud to be able to pioneer the dairy industry in PNG, an industry that has the ability to create healthier communities.”
Source: Innovative Agro Industry
