With so many supplements on the scene that are meant to help with metabolism and weight loss, it’s quite refreshing to think that you may be able to aid it through careful selection of the foods you eat, rather than just swallowing capsules all the time!
And since I like fruit curd so much, I decided to look into whether, as the whispers say, curd can help with weight loss. So in this article, I will go through my findings, covering not just if it helps with weight loss, how it can help, and even guide you to some really good recipes you can try.
I’ll kick things off with the basics…
What Is Curd?
Curd is basically a dairy product made from milk, usually as part of a cheese making process, that has had an edible acidic substance added to it which chemically changes it.
This reaction produces Lactobacillus, which is a healthy form of bacteria, and is the most common probiotic.
Depending on what was added to the milky substance, you can have different flavors. One of the most common ones is lemon, but you can also get tropical ones, berry ones, and so on.
It is very similar to yogurt, and it can go by different names. For example, in India it is called dahi.
In addition to the good bacteria, curd is also very high in protein. It also features carbs, fats, and minerals such as calcium. So, it has some elements that better your health, and it also has calories.
Is Curd Good For Weight Loss?
To be perfectly honest with you, I couldn’t find much scientific research into exactly how effective eating curd may be for weight loss.
There are a lot of websites that state that curd is good for weight loss, but they don’t seem to reference any studies that back it up.
But there is a lot of evidence that yogurt can help with weight loss. And when you read into why yogurt is good for weight loss, it’s because of the individual nutrients within it, which are pretty much the same as those found in curd. Specifically, protein, good bacteria, and calcium.
Therefore, I would certainly argue that there’s a case for curd helping with weight loss. And it certainly won’t hurt anyone to try it (unless you were lactose intolerant).
How Does Eating Curd Help With Weight Loss?
So, let’s take a look at how the elements of curd can help with weight loss.
Probiotics
The good bacteria present in curd helps with your digestive system, boosting your metabolism, and helping you to burn more calories.
Protein
The protein present in curd helps you to feel fuller for longer, so you are less likely to eat excess food, and you can go for longer periods of time without eating.
Calcium
The high levels of calcium found in curd can ever so slightly increase your body’s core temperature. This will boost your body’s metabolism, and prompt your body to burn more fat than it otherwise would have.
What Are The Other Benefits Of Eating Curd?
In addition to helping with weight loss, it’s also good for regulating your gut activity and treating an upset stomach.
It’s also believed to boost your immunity to several everyday airborne diseases.
The calcium present in curd helps with the development of bones and teeth.
Curd also prevents the build-up of the stress hormone cortisol in your body, which has a whole set of benefits all of its own.
Curd lowers bad cholesterol levels in the body, which in turn lowers your risk of high blood pressure and hypertension, and helps your circulatory system.
It’s also believed to have beauty benefits as well, including radiant skin, preventing premature wrinkles, removing dark aging spots, and removing dandruff.
With all these benefits, it ought to be considered a superfood if you ask me.
Using Curd In Weight Loss Recipes
As promised, here follows the links for some of my favorite online recipes for anyone wanting to incorporate curd into their diet to lose weight.
But just to give you a quick heads-up, some of the recipes require a tea strainer or some muslin, and you may have to make the curd yourself from yogurt.
Baked Tomatoes With Curd Recipe From Veg Buffet
The curd in this recipe is flavored with spices such as black pepper, black salt, and ground cumin powder and is garnished with a drizzle of olive oil, and fresh mint leaves.
And the baked tomatoes make for an excellent contrast of flavors.
Low Fat Curd Dip Recipe From Health Total
This low fat curd dip is made with the likes of skimmed milk yogurt, garlic cloves, mustard powder, lemon juice, green chili, fresh mint leaves, and a pinch of salt.
Just be sure not to eat anything fattening with it (like chips, for example). Vegetable crudités make a much healthier, low fat, high fiber snack.
I particularly like to use it as a dip for my celery sticks. Celery sticks take more calories to eat than they produce, so celery sticks are a no-brainer when it comes to weight loss smacks.
212 Low Fat Indian Curd Recipes From Tarladalal
This is the biggest round up of low fat curd recipes I could find, have a browse through and knock yourself out.
Wrap Up
So, if you want to lose weight, it’s definitely worth including either curd or yogurt in your diet.
Not only would there be a decent chance that it helps you to lose excess weight, but it has all kinds of other health benefits besides. And if you like the taste of it, there’s absolutely no reason not to have it.
Just be sure that your chosen curd or yogurt doesn’t have any added sugar and is ideally fat-free.
In order to get the maximum benefit possible for your weight loss, I would recommend eating curd or yogurt every single day until you hit your target weight.
