Goodness of curd

4 healthy reasons South Indians eat curd after meals

I have a South-Indian friend who can’t live without curd! Every meal ends with a bowl of curd/buttermilk. Why do these people eat so much curd? Is it only because it is healthy? Can we curd every day?

Deepshikha Agarwal, a Mumbai-based dietician and sports nutritionist says, ‘It is perfectly fine to eat curd at the end of your meals, or even daily, as it is loaded with numerous health benefits. It is rich in proteins, calcium and vitamins that make it a healthy, comfort food.’ The reason why South Indians eat curd might be due to the fact that their meals are spicy and tangy and thus, ending it with a bowl of curd rice or buttermilk
balances the meal. Here are a few reasons why ending your meals with curd is a good idea –

Lowers risk of regurgitation: When you eat spicy food, most people tend to experience regurgitation – expulsion of undigested food from the pharynx (or burning sensation in the chest). And hence, to counteract this problem, most people end their meals with curd rice or buttermilk.

Improves digestion: Being a probiotic, curd contains vitamin B12 and microorganisms that help in growth of gut bacteria, which in turn aids digestion. Hence, eating curd daily is a healthy idea as it helps in proper digestion of food and also prevents indigestion problems andconstipation.

Helps you to fight acidity: Be it eating your lunch at 3 in the afternoon or your dinner at 10 in the night, supplementing your meals with a bowl of curd benefits your health in a lot of ways. It helps in neutralising the pH in the body and thus, cools down the heat produced by the foods you eat after long breaks. It also helps in the absorption of nutrients from other food items. Here are 5 quick-fixes for acidity you can try at home!

Good for lactose intolerants

If you suffer from lactose intolerance – people who can’t drink milk – you can safely reap the benefits of calcium and other vitamins from curd. Lactose, a protein present in milk, is converted into lactic acid in curd that makes it easy to digest.

While most people tend to eat sweet or salty curd, or drink a glass of buttermilk an hour after having meals, there are many other amazing ways to enjoy curd.

Raita: The most simple and easy-to-make alternative to curd rice is raita. All you need to do is add 2- 3 teaspoon of curd to your salad (chop the ingredients finely) and eat it along with your meals.

Curd dip: Take a bowl of hung curd and beat it to make a thick, smooth paste of creamy consistency. Add a teaspoon of ginger garlic paste, black pepper powder, salt to taste and mix. You can eat it with boiled vegetables like carrot sticks, broccoli, radish or cucumber.

Seasoned curd rice: If you don’t like curd rice, you can try this seasoned variety. Add tempered curry leaves (kadi patta), mustard seeds (rai), cumin seeds (jeera), salt and mix it with curd rice. It not only tastes better but also provides you numerous health benefits.