Drinking buttermilk is a common habit among people living in tropical countries. South Indians, in particular, are more obsessed with this amazing drink. You can witness free buttermilk stalls everywhere in South India during summer seasons. It is considered auspicious to offer a person with a glass of buttermilk in this part of the country. One of the main reason for it is its various health benefits. It is one of the oldest forms of cool drink.
Many people in India offer buttermilk in place of tea or coffee for their guests. It is really easy to prepare buttermilk at home. Lactobacillus bacteria present in the milk is responsible for turning milk into yogurt. Yeast combines with this bacteria to make this fermentation possible. During this fermentation process, lactose sugar present in milk is converted into lactic acid. The presence of lactic acid is the main reason behind the amazing taste of cheese, curd, and yogurt.
The good bacterias present in buttermilk helps with digestion of vitamins and minerals. So it is indispensable for our better health. Sometimes antibiotic medicines we consume will destroy the good bacterias in our body along with the bad ones. Drinking buttermilk will help to regain these lost good bacterias.
Buttermilk is usually prepared by diluting curd this will dilute the fat content present in it as well. So unlike curd, buttermilk has low-fat content. However, it is rich in potassium, vitamin-B12, and Calcium. It has higher levels of lactic acid over skimmed milk. Buttermilk can be easily digested over milk. A cup of milk contains 157 calories and 8.9 grams of fat. On the contrary, a cup of buttermilk only contains 99 calories and 2.2 grams of fat.
Benefits of Buttermilk
- Buttermilk regulates the body temperature and gives us that refreshed feel. It is very effective in quenching our thirst over any other drinks. Mixing buttermilk with any of the ingredients like ginger, cumin, asafoetida, sugar, salt, black pepper powder will increase the efficiency of our digestive system.
- It is one of the best medicine for piles. Drinking 100ml of buttermilk mixed with a little black pepper powder and salt regularly for three months will completely cure you off piles. People with piles are asked to regularly drink buttermilk in Ayurveda.
- Some people will have itchy and irritating sensation in their anus. Buttermilk is a wonderful medicine for this condition. Drinking buttermilk, lemon water, and eating less spicy foods for few days will completely cure this condition.
- Drinking buttermilk mixed with dry ginger powder will cure diarrhea, anemia and weight loss problems.
- You can cure diarrhea and vomiting sensation in children by making them drink a glass of buttermilk mixed with a tsp of sugar.
- Jaundice patients should consume mashed rice with buttermilk regularly to ease their condition. On the long run, it will fetch good results in curing jaundice completely.
- Buttermilk is a great drink to cure dehydration during summer. It quinces thirst reduces body temperature, removes tiredness, and prevents urinary infections.
- It is rich in nutrients such as calcium, Vitamin-C, and Iron. So instead of going after packaged soft drinks and carbonated drinks during summer, take a glass of buttermilk and beat the heat like a pro.