Health Benefits of Buttermilk

Buttermilk Benefits, Buttermilk is tasty, health-giving and delicious, a far better and cheaper alternative to soda based drinks. You can drink it plain, with a little salt, with herbs, with spices or even sweetened and flavored. Making it a part of your daily diet confers long term health benefits so make sure you have buttermilk always at hand. Buttermilk is actually a misnomer. Buttermilk is a yummy, healthy drink, either taken alone or along with meals so make it a good habit!.

In some parts of the word, buttermilk is what you get after cream is churned into butter. In Asian countries, curds are prepared traditionally by addition of culture. Curds are churned with the addition of water and butter floats to the top. Butter is removed and the remaining liquid is termed buttermilk. Buttermilk, in India, generally denotes fermented milk with plenty of water whereas Lassi denotes a thicker concoction from which butter is not removed.
If you consume buttermilk, it is better to go for the one prepared the traditional way, from curds prepared with lactobacillus culture to get the health benefits of buttermilk.

Health Benefits of Buttermilk

• Buttermilk contains about 3% protein in the form of casein, about 2% of fat, some carbohydrates, vitamin B12, riboflavin and vitamin A.
• Buttermilk is a rich source of calcium, a cup containing about 250 mg, about 218 mg phosphorus and 370 mg potassium.
• Bacteria convert lactose to lactic acid, making it a better alternative to milk for people with lactose intolerance.
• Calcium, phosphorus and vitamin B build muscle and bone and improve nerve function as well as cellular activity.
• Potassium keeps your heart healthy.
• Nutritious qualities aside, buttermilk is considered cooling and forms an indispensable part of daily meals, especially lunch, of people in parts of South India and West India.
• It helps safeguard against summer heat and prevents sunstrokes.
• Buttermilk obtained from curds made the traditional way with bacteria infusion contains lactobacillus delbrueckii, subsp.
• Bulgaricus and bifidobacteria, so important for a healthy gut.
• These bacteria help in better absorption of nutrients in the intestines, improve metabolism and keep cholesterol levels under control.
• Bacteria in buttermilk also benefits to boost your immune system.
• Buttermilk can be safely consumed by those with diarrhea, helping to bind stools and to rehydrate the body.
• A glass of buttermilk with your midday meals improves digestion and keeps you cool.

Ayurveda Benefits of Buttermilk

Ayurveda gives importance to buttermilk and recommends you make it a part of your daily meal for improved health. Apart from this, you can use buttermilk in conjunction with herbs or spices for specific purposes:

• Buttermilk obtained from curds made with cow’s milk, without the addition of salt, purifies blood and keeps your heart strong.
• Buttermilk reduces wind and phlegm.
• Buttermilk counteracts the effects of mild poisoning.
• Buttermilk mixed with wood apple is extremely beneficial in cases of dysentery and diarrhea. You can also add asafetida, cumin powder and rock salt.
• Those suffering from indigestion can add dry ginger powder, black pepper powder, rock salt and powdered dry fig leaves to buttermilk and regain appetite.
• Buttermilk with jaggery proves beneficial for those suffering from Uraemia.
• Buttermilk mixed with powdered vavding helps remove worms infestation in children’s stomach.
• Buttermilk is said to help shrink haemorrhoids.
• In cases of bloated stomach, anaemia and insomnia, a glass of buttermilk will give you wonderful relief. 

How to Make Buttermilk at Home

Ever tried making buttermilk only to find that instead of a nice, smooth, creamy drink what you have is little bits of curd suspended in water? There is a method and if you follow it your buttermilk will be buttery smooth and go down your throat like liquid silk.

• Make sure you remove as much as possible of whey from curds made with full fat milk for lipsmacking buttermilk.  
• Chill it in the fridge so that the curds set
• Now put cords in a deep bowl or a mixer and whisk it thoroughly without adding any water. The whisked curds should be smooth and must not have any lumps in it.
• Now add water in stages to reduce viscosity. Never add it all at one go.
• You can make the butter float to the top by using extremely chilled water or crushed ice.
• Add salt at the end and enjoy.

​Simple Receipe for Making Buttermilk

• Prepare curds the usual way at home and let it set.
• Add three parts of water to one part of curd and use a hand blender or churn it in a blender.
• Butter will float to the top.
• To get maximum butter, add cold water to curds before churning.
• Remove butter and what remains is buttermilk.
• You can drink it plain, with meals, with some salt, with salt, cumin seed powder and black pepper powder, with finely chopped onion, mint leaves and coriander and even add tomato for taste.

Benefits of Buttermilk

• It is probiotic and anything probiotic is good for you. You get the benefit of lactobacillus that clean up bad bacteria in the gut and colon and help remove toxins as well as cholesterol.
• A glass or two of buttermilk gives you plenty of calcium, vitamin D and protein. Your bones stay strong and you need not worry about osteoporosis.
• Buttermilk keeps you cool in summer.
• If you are lactose intolerant, buttermilk is the better alternative since lactose is broken down into a more digestible form and it proves to be the ideal substitute for milk.

Note: If you have skin disease, it is best to avoid buttermilk. Never drink buttermilk at night since it then exacerbates phlegm

Masala Chaas Recipe & Benefits

Chaas or buttermilk need not be consumed plain with just salt. You can make it a marvelous masala chaas this way.

Ingredients

• 500 grams curds, preferably not too sour, prechilled in fridge
• 2 teaspoons jeera, dry roasted and ground to powder
• 1 small onion, diced extremely fine
• 1 green chilly chopped into very tiny bits
• 1 small tomato, deseeded, chopped extremely fine.
• 2 spoons of pomegranate seeds
• 1 pinch amchur
• 1 pinch pepper powder
• coriander leaves finely chopped, a few mint leaves finely chopped.
• Rock salt, ¼ to ½ spoonful.

Receipe 

• Whisk curds using hand blender until it is a fine paste and then add some crushed ice and blend and then reduce thickness by progressively adding a little water at a time.
• Add spice powders, amchur, rock salt and whisk some more until totally dissolved.
• Add chopped onions, tomatoes and green chilles, adjusting amount as much as you like.
• Pour into glasses, garnish with mint leaves, coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds and serve chilled. You could also add a few chopped and roasted cashew nuts. You can enhance flavor by adding finely chopped curry leaves or macerated and chopped lemon leaves or just a pinch of lemon zest.

Benefits of Masala Chaas

• Chaas or buttermilk is extremely cooling in summer.
• In addition to cooling, it also helps to improve your digestion.
• If you consume fiery, spicy foods, buttermilk nullifies the effects of hot spices and reduces chances of acidity.
• The cooling power of buttermilk is increased further by addition of onions, mint and coriander, which also serve to enhance digestion.
• Buttermilk is filling and if you drink two glasses of thick buttermilk, you can even skip lunch.
• Chass keeps you feeling energetic all day long.
• Probiotic bacteria in chaas will cleanse your intestines and prevent formation of bad cholesterol, thus keeping your heart healthy.
• Calcium in chaas keeps your bones strong.
• Enjoy a glass along with meals and you will find that food goes down well and that you will actually eat less, thus helping you keep your weight under control.
• Menopausal women will find it tasty as well as useful to keep osteoporosis at bay. 
• A probiotic drink, buttermilk offers plenty of health benefits at a negligible cost as compared to expensive soda based drinks.
• It is easy to make and you can make it a part of your daily diet to enjoy health for life.