Everyone who is a fan of dairy beverages must have known the Yakult since it’s most probably the most popular healthy drink in Asia. It’s a Japanese drink that is made by fermenting skimmed milk with a special strain of probiotic bacteria, Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota.
The end product came out to be a yogurt-like beverage, having a mild vanilla citrusy flavor which is equally liked by both adults and kids. Since only healthy and good bacteria are used to ferment this drink, it’s highly recommended by health experts and loved by all parents globally.
However, still some people have some concerns about whether Yakult is healthy or not. Whether the bacteria used to ferment the drink completely healthy or could they have some adverse effects on our body and its normal functioning? So today, we are going to debunk all the concerns and myths about Yakult in this article. Read further so you’ll be more confident about your and your kid’s diet.
Is Yakult healthy?
To figure out whether it’s healthy or not, we first need to go through its nutrient content. It will enable us to better understand its effects on our health and nutrition.
Nutrient content of Yakult
One serving of Yakult comes with a 65ml drink. The type and amount of nutrients you’d get on having this 65ml Yakult are as follows
| Calories | 50 |
| Carbohydrates | 12g |
| Sugar | 10g |
| Sodium | 15g |
| Fiber | No fiber |
| Fat | No fat |
| Cholesterol | No cholesterol |
| Protein | 0.8g |
Besides these nutrients, your body also gets a sudden boost of probiotics on having one drink of Yakult. This, in turn, brings you the following benefits;
-
Better digestion
Probiotics are already a part of your digestive system so when you drink Yakult, it gives a boost to these already existing probiotic content, making your digestive system more efficient and better. Your food is digested more easily and excreted from the body in a soft form, treating constipation.
Besides constipation, many other digestive disorders, like diarrhea, are also seen to be cured by Yakult consumption. Some people associated better digestion with higher appetites but that’s not the case. Yakult not only makes digestion better but also regulates hormones that cause appetite. In this way, you’ll be able to get rid of your harmful habits of overeating which in turn, help you lose weight.
-
Stronger immune system
Microbial imbalance is the root of so many severe diseases including cardiovascular diseases, respiratory infections, and cholesterol problems. The probiotics present in the Yakult regulate these microbial activities in your body which in turn, strengthens your immune system and reduces the potential of catching diseases.
Not only this but probiotics also prevent cancer due to having anti-cancer nature. Especially they prevent cancerous tumors from originating in your gut and colon and that’s the very reason why health experts suggest at least one drink a day to adults.
Side effects associated with Yakult consumption
When it comes to the side effects of Yakult consumption, there are none but some precautions to stay safe.
For example, if you have never had a probiotic-rich food or beverage before, chances are your stomach might show a little abnormal behavior for some days. Therefore, it’s better to keep it slow and start with only one or half drinks a day. Similarly, if you want to boost your 8-months to 1-year-old child’s health with Yakult, give him only a very little amount at first and increase the amount gradually (spoon by spoon).
Pregnant and older ladies may enjoy Yakult but it’s better to confirm with their doctors first. Lastly, if you are already suffering from loose motions or relevant gut syndromes, avoid having Yakult until you recover from them.