Will Greek yogurt be the next great “Superfood”?

If you’re Greek, chances are you have been lovingly lectured by your Yiayia on why Greek yogurt “ine toso Kalo”, including how good it is to “balance out the stomahi”.

Yiayia may also have advised you to slather some Greek yogurt on your face to banish those pesky zits, or to add some to the side of every dish you cooked.

Recently, there has been an astronomic rise in the demand in the world market for pure Greek yogurt outside of Greece, notably in the United States and Australia.

Once hard to come by outside of the Motherland, Pure Greek yogurt (the properly strained kind) is now available in hundreds of flavours and varieties in supermarkets all around the world. But not all types carry the famous health benefits.

Why has the stuff become so popular? Was Yiayia correct all along?

Greek yogurt first originated in parts of Europe hundreds of years ago, where the once widely available sheep and goat milk were first fermented to prolong shelf life. This yogurt was stored in earthenware jars underneath the family dwelling to help it remain cool.

Health and nutrition experts have long sung the praises of Greek yogurt, with many claiming that just 2 cups per day can ‘dramatically improve your health’ by providing protein, calcium, iodine, and potassium while helping you feel full for fewer calories’.

Source: Greek City Times