#TheHealthySwap with Danone Greek Yoghurt & Indian Veggie Salad Recipe with Danone Yoghurt dressing

Being healthy & fit isn’t a fad or a trend .. instead , it’s a lifestyle . The food we eat can effect our health and risk for certain diseases .. so it’s very essential to eat healthy . Healthy food need not actually be boring food … but we can make it interesting by making small small changes to our lifestyle .Making good nutritional choices is very important especially when it comes to snacking . Most of the times I think of including the right kind of healthy snacks as mid-meal snacks but due to busy schedule and lazyness end up consuming whatever snacks are close by and convenient be it Samosa , Pakoda , Biscuits , popcorn , Chips etc and end up being guilty . But not any more !!! Recently i attended a bloggers meet conducted by Danone at Bangalore and learnt a lot about the healthy swapping . I now swap my regular 4 PM snack with tasty Danone yoghurt and relish it to the core . The best part is it helps me keep full till my next meal and i needn’t worry about my waistline ….How good isn’t it ?? Tasty, easy, and has lots of health benefits !!

About Danone :

Being a pioneer and leader in dairy globally, Danone started its activity in India with the dairy business in 2010. The brand constantly works towards innovating the major food and health challenges. Their products is divided into 4 categories – Fresh dairy products, water, early life nutrition and medical nutrition. Under the Diary sector , Danone has launched range of flavored yogurts and smoothies .. made with fresh ingredients .. these are very much loved by Indian consumers . Danone Greek style Yoghurt comes in three flavors: Blueberry, Mango and Strawberry. They are soon going to launch Lychee and Peach flavors too .

Also launched in the meet was  the plain no flavored Greek youghurt .

The mango , blueberry and strawberry yoghurt are made of natural ingredients , with no added sugar and contains actual real fruit pieces .When compared to other flavored yoghurt .. Danone yoghurt has more protein than fat .

About the #TheHealthySwap Bangalore Meet :

Danone bloggers meet happened in Fava , UB City and was mainly for a reason .. to create awareness about healthy lifestyle , swapping our unhealthy snacks with healthy Danone Yoghurt and incorporating healthy eating habits in our day to day lifestyle with Danone .

To begin with Ms. Shefali Sapra , Director of Corporate Affairs walked us through the brand ,its ethics , vision and the products .

She was then taken over by  the senior nutritionist at Danone Dr. Madhavi Marathe . The session was quiet interactive and a real eye opener .

She made us realize how mindless eating can harm our health over the long run . I never knew my favorite samosas had so many calories . Though i have  been eating home made curd even when i was a baby .. i never knew how healthy they were .I haden’t realized how important and easy was healthy swapping of snacks with Danone Greek yoghurt was .

 

I completely agree lack of planning and time crunch leads to  unhealthy snacking …. but keeping Danone yoghurt handy makes it a perfect pick me up mid meal snack .

How is yoghurt healthy ?

• Nutrient rich : Yogurt is a nutrient-packed snack that nourishes us with a generous amount of calcium and protein . Yogurt is made from milk and therefore one can get a dose of animal protein (about 9 grams per 6-ounce serving), plus several other nutrients found in dairy foods, like calcium, vitamin B-2, vitamin B-12, potassium, and magnesium are in Yoghurt.

• Yogurt help in the Gut Health :Yogurt is a “probiotic.” Probiotics are “friendly bacteria” that are naturally present in the digestive system. Live strains of these “good bacteria” are also found in yogurt .Eating yogurt protects the intestinal tract.
• Builds immunity :Yogurt makes us strong by providing immunity. It has great potential as a protective, anti-infection agent.Increased yogurt consumption might help increase one’s resistance to immune-related diseases such as cancer and infection, particularly gastrointestinal infection.
• Yoghurt is low in calorie .. so people who are under weight management can incorporate yoghurt into their diet without any hesitation .

Did you know what is Greek yoghurt ?

Greek yoghurt is actually the thicker version of yoghurt commonly known in India as hung curd . We can make it at home by draining whey out of yoghurt using a cheese cloth . But the one made in factory uses different culture and hence it has more yoghurt . Also since most of the whey is drained out, it has fewer carbohydrates. Thus, it is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates.  Perfect for weight watchers .

Masterclass with Chef Abhijit Saha : 

By now we know how healthy Danone yoghurt is and how including them in our day to day  diet would make a difference .. i am sure next question wandering in our mind is ..won’t we get bored eating same way daily ? Can we make some easy tasty dishes out of it ? There are so many innovative dishes you can make out of Danone Yoghurt . In our masterclass … Chef Saha introduced us to few simple mouth watering dishes which can be easily incorporated in our daily life .

Conclusion :

All in all .. i had a great time at the bloggers meet #TheHealthySwap arranged by Danone India . I realized that replacing unhealthy snacks with healthy options is not difficult at all.  Swap your unhealthy snacks with a healthy choice like Danone Yoghurt . With just few days left for new year .. its time to make a resolution and make some serious lifestyle changes . To eat is a necessity , but to eat intelligently is an art ….

” If you keep good food in your fridge , you will eat good food – Erric McAdams “

I returned home with a healthy gift hamper  from Danone and tried out a simple Veggie salad with Danone plain greek yoghurt dressing . So simple to make , super yummy to taste .

The best part about this veggie salald with yoghurt dressing is we can relish it as such or chop fine and make a wrap / sandwich / use a dip too . Sounds interesting right ?? Time to say bye to mayonnaise and make a healthy swap with Danone greek yoghurt . Here you go:

Ingredients :

Cucumber

Onion

Carrot

Tomato

Capsicum

Cabbage

Lettuce

Olive

etc .. you can add any other veggies too

Danone plain greek yoghurt

Chat masala to taste

Black pepper as required

Salt to taste

Method :

• In a mixing bowl , add all the veggie mentioned above .
• In another bowl , prepare the dressing . Mix Danone plain greek yoghurt along with salt , pepper powder and chat masala .
• Combine both veggies and dressing . Relish veggie salad with yoghurt dressing immediately .