This Digest is all about #Yogurt and #HealthyDiet
Discover the first episode!
What’s in a signature?
Figure 1: Yogurt as the signature of a healthy diet
The word signature means “your name written by yourself, always in the same way, usually to show that something has been written or agreed by you” (Cambridge dictionary); or “A person’s name written in a distinctive way as a form of identification in authorizing a cheque or document or concluding a letter” (Oxford dictionary).
For some, the word signature might conjure up notions of a signature dish created by an iconic chef: a unique recipe that identifies that chef. Imagine for a moment getting into the mind of that chef. He carefully considers the vital ingredients that are needed to add just the right balance of flavours, he brings them together in a step-by-step method to create the perfect blend of tastes and textures, and his culinary creation is completed with the presentation of the dish in his unique style. Much of his art stems from his own unique identity, and he infuses an extra something that you might call love, an energy, or simply a touch of finesse, rendering his signature dish a recipe that isn’t easy to replicate.
So, it could be considered that a signature is a print, a label, describing the unique reality surrounding a specific product, service or concept. In the case of yogurt, there are many studies emphasising the positive link specifically between yogurt consumption and metabolic health. Hence, it might be relevant to raise the question: Is there something particular and unique about yogurt that offers a specific advantage or benefit to yogurt consumers?
Building on this concept of a signature dish, you could say that the unique characteristics of yogurt – the nutrient mix, the fermentation process, the active cultures, the texture, the taste, the consistency – are blended together in harmony in such a way that it offers a benefit over and above the value of the inherent calcium, protein, live bacteria, whey, and so on. The whole is certainly greater than the sum of its parts!
This isn’t limited to the nutrients yogurt provides; it possibly has a “symbolic” nature, for example, people who choose to eat yogurt tend not to be high consumers of potato chips, and yogurt eaters might have chosen a lifestyle that promotes good metabolic and overall health (1).
