Kefir Kommunity

The hot weather is inching its way nearer and nearer and we all know what that means: Bathing suit season. But if your itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini has you feeling like a hibernating bear, it’s time to start shaping up. And Lifeway is here to help!

A well-known study out of the University of Tennessee found that yogurt has the power to boost your metabolism, aiding in weight loss – especially in the bikini-baring tummy area. Researchers found that obese adults who ate three servings of fat-free yogurt a day as part of a reduced-calorie diet lost 22% more weight and 61% more body fat than those who simply cut calories and didn't bone up on calcium. Yogurt eaters also lost 81% more fat in the stomach area than non-yogurt eaters.

The thought is that when there is more dietary calcium in the cells, fat is more likely to be burned instead of stored. , explains Jennifer Ventrelle MS, RD, a registered dietitian at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and owner of the private practice Weight No More (though not affiliated with this study.)

And guess what? It doesn’t have to only be yogurt! Skim milk is thought to hold weight loss potential, too. So why not kefir? Just one cup boasts 30% of your daily calcium needs, as much satisfying protein as half a chicken breast and 3 grams of belly-filling fiber. The next time you’re looking for an easy, tasty, nutritious way to bump up your weight loss efforts, try adding a serving or two of low-fat Lifeway kefir to your day and know that you’ll see results – not only on the scale or your newly reduced jeans size, but inside your body, as well.