Buttermilk Health Benefits

Buttermilk and Health

Buttermilk is lower in fat than regular milk, because the fat has been removed to make butter. It is also high in potassium, vitamin B12, calcium, and riboflavin as well as a good source of phosphorus.

Those with digestive problems are often advised to drink buttermilk rather than milk, as it is more quickly digested. Buttermilk has more lactic acid than skim milk.

One cup of buttermilk has 99 calories and 2.2 grams of fat, whereas whole milk has 157 calories and 8.9 grams of fat. Do check the labels as some brands of buttermilk are higher in fat than others.

For those watching their caloric and/or fat intake, try putting a couple of tablespoons of buttermilk on your baked potato or in mashed potatoes as a substitution for sour cream or butter. You'll get both the butter flavor and the slight tang of sour cream with a fraction of the calories. You can also make mock sour cream using buttermilk powder.

More about Buttermilk:

• What is buttermilk? Does it contain butter? FAQ
• Buttermilk Cooking Tips & Hints
• Buttermilk Storage
• Buttermilk Substitutions, Measures, & Equivalents
• Buttermilk History
• Buttermilk Lore and Legends
• Buttermilk Health Benefits
• Buttermilk Recipes