SOUTH Africa is blessed with having and serving some of the best African foods in the world, like skopo, mogodu and kotas.
South Africa is indeed blessed with cuisine that brings out the best of our indigenous flavours.
Another South African dish is amasi or maas.
According to draxe.com, amasi is a traditional, fermented milk beverage that is very similar to kefir, which is a fermented milk drink, cultivated from kefir grains.
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It has the consistency of a liquid yogurt or tart and has a fermented taste that lets you know it contains valuable probiotics.
A nutritional staple for most South Africans for hundreds of years now, amasi have recently come into the mainstream more as probiotic foods and have continued to gain attention and praise for their gut-healing, immune-boosting properties.
Richard Mokua, a native South African, has spent years studying traditional African foods, especially those originating from Kenya where fermentation is utilised to prolong food’s freshness despite high temperatures and a lack of cooling systems.
In 2004, master’s student in Wisconsin Mokua undertook an investigation into amasi and its impact on children and diarrhoea.
He had noticed growing up in Kenya, that children who regularly consumed this beverage had noticeably less frequent bouts of diarrhoea.
His study was later followed by parallel studies which looked at the benefits of eating probiotic foods such as amasi.
Today, years later, research is continuously revealing to us that amasi helps with a range of health benefits.
Here are some of them:
1. Great for digestion
Probiotic foods like amasi improve digestive functions, including reducing constipation, bloating and diarrhoea.
2. Great for immunity
They can boost immunity and offer increased protection against cancer, allergies, parasites, infections and illnesses. One study done in Colombia found that treatment with probiotic strains could result in a 60% reduction in certain types of intestinal infections that affects children and can cause mortality in some cases.
3. Protects against some disease
Probiotics offered in amasi have been correlated with better cognitive functioning and protection against dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
4. Great for hormones
Amasi also play a role in regulating hormones, including those that control appetite, satiety and weight.
