The food that could help fight off a cold AND give you flatter abs

There is a lot of talk about super-food these days, and it can be hard to keep up with all the acai-powders and quinoa sprouts currently trending with health bloggers and wellness obsessed.

But did you know there is one common food you probably already have in your fridge that has all sorts of surprising health benefits? Yogurt. That's right. According to studies, people who have a daily serving of yogurt (the natural kind, not the laden with sugar variety, that is), tend to be slimmer, have better muscle/fat ratio and have stronger immune systems than people who don't eat it on a regular basis. In fact, here are five amazing benefits you will get from including some natural yogurt in your diet every day: 1. Yogurt is laden with vitamins One serving of yogurt is a significant source of potassium, phosphorous, riboflavin, iodine, zinc, and vitamin B5 {pantothenic acid}. As well as this, yogurt also contains B12, which maintains red blood cells and helps keep your nervous system functioning properly. 2. Yogurt could prevent high blood pressure Every day as many as 70 percent of us consume more than twice the recommended amount of salt; something that over time that can lead to hypertension and kidney and heart disease. The potassium in yogurt may help flush some of the excess sodium out of your body. In fact, adults in a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition who ate the most low-fat dairy — two or more servings daily — were 54 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure than those who ate the least. 3. Yogurt can keep you cold free According to an Austrian study, women who ate yogurt daily had much stronger and more active T cells, which battle illness and infection, than those who didn't eat it.  The healthy bacteria in yogurt help send signals to the immune-boosting cells in your body to power up and fight off harmful bugs. Meaning; eating yogurts has immune boosting powers. Another benefit: In a study in the Journal of Nutrition researcher found that allergy sufferers, who typically have low levels of certain T cells, may also find relief by adding yogurt to their diets. According to the study, people who ate seven ounces a day had fewer symptoms than those who opted for none at all. 4. Yogurt can help keep your bones strong and recover faster from a work-out High-protein Greek yogurt makes an excellent post-sweat-session snack, as the protein provides the amino acids your muscles need to repair themselves and the carbohydrates replace your muscles’ energy stores, which are depleted after a hard workout. The calcium in yogurt will also work to keep your bones strong. 5. Yogurt can help flatten your stomach As if the other benefits weren't enough, yogurt can also aid in making your body trimmer and leaner, according to a US study. In fact, people who ate 5 grams of low fat, high protein yogurt (like Greek yogurt) every day, lost 22 percent more weight and 81 percent more belly fat than dieters who skipped the snack, according to the research. They also retained one-third more lean muscle mass, which can help you maintain weight loss. According to Webmed, fat around your waist produces the hormone cortisol, which tells your body to accumulate even more belly flab – when you eat yogurt, the calcium signals your fat cells to pump out less cortisol, making it easier for you to drop kilos, while the amino acids help burn fat.