If you've ever been tempted to throw out watery-looking yoghurt, think again - a doctor has unveiled its unexpected purpose.

Many of us are guilty of chucking away food that looks a little off, but is probably fine in reality. In fact, billions of pounds are wasted in the UK for this reason, according to Business Waste, with a staggering 9.5 million tonnes of food binned every year.

But one doctor suggests you can do your bit to slash this, by keeping hold of your yoghurt - even if a strange puddle of water has built up on its surface. And while it may sound gross, this couldn't be further from the truth.

Speaking to his 5.3 million TikTok followers, Dr Karan Raj of Sunderland University (@dr.karanr), claimed the mysterious substance is actually jam-packed with vital nutrients and an array of vitamins. "Have you ever noticed a watery pool of liquid on top of your yoghurt?", he asked.

"Don't be so quick to drain it off thinking your yoghurt has gone bad. This mysterious puddle is full of essential nutrients - protein, calcium, B12, even probiotics - as well as a bunch of other minerals."

Believe it or not, this yoghurt water also has a name - whey. It's formed when milk undergoes 'coagulation' - the process in which it's thickened to become cheese or yoghurt.

While some of the milk solidifies to form 'curds' - being the more solid parts of cheese or yoghurt - liquid whey is formed too. Dr Raj continued: "The longer you leave your yoghurt undisturbed, the more likely it is that whey will build up and rise to the top, and leave a watery film.

"In a lot of firmer cheeses, like cheddar or parmesan, the whey is actually pressed out and it has a reduced lactose content. But the whey is the component that makes the yoghurt softer and thinner in consistency."

If you still can't bear to eat this watery yoghurt, Dr Raj claims that many Greek and Icelandic variations have been strained of whey for an ultra thick consistency. "You're more likely to get this yoghurt pee from non-Greek yoghurts - especially those without added stabilisers," he added. "But otherwise, stir it back in and enjoy."

Unsurprisingly, Dr Raj's post was since met with countless baffled comments, as many users had no idea that 'whey' was even a thing. One person joked: "No whey!! I didn't know that," as someone else added: "Oh no!! I've thrown sooo much away - not anymore."

Another claimed that it works for sour cream too, writing: "Wait - people strain that off? Sour cream, yogurt, whipped cream cheese - stir them ALL if you see it. I thought this was common knowledge."

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