I am going to post a health tip today. This is something I newly discovered the past few months and I now live it, love it and swear by it. KEFIR!! Some say KEY-FUR...which is my choice...but supposedly it is KEH-FEAR. Whichever pronunciation you choose has no bearing on the benefits of this pro-biotic, rich drink. So now I am sure you have a few questions, well I will try to answer them.
What IS kefir?? Kefir is a fermented drink. It is most popular in a cow's milk base but can be made with water, coconut milk or goats milk.
How is kefir made?? Kefir is started with what are known as kefir grains. Kefir grains are little bundles of live bacteria, pro-biotics, enzymes and yeasts. Milk kefir grains look similar to cottage cheese curds. Water kefir grains look similar to blonde colored, rock candies but are squishy, not hard. Placing a milk kefir grain into milk does two things. First, the grain makes the milk its home. It consumes all the sugars in the milk which allows it to grow and the yeasts ferment the milk causing it to thicken much like buttermilk or yogurt. It is the same process. Water kefir does the same but you must ad sugar to the water to allow the grain to eat, grow and multiply. As the grains consume and grow in the sugars in milk or water, they slough off powerful pro-biotics, vitamins, enzymes and healthy yeasts. The milk and water is allowed to ferment for up to 36 hours, then the grains are drained from the liquid, placed in fresh milk or water and allowed to ferment again. The collected liquid is used by you!
What is kefir like?? Milk kefir is VERY similar to plain yogurt. It is not as thick but looks very close and tastes very close...sometimes it will have an almost carbonated sensation. It is not delicious but it is also not gross. It is not like soured milk, it is very different. Soured milk will turn anyone's stomach, whereas kefir is a clean, creamy tasting liquid with a slight fermented taste. Water kefir is sort of like a very flat, watered down soda. It is also not amazingly delicious but it is also not gross. I have heard coconut milk kefir is the tastiest of all but I have not tried it as it is costly to make.
What is the POINT of kefir?? I mean why would I want to drink a fermented anything?? Here is where the facts get really good. Kefir has been proven to be an outstanding source of pro-biotics. It far outweighs any benefit you would ever receive from yogurt or pro-biotic supplements. Here is an excerpt from one of my favorite kefir websites.
"Both kefir and yogurt are cultured milk products…but they contain different types of beneficial bacteria. Yogurt contains transient beneficial bacteria that keep the digestive system clean and provide food for the friendly bacteria that reside there. But kefir can actually colonize the intestinal tract, a feat that yogurt cannot match. Kefir contains several major strains of friendly bacteria not commonly found in yogurt, Lactobacillus Caucasus, Leuconostoc, Acetobacter species, and Streptococcus species. It also contains beneficial yeasts, such as Saccharomyces kefir and Torula kefir, which dominate, control and eliminate destructive pathogenic yeasts in the body."
What is the history behind kefir?? Fermented foods have been around for centuries. Cultures that consume them have always proven to be very healthy. Milk was fermented to keep it longer on the shelf. By doing so, many health benefits were observed and are still today.
I will tell you right now that if you read up on kefir you will be amazed lol. It cures cancer, makes you fertile, makes you rich, brings world peace, stops your enemies dead in their tracks, makes a great love potion and makes you loose 50 lbs overnight. Beware internet hype on anything. There were enough good points that I wanted to try it for myself. Me and my family have been using it daily for about 4 months or so. Here is all I discovered and I promised to divulge all, we are all adults here so if you can't deal with the facts of bodily functions without turning into a first grader, maybe you should turn back now. :D
First, kefir is SO strong in its pro-biotic content that you have to start on it slowly or !KABOOM! might go your intestines! Or at least some really terrible gas and perhaps the runs. Don't let that scare you off, just start slow, no big deal. So we started slow and worked up over a weeks time. At first, even slow we were all a little gassy. Not terribly but more than usual. Over a longer period of time I noticed I lost a little weight. Not a lot but about 5 lbs. This is suppose to be due to the better digestion. I can't speak for my husband but I also noticed that my bowel movements are now a lot more volume wise. That might sound terrible but I think it is great, I feel like I am digesting better and ridding the waste much better. I also noticed that my husband who has always had terrible post nasal drip, doesn't anymore. Here is the best part for our family and everyone's experiences will differ. Both my husband and I have really terrible spring and summer allergies. This year we had RECORD pollen levels. Neither of us had ANY allergies this year, I kid you not. NONE. Didn't have to take meds of any sort. Do you know what a miracle that is for us?? Well, we do and we know it was the kefir. That is one thing most people do have benefits with. It was amazing and all worth it right there. I also got a yeast infection around the 4th of July, I never get them, coincidentally I didn't have kefir for about 4 days and went swimming in a public pool which I never do either, GROSS! Once I got home and back into my routine of daily kefir, the yeast cleared up with no meds and rather quickly. I also know this was due to the kefir as that is another thing many have success with. Kefir is good for your gut and a healthy gut means a healthy immune system, a healthy immune system means less illness, less allergies, clearer skin and much more. If you are willing to try it, I say go for it! If you are not willing, I honestly think you are missing out. It is easy, cheap and really has amazing benefits. Even those who are lactose intolerant have great success with kefir. And if you suffer from IBS...well many have amazing success with kefir. It is not a cure-all, nothing is, but it is truly a healthy, easy supplement and worth a try.
If you would like more info, check out this website, it has loads of information:
http://www.yemoos.com/index.html
