Kefir: King of Probiotics

[MorningSong]

This is one of my favorite healthfood resources: Kefir to make kefir yogurt and sparkling kefir lemon drink (naturally carbonated and may be slightly alcoholic).

The best way to have kefir is to make it at home with real live kefir grains. Kefir grains are composed of a complex structure of bacteria and yeasts with proteins, lipids and sugars. At first glance, kefir grains look a lot like cauliflower. Inside kefir grains are countless beneficial probiotics that are good for the body.

Kefir yogurt is really very similar to regular yogurt, but it is simply a whole lot better. If you look at kefir and yogurt in a probiotics perspective, kefir has 5 times more friendly bacteria in it than yogurt. And it’s not just the population, it’s the diversity of beneficial bacteria that lives in kefir grains that make kefir do what it does.

I can be used at any age, even given to newborns (the yougurt, of course!). Here are some things it does:

*Regulates the body's immune system and improves resistance to diseases.
* Regulates the blood pressure, blood sugar and cures diabetes.
* Heals the lungs, bronchitis, tuberculosis, asthma, allergies and migraine.
*Heals various eczema, all skin disorders and leads to cure of acne.
* Heals the kidneys, the urinary tract and protects prostate.
Improves the liver and gallbladder, regulates bile production, influences positively hepatitis.
* Regulates metabolism, digestion and heals diseases of the colon.
* Heals colitis, diarrhea, catarrh, reflux, leaky gut syndrome, candidasis and more.

And much, much more!

Find out more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir
http://www.kefir.org/kefir_manual.htm
http://www.yourkefirsource.com/

[morse101]

This reminds me of kombucha which is a Chinese / Japanese drink , it's also slightly alcoholic about 1% and once you have some of the drink containing the bacteria you can make as much as you want with just a few green tea bags, boiling water and sugar. The bacteria turns the sugar into all sorts of beneficial amino acids during fermentation, if you leave it too long to ferment however you end up with something that tastes a lot like vinegar so I find it's best to let some of the sugar to remain before bottling and storing in the fridge. It's also quite fizzy and really refreshing when served chilled take a look if you are interested http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_803_make-kombucha-tea.html ,there are stacks of how to videos on youtube/google

[THE eXchanger]

how to get them locally
http://www.torontoadvisors.com/Kefir/kefir-list.php

[AKjoe]

Caution! Kefir is very popular in Eastern Europe. You can buy it in any grocery shop next to milk. Alcohol is big problem in Russia so there are lots of people who are fighting this problem, thats how i know this. If i remember correctly than in the 70s kefir was introduced in child nutrition, in kinder gardens and schools. The percentage of alcohol in child's kefir was 0.5% alcohol. Around 500ml Kefir per day, in the kinder garden, per child. If the bottle of kefir stands for around 3h in room temperature the alcohol percentage grows to 1.5% because of fermentation and when the child drinks the kefir, alcohol percentage grows to 3% because of fermentation :? so its 15ml of alcohol around 40ml of vodka a day. Addiction grows whit years and that's how you make young alcoholic.

[Samson]

Hello,

qoute; If the bottle of kefir stands for around 3h in room temperature the alcohol percentage grows to 1.5%
This is incorrect. If it stands around for 3 days then the alcohol percentage grows to 1.5%. After 5 or 6 days the alcohol percentage grows to 4 percent, and only if enough sugar is added.
Waterkefir tastes fantastic, and there are quite a lot of recipes to experiment with. If you add one teaspoon of sugar when you bottle it, and leave the bottle outside the fridge for one day it sparkles like champagne. Then you can store it in the fridge and you can leave it closed for ever... but you wont... its too tasty and refreshing, and side effect is that it is very very very benificial for your health. You can look it up on the www there is enough information to be found.

I have waterkefir http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/images/ginger-water-kefir.jpg and if you live in the Netherlands or Germany i can send you a portion to start with for free! Its a phenomenal drink, youll love it. Send me a mail if youre interested.



The stock is very limited, so if all of you lovely ppl want a portion it might take a vew weeks before i can send it to you.

[TheTwo]

Caution! Kefir is very popular in Eastern Europe. You can buy it in any grocery shop next to milk. Alcohol is big problem in Russia so there are lots of people who are fighting this problem, thats how i know this. If i remember correctly than in the 70s kefir was introduced in child nutrition, in kinder gardens and schools. The percentage of alcohol in child's kefir was 0.5% alcohol. Around 500ml Kefir per day, in the kinder garden, per child. If the bottle of kefir stands for around 3h in room temperature the alcohol percentage grows to 1.5% because of fermentation and when the child drinks the kefir, alcohol percentage grows to 3% because of fermentation :? so its 15ml of alcohol around 40ml of vodka a day. Addiction grows whit years and that's how you make young alcoholic.

IMO, more chance that alcohol problem in Russia is due to vodka being cheaper then coca-cola, beer is not officially and legally considered an alcoholic beverage. Kids drink beer on breaks in school. This is result of careful and deliberate law-making and marketing, aimed at nothing else but population reduction.
Somebody sees Russia as a problem that needs to be solved, there's an open war going on future generation, with alcohol, drugs and tobacco being cheaply available and widely advertised..

all in my opinion, which is based on first hand experience, of course.... :)

PS. kefir is great, we just learned to make it at home from Goat Milk - very nice!

[conk]

Can someone advise on how to make it without using pastuerized milk? You can use water? Can you use any liquid if you have the base culture?

[Wings]

You can make yoghurt with soy, so you should be able to make this with soy too ... I would think.

[Samson]

@ conk Waterkefir and milkkefir are two different cultures. Ive read milkkefir adapts itself quite well in water as long as it gets sugar to feed itself on, but it might be hard to keep your culture healthy. I havent tried my waterculture in milk yet, but might one day. Atm im just playin with different fruits and teas and time to find the flavour i like most.

Healthy waterkefir looks like this http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_j1V7tbHLpe4/TTEMF4h-ICI/AAAAAAAABJk/UIhxrsgHH7Y/s320/water+kefir+02.JPG

Milkkefir looks like this http://simplygoodfood.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/kefir-grains-300x207.jpg

[zeropoint]

cool kefir info site here: http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefir-faq.html[COLOR="red"]


i use raw goat milk, works like a charm :-)


Can someone advise on how to make it without using pastuerized milk? You can use water? Can you use any liquid if you have the base culture?

[Czarek]

I'm surprised that we are not talking more about this subject. IMO, healthy bowel flora is paramount to physical well being.
One one my favorite web sites is Dom's:
http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html


Looks like we're on the same page zeropoint! I'm using Dom's kefir grains. Love it!

[Kristin]

I use a kefir yogurt that I buy in the store. It's been working for me in my morning shakes with fruit and goat yogurt. Great pro biotic.
From the Heart,
Wormhole

[onawah]

It's so funny this thread appeared today, since I was just telling a couple of friends about the benefits of kefir.
I found a great source of raw milk locally, and I get 2 &1/2 gallons from the farmer per month and make kefir with 2 gallons, then use the 1/2 gallon for making cocoa.
Raw kefir lasts a lot longer than plain raw milk, so I have enough for the whole month without having to make more than one trip.
I prefer raw goat milk, but that's harder to get and more expensive.
The cow milk I get is only $3 per gallon!
That's a lot of nutrition for 3 bucks!

[Zillah]

ONAWAH I was JUST GOING TO POST the same thing you said -- I was just ranting about kefir and colostrum (the two things I do not want to live without) we are all indeed connected!!!

Its so much better if you make your own -- much more fresh and delicious and you can select a healthy source of milk this way :)

Happy Good Bacteria all!

[modwiz]

ONAWAH I was JUST GOING TO POST the same thing you said -- I was just ranting about kefir and colostrum (the two things I do not want to live without) we are all indeed connected!!!

Its so much better if you make your own -- much more fresh and delicious and you can select a healthy source of milk this way :)

Happy Good Bacteria all!

Love your atittude. Without bacteria this planet would be a barren rock with sterile oceans if they were even there. Even the so called bad bacteria are simply lost ones who have been misplaced usually owing to human sloppiness.

[onawah]

Yes, probiotics are so important. I don't know how people manage without, especially considering the overkill use of antibiotics these days.

[Cjay]

Please correct me if you disagree. My understanding is that probiotics, like vitamins, are only of benefit if you have a deficiency or imbalance.

[Aetheric Traveler]

I have experimented with drinking Kefir, but not making it. Kombucha cultures were easier to find at the time I was investigating fermented beverages. Some of the most long lived people's of the world have some sort of fermented natural product as part of their daily diet. I had to stay away from Kefir because of the prostaglandins in the milk not agreeing with the Candida overgrowths in my system (sinuses, liver, etc). Kombucha was much more effective for me personally.

The statement 1% alcohol seems a little high to me regarding properly made Kombucha. I made Kombucha for 2 years before accidentally contaminating my culture. The usual alcohol content never seemed more than that of plain ol' orange juice which is between 1/4% - 1/2%. In the USA, any beverage less than .05 or 1/2% alcohol content is considered by the FDA to be Non-Alcoholic. Kombucha is made in Russia, all across Europe and of course the Asian countries.

It seemed to be the more beneficial drink for me than Kefir at the time due to Kombucha's effect on slowly re-balancing the normal Candida levels in my body. Candida is present as a normal part of people's flora and fauna. Only chemical conditions allow/cause it to overgrow does it become a problem. I can understand why Kefir would be beneficial in helping with psoriasis which is Candida overgrowth/imbalance of the skin, because the fermented milk bacterii would be more powerful than plain yogurt, which is the fastest, easiest and safest way to cure psoriasis.

I may have to reinvestigate Kefir as a dietary experiment to see if my toleration of the milk prostaglandins has improved.

[Aetheric Traveler]

Please correct me if you disagree. My understanding is that probiotics, like vitamins, are only of benefit if you have a deficiency or imbalance.

What is your definition of beneficial?

If you were to experiment with kefir on a regular basis and find that it improves your overall general health, would you call that a benefit?

Vitamins certainly are a great benefit even when you don't have an imbalance. They make up for the lack of many important chemical substances that get processed out of today's modern foods, as long as they a quality supplements with good bioavailability and absorbability.

But just like anything else because all people are different. If you gave 2 people the exact same dietary changes with supplements, Kefir or Kombucha, you will get 2 different results if objectively quantified.

The only real way to answer the question for yourself is to do it yourself and be observant over a span of time, honestly asses any difference, then, challenge-test by removing that new regimen for a period of time to assess any change to see if any beneficial change dissapated, followed by renewing the new regimen to see if the beneficial change returned.

No allopathic-palliative method doctor in the world of Insurance Co. driven, Big Pharma manipulated, AMA straight-jacketed medical practices is going to admit they see that benefit even if it stares them in the face of overcoming some great medical adversity. Tis competitive to their collecting billing codes successfully.

[Zillah]

Please correct me if you disagree. My understanding is that probiotics, like vitamins, are only of benefit if you have a deficiency or imbalance.

This is how I look at it :)

Most (if not all) of us are imbalanced (granted - some MUCH more than others) at any given point or time. I don't mean this negatively - rather - I look at imbalance as, well -- a balancing act, which can change at any time from any internal or external factor. This can be physical, this can be social, this can be psychological and this can most certainly be spiritual - wherever it comes from - it is still a factor that can throw us "off."

Spending much time with holistic doctors, and as someone who healed themselves after a decade of debilitating health problems - I have found that health is a sate of Being, and to maintain this state takes much awareness and consistent maintenance and most importantly - approaching requirements from a place of wholeness, rather than a place of "lack." Yes, a HOLISTIC approach. Health is not a destination, it is a place in the Now, and the Now is always shifting, changing and evolving - we are always going to find ways for our bodies to function more optimally as we grow and learn more about ourselves.

What worked for us yesterday, today we might find is useless - the body decides this, so its important to listen to it. This is why its suggested to take everything with a 3 week on and 1 week off approach - so our body doesn't get used to it - and yes this does apply to EVERYTHING. :)

Assisting the body with daily gifts is what will keep you on track. It will help prepare you for things that are beyond your control and work with you through any situation. Most importantly, you will find "working from the ground up" will not be something thrown at you - so even if you get sick, you have prepped your body to become the ultimate warrior and it will heal, rejuvenate and even build itself into something even better than the state it was in before.

The idea here is to not be in a constant state of catching up, so for me daily maintenance is KEY. When I first became ill it happened over night. I honestly felt I was a healthy, young, vibrant person and little did I know of what was happening inside of me before it was too late. By keeping our body well-tuned and in gear, it will be able to handle anything and with little to no down time.

So what will benefit us? I feel what truly does is a healthy routine, a keen ear that listens to our body, and to never feel you only need when its too late. I feel our generation of human is going to be an ultimate and breathtaking warrior - we are going to reverse age with a synergy of holism - and im very much so excited.

We shall feed our mind, body, and soul before its starving - and that is how we THRIVE.

MUCH love xo