Kefir: Probiotic Jewel

Harnessing Nature’s Abundant Goodness

This cultured-milk beverage is therapy for digestive troubles.

It’s a fermented and enzyme-rich food. Containing natural probiotics that help to balance your intestinal bacteria. This will:

  • Inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria
  • Restore your inner ecosystem, especially after antibiotics
  • Promote good digestion
  • Boost immune function
  • Increase your resistance to infection.

More nutritious and therapeutic than yogurt, kefir supplies natural probiotics, protein, essential minerals and valuable B vitamins.

Research has shown that probiotics must be taken regularly for your healthy internal bacterial balance to persist.

Simple and inexpensive to make at home. Can be made into delicious smoothies, that kids love. Excellent nourishment for pregnant and nursing women, the elderly, and those with compromised immunity.

Creamy texture with a slightly sour, refreshing taste. Mild beer-like aroma that resembles fresh yeast. It has a hint of natural bubbles. Some have described it as a cross between yogurt and champagne.

Lactose Intolerance

Many people who have been lactose intolerant for years have discovered this wonderful and nutritious supplement. The yeast and bacteria in the culture digest the lactose you.

Try eating kefir first thing in the morning before (or for) breakfast. You may be delighted with how easily it’s digested.

Kefir vs Yogurt

Both kefir and yogurt are cultured milk products. With different types of beneficial bacteria.

Kefir can actually colonize your digestive system. Yogurt cannot. Kefir actually helps digest the foods you eat.

Contains several major strains of friendly bacteria not commonly found in yogurt

  • Lactobacillus Caucasus
  • Leuconostoc
  • Acetobacter species
  • Streptococcus species.

Also contains beneficial yeasts, such as Saccharomyces kefir and Torula kefir. They dominate, control and eliminate destructive, disease-causing yeasts in your body. These beneficial yeasts penetrate your mucosal lining where unhealthy yeast and bacteria live. They clean and strengthen your  intestines. You become more efficient in resisting such intestinal problems.

History

A cultural art that originated centuries ago in the Northern Caucasus Mountains of Europe. Making kefir without refrigeration has been  done for centuries. The name is derived from the Turkish word keif, meaning “good feeling”. For the sense of well-being people enjoy by drinking. Evidence of  this is based on centuries of anecdotal observations.

Ingredients

Traditional, authentic kefir is made by culturing fresh milk with kefir grains. Kefir grains are a starter culture, a soft gelatinous biological mass. Comprised of bacteria, yeasts, protein, fats, and sugars.

Contains approximately 40 compounds, contributing to its flavor and aroma. A 24-hour brew will contain approximately .08 to .5% alcohol.

As the active kefir grains are continually cultured in fresh milk, they increase in volume and mass. A portion of the kefir grains need to be continually removed, to prevent overcrowding, and to maintain a consistent texture.

Excess kefir grains can be eaten (highly recommended), dehydrated and stored as a backup source. And shared with others.

Instructions to Make Kefir

These instructions are for making kefir with grains from a friend. It is possible to make kefir from a culture bought in a health food store, but it is not quite the same.

  1. Store kefir grains in a clean 8 to 16 oz glass jar with a lid filled with milk. Replace milk every 2 weeks, if you are not making new batches that often.
  2. Before starting a new batch, rinse the grains in about 4 oz of fresh milk. Do not use tap water as the chlorine and fluoride can kill your kefir grains. Gently shake or stir, then strain the milk off. Discard the liquid, or feed to your pets or plants.
  3. Place your kefir grains in the glass jug, and pour in fresh milk (raw is better, but pasteurized will work, too, as will goat’s milk, cream, soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or other nut milk).
  4. Loosely close, but don’t seal the jar, to let any gas buildup escape. If you don’t have a lid, cover it with a saucer.
  5. Let sit for 12 to 48 hours, or until it has thickened and come to your liking.
    • After about 12 hours the creamy, foamy curd (the cheesy bit) will start separating from the whey (the watery bit).
    • At this point, smell the culture. It should have a clean, slightly sour, yeasty, cheesy smell like something between freshly baked bread, homemade beer, or a nice cheese.
    • If the smell is somewhat stinky, then drain the kefir grains, rinse them (2.) and repeat the process.
    • Usually you can make drinkable kefir right away, but it may take a couple of rounds for the kefir grains to grow to your liking.
  6. Strain the mixture into a bowl, to separate the kefir grains from the kefir liquid. What you’ve strained is ready to drink kefir. This may be consumed right away, or, stored in a sealed container, refrigerated and enjoyed chilled.
  7. You may let your kefir ripen longer and strain off the liquid to make excellent soft cheese. Use higher fat milk for that.
  8. Store the kefir grains to repeat this process.
Author: Life Enthusiast Staff