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Kefir

glitterbizkit

glitterbizkit

Bluelighter
Joined
Dec 2, 2002
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4,909
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UK
I just got my own kefir culture over a week ago, and I'm quite excited about it.

Kefir is similar to yoghurt, except it's easier to make at home, contains ca. 30 different strains of good bacteria and yeasts, while yoghurt only contains about 6 if I recall correctly. Also, the strains are more resilient than those in yoghurt, and are able to re-populate your gut more effectively than most probiotics. It also contains amino acids, B- vitamins, along with other vitamins and minerals (nutrient content here). So far I've come across a lot of anecdotal information about kefir unexpectedly clearing up a lot of chronic health problems - which makes sense, as having healthy intestines is the foundation for having good health, and kefir is a superior probiotic... It strengthens the immune system and is anti-inflammatory, and there have even been studies where kefir was shown to significantly slow the growth of tumours in mice!

And it tastes pretty nice too. My first few batches were too yeasty to drink, but now it's adjusted and tastes exactly like drinking yoghurt. I've never tasted commercially made kefir, I think the best thing about buying a culture is that it lasts forever if you take care of it... Anyway, my flatmates are sick of me raving on about my little culture, and they probably think I'm slightly weird (I admit I even talk to the grains at times). So, I was just hoping I'd find some kefir-enthusiasts here...

Some good info on kefir here
 
I add Kefir to my morning protein shake.
http://www.lifeway.net/research.php
lowfat_kef_granade.gif
 
gb, how do you flavor it without destroying any of the healthy properties? I don't really like the taste of either milk or plain yogurt, but if it tasted more like, say a smoothie, I could really get into this.
 
MDAO: I made a lovely kefir + avocado + pineapple smoothie today, with a dash of honey to sweeten it a bit. Usually I just pick up a bag of frozen fruit from the supermarket (The one I have now has kiwi, papaya, pomegranate seeds and pineapple). Frozen fruit is great for mixing with kefir in a blender.
 
I just discovered Kefir and I LOVE it! It's like drinking a guilt-free smoothie. And my intestines feel amazing after only 3 days. It's also lactose-free, which is awesome. I'm not lactose-intolerant but lactose is not good for human beings. Apparently being lactose-tolerant is weird, and prevalent only in people with European genes. Most people in the world are lactose-intolerant!
 
Chicpœna, is Kefir naturally lactose free, or is the kind you drink made from milk where the lactose has been removed?

My fiancee doesn't tolerate dairy products well, but she says cheese and yogurt bother her far less than raw milk, and butter gives her no problems at all. I always figured the microorganisms responsible for turning milk into cheese or yogurt used the lactose as a food source, and largely depleted it in the finished product. If this is the case, I can see why lactose intolerance is common even among ethnic groups that have traditionally eaten cheese, but not raw milk.

Cheese (and on a shorter time scale, yogurt too, since yogurt is technically a kind of very soft, quick cheese) are basically just pre-refrigeration methods for storing milk. In the olden days the only people who really drank raw milk were people who owned a lactating heiffer, or knew someone who did. It's wonderful stuff for a growing calf ...
 
glitterbizkit do you have any informational links about getting a culture started? I am excited I love yogurt for its health effects...I've always had problems digesting food and they have almost went away now that I started eating yogurt regularly (maybe kefir will be even better!).

anyways thanks for posting this! :)
 
I'm a kefir addict, I drink a quart of Lifeway or Helios brand every day or two. I've been making hemp granola + fresh fruit + kefir parfaits every day for breakfast at work lately too.

glitterbizkit, where did you get your starter culture? I really ought to find a local organic dairy farm and just keep my own jugs of kefir going at all times...
 
MyDoorsAreOpen said:
Chicpœna, is Kefir naturally lactose free, or is the kind you drink made from milk where the lactose has been removed?
Click to expand...

You make it from milk, and the bacteria in the Kefir digest the lactose, however I think you have to leave the same batch for a longer time (like 3 days) for all the lactose to be broken down - I typically start a new batch every 24 hours.

I got my starter culture on ebay. Apparently there are also kefir communities on the net, google and you may find someone selling/giving away kefir cultures. Its sort of kefir etiquette to give away (or sell at a very low price to cover postal fees) when you have a surplus, as the culture grows at a pretty fast rate. I have about triple or even quadruple the amount that I had when I started, trying to find a way to get rid of it, so if anyone within the UK wants some, PM me! (Probably not a good idea to buy/sell outside your own country, as kefir cultures should ideally be kept in milk at all times, and time spent in shipment should be as short as possible, 2 or 3 days max I think).

Random kefir-making tip: I've found that my kefir batch gets a better consistency and taste when I store it in the fridge rather than outside it, even though it takes longer at a cooler temperature.
 
so you add a few bits of grain into the milk and let the bacteria populate the milk?

Then to resupply your culture you just add some grain to it and the bacteria takes over the new grain? Sorta like a liquid culture of mycelium for mushroom growing?
 
I've had this in Turkey, good for stopping the intense stomach problems that everyone in my family seemed to get there.

I like it when its made minty.
 
Haha yall are doing it the hard way! I just buy my kefir at the health food store. Mmmmm pomegranate... :)

MDAO, glitterbizkit had it right when she said that the microorganisms digest the lactose. It is made from real milk, and then becomes lactose free. So if your fiancee is lactose-intolerant (like most of the world) she can drink kefir safely!
 
I would take that kind of claim with a grain of salt chicpoena. Yes, the bacteria in kefir digests lactose into lactic acid, just like the bacteria in yogurt. But, for someone who's severely lactose intolerant and trying to avoid it as much as someone with Celiac's disease tries to avoid gluten, I wouldn't recommend kefir. Who knows how many milligrams or even grams of lactose are left in any random batch of kefir. It's probably safe if you get an upset stomach from drinking milk, but all dairy products are off limits if you're paranoid about lactose.

BTW, pomegranite is awesome but they don't stock it in any stores around here in NH. We just have peach, blueberry, strawberry, vanilla, and sometimes raspberry.
 
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