I recently did a video on how to make kefir. Kefir is one of my favorite foods. Along with green smoothies I think these two super foods should be included in every person’s diet. Especially moms!! We need all the help we can get, or at least I know I do!
I have been drinking kefir on and off for the last 3 years and steadily every single day for the last 9 months. This probiotic drink is teaming with beneficial probiotic strains that colonize the digestive tract and enhance one’s health. Yogurt is another example of a great dairy product that contains probiotic bacteria.
In your average yogurt you’ll get 3-5 different strains of beneficial bacteria however with homemade kefir you will get 30-50 different strains of beneficial bacteria. Kefir is way more potent! Also, yogurt feeds the good bacteria in your digestive tract but kefir actually repopulates your digestive tract with more of that good bacteria, so it’s a really good thing to eat after you’ve been on antibiotics which will kill the good bacteria in your gut.
I could go on and on about kefir but there are 3 main reasons why I love this drink so much.
ENERGY- When I start my day with kefir, I have more energy and am filled up for longer. I’ve noticed my body needs protein in the morning and kefir is a great way to get this. Instead of adding water to my smoothies I now add kefir. It’s filling, satisfying and can be paired with so many fruits and will always taste great.
LESS ANXIETY- This is one food that I feel is important for helping balance the gut and in turn the brain as well. When my blood sugar is balanced my moods are much more stable. A healthy gut leads to a healthy brain. An inflamed gut leads to an inflamed brain which means a host of problems from anxiety to depression and so on. You can read an amazing book by Dr. Mark Hyman on this subject entitled, “The UltraMind Solution.”
LESS SICK- Since making kefir a DAILY habit I am sick MUCH less than I used to be. If I start to feel sick I up my intake of kefir and make sure I get extra sleep, and stay away from sugar, the cold usually doesn’t evolve into a full blown cold. When you consume more probiotic rich foods you have more ammunition to kill off the bad bugs that come through your body. The more good bacteria, the less bad there is, which means less sickness of all kinds.
I don’t know about you but if I can eat something that will help me feel more energy and less sick and anxious…you better believe I’ll be eating it every single day.
You can purchase a few different brands of kefir but making it at home allows you to use higher quality milk, I buy raw, specifically for kefir, and you get a superior product teaming with even more good probiotic bacteria than store bought.
You can purchase your own kefir “grains” picture above, from Cultured Food Life and Cultures For Health. They are a one time purchase, as long as you follow directions and take care of them. It’s really easy. They also grow, so eventually you can give your extra grains to a friend. You just place the grains in a jar of milk and cover it on your counter, strain them out the next day and pour in new milk. That’s it! If you purchase kefir grains from either of these places listed above you will also receive instructions, so don’t worry.
I hope you’ll take the opportunity to start this new habit. Play around and make different smoothie combinations. I like to make popsicles for my kids too. You can sweeten kefir smoothies with frozen bananas or dates and add any type of fruit. Let me know what you come up with!
Have a wonderful, healthy day:)
~Hannah
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I watched a video on making kefir and the woman said to add milk to it, what type of milk are they referring to? Just plain vitamin d pasteurized milk? and what if you are lactose intolerant, can you still drink the kefir?
Whole milk is best. IF you can get raw or organic that isn’t ultra pasteurized that is even better. Some do okay on kefir if they are lactose intolerant because the kefir grains eat the lactose in the milk so there is very little lactose in the milk. The kefir grains also create more lactase which is the enzyme necessary to digest lactose so it’s a win win. Everyone differs though, try a little bit to start. You can also use coconut milk, (canned or homemade) and make kefir that way. IF you want to keep your kefir going in coconut milk for a long period of time you will need to add a tiny bit of sugar to keep the grains going. When I make coconut milk I just blend up a date or 2 with the coconut to provide some natural sugars. Let me know if you have any other questions! ~Hannah
Also, with VERY VERY VERY few exceptions, even people who are extremely sensitive to lactose… if they will do one of two processes;
1) Take one ounce of raw milk a day, preferably twice a day for 3-6 months, they will no longer have ill effects.
or
2) Take the raw milk say 2-3 ounces a day twice a day minimum, if you can, take it 3-5 times a day or at least work up to that – in weeks, you should be healthy enough to drink it by the full glass.
The RAW milk has the enzymes and the whole undisturbed Protein which work together with your gut bacteria to fully use the milk, but in sick people, processed foods and antibiotics (unless you eat organic meats – you still consume antibiotics which KILL gut bacteria) and our western lifestyle destroy the gut – a healthy body and mind starts with the gut.
Whatever works for you – if you can ONLY do the one ounce a day – DO THAT, daily. Over Time, you will eventually be healed… and VERY VERY VERY VERY few if any – can not actually drink it.
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