Kefir: Nutritional and health benefits

What is kefir?

Kefir is a fermented drink made by combining kefir grains with milk and allowing it to ferment for 24 hours. According to Jane, a licensed nutritionist with her own business, the bacteria and yeasts in the kefir grains convert the sugars in milk into lactic acid during this time, giving it a slightly sour taste. Kefir grains are a fermented culture composed of lactic acid bacteria and yeast enclosed in protein and polysaccharides, a type of carbohydrate. Kefir grains are strained out of the liquid after fermentation, but they can be stored and reused to make a new batch.

According to Jane, kefir is frequently compared to drinkable yogurt due to its creamy yet thin consistency and distinctively tart flavor. Kefir is available plain or in a variety of flavors such as vanilla, blueberry, and strawberry at most supermarkets and health food stores such as Whole Foods. Both yogurt and kefir are milk-based cultured products. The main difference is that yogurt is made solely from bacteria, whereas kefir is made from a combination of bacteria and yeast.

Kefir comes in several varieties, including:

1. Milk kefir is the most common type available in stores and the one discussed in this article. It is typically produced with cow’s milk, but it can also be made with goat’s milk, goat or sheep milk, or soybean milk.
2. Water kefir is a type of dairy kefir that is made with sweetened water, juice, or coconut water instead of milk.
3. Kefir grains are bacteria colonies that are used to ferment water or milk. They are like kombucha SCOBY starters.

Kefir is a cultured dairy product and one of Earth’s richest probiotic foods. Asian and European folk medicines use this product to cure various illnesses and ailments. Fermented milk from goat, cow, or sheep milk is much like a drinkable yogurt. It is high in calcium, vitamin B12 and K2, magnesium, enzymes, folate, biotin, and probiotics. Kefir’s nutritional value may vary according to animal, region, and culture. Kefir can be made not only from milk but from water and coconut milk as well. Make a probiotic drink, Kefir, a regular part of your diet, and it will benefit you in several healthy ways:

• Boosts your immunity

• It helps in fighting some allergies

• Builds bone density

• Heals inflammatory bowel diseases

• Improve digestion of lactose

• Supports detoxification

What should live water kefir grains look like? Click on the pic to see a nice closeup.

Kefir has probiotic health benefits

Kefir grains can ferment milk for 24 hours and convert raw milk into a vibrant probiotic drink. Probiotic drink Kefir is a refreshing, naturally carbonated drink with numerous medicinal benefits. Rich in Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus acidophilus, Kefir also supplies sufficient amounts of beneficial yeast and lactic acid bacteria. The mixture of healthy microbiota present in Kefir makes it one of the most nutritious probiotic drinks you can have.

• Regularly consuming probiotic drinks, Kefir can inhibit the growth of breast cancer.

• Kefir has lactic acid bacteria that can bind fungi and aflatoxins, thus preserving healthy genetic expression.

• If you are sick, you can skip antibiotics and drink Kefir instead. Research has proved that probiotics work better than antibiotics to eliminate an infectious agent and alleviate symptoms.

• Kefir is known to build bone density and reduce the risks of osteoporosis. Kefir increases the absorption of magnesium and calcium in the body, in addition to other bone-building minerals like phosphorus, vitamin K2, and vitamin D

• Bifidobacterium and lactobacillus strains in Kefir are beneficial in treating IBS and IBD.

• Kefir is found to affect asthma and allergies positively. Kefir works by suppressing IgE immunoglobulins, T-helper cells, and interleukin-4 inflammatory markers and may thus prevent asthma.

So, if you are looking for a substitute for yogurt that you can drink, then go for a probiotic drink, Kefir. It is naturally sweet, slightly bubbly, mild, and tangy in taste. It is much like yogurt but with much more nutritional value.

Is making kefir at home safe?

Definitely! When fermenting at home, however, it is critical to precisely follow the recipe instructions because wrong temperatures, fermentation time, or unhygienic gear might cause the food to deteriorate, making it dangerous to eat. Check out our instructions to make homemade kefir if you want to try it.

How is milk kefir made at home?

One of the primary distinctions between kefir and yogurt is the production technique. Traditional milk kefir is prepared using milk kefir grains and cow’s milk, but it is now also created with goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, and coconut milk. Kefir grains are not grains but tiny gelatinous beads that resemble grains and contain various bacteria and yeasts. The kefir grains are placed in a glass jar or bowl, covered, and kept at room temperature for at least 12 hours. This allows the bacteria and yeast to convert lactose into lactic acid, causing the bacteria to multiply and flourish. After about 12~24 hours at room temperature, the kefir grains are separated from the kefir and introduced to a new batch of milk, where they can continue to reproduce a new batch. This cycle can be repeated indefinitely. If the kefir grains are kept in fresh milk at the proper temperature, they will multiply. When kefir is refrigerated, the cool temperature slows down the fermentation process.

Is it safe to buy kefir online?

First, look at where you may buy ready-to-drink kefir in the Benelux. See the section below if you want to buy kefir grains to manufacture your own kefir. If you wish to buy kefir instead of kefir grains, you will have to do so at a store because kefir must be kept chilled and is thus difficult to sell online.

What are the best kefir grains bought?

We’ve included links to buy the best kefir grains online to make it easy for you to find the best kefir brand. Kefir can also be found in the dairy section of your local health food store.

• Buy kefir grains at the Kefirshop

Kefir grains are living cultures. It is neither fermented nor dried, nor is it sterilized. Furthermore, we would like to notify you that the packed milk kefir beverage containing the kefir grains is a perishable food. The grains arrive without incident during the shipping period. Even after a long journey, the milk kefir grains will produce the most refreshing drink for you. Please unwrap the kefir drink and grains as soon as you receive them. Buy fresh kefir grains in Belgium or the Netherlands at the Kefirshop.