Home Made Kefir. Pro-biotics to the Rescue!

A few months ago I got an email from a foodie-friend saying she had Tibetan kefir grains to share and wondered if I was interested… despite the fact that I had no idea what to do with them, I said, “Sure” and just like that, a new odyssey began.

Kefir is a pro-biotic, much like yogurt, and as such it contains beneficial bacteria that help to maintain a healthy balance in the gut, which in turn enhances overall well-being.

I’ve been buying commercially produced kefir for years both for its pro-biotic benefits and its good taste, but I didn’t know that I could make a much more healthful version of it with little cost, fuss or time. 

Because most commercially produced yogurt and kefir is pasteurized and/or heat treated, very little of the actual beneficial bacteria survives and as such, more bacteria must be added in after the fact. (Dannon’s Activa products are an example of this.)

Aside from the convuluted nature of the commercial process (kill all the locals and then bring in untrained experts later to try to fix the mess you made) studies show that not enough of these “after-the-fact-good guys” survive the stomach acids anyway and therefore there isn’t enough oomph to populate the intestinal flora as needed. So eating mass-produced yogurt or kefir is actually delivering far less of a benefit than perhaps originally thought.  (And let’s not forget that much of the mainstream yogurt is full of artificial sweeteners such as Splenda and Aspartame).

But who cares about beneficial bacteria anyway?

You should, that’s who.

There is much to be said about a healthy internal ecosystem. And anyone who’s gotten diarrhea or a yeast infection after a course of antibiotics can confirm this fact. But the net benefits of a healthy gut extend far further than that. I recommend you check out this link and read the best explanation I’ve seen thus far.

And then I recommend that you start thinking about what you can do to get that gut in shape.

 If you’re interested in making kefir, the hardest part about the process is finding someone to give you some grains (also referred to as curds). I am sure that there are good online sources, so check around… but also, start asking your neighborhood healthy foodies. Once you find the grains, you are tapped into an unlimited supply.

You see, the grains are actual living organisms (like sea monkeys only different). When you go through the process of making kefir, you are "feeding" the grains which, through the process of fermentation, grow  and multiply leaving you with plenty to share.

Making your own kefir requires little more than good quality (preferably raw) milk, a plastic strainer and a glass bottle with a plastic lined lid or cheesecloth. Here's how to do it:

Place the kefir grains/curds in a glass jar and cover with milk. (Our family of four goes through about 1 quart each day.) Leave out (loosely covered either with cheesecloth and a rubber band or with a lid that is not screwed down) at room temp, and after about 24 hours, give the jar a good shake and then strain through  a plastic strainer (don’t use metal, it isn’t good for the culture). That’s it. Done.

To prepare the curds for the next batch, rinse them with fresh water (I use purified water, not tap), add to a clean jar and cover with milk once again. Easy peasy.

Don't forget that the grains are alive, like a sourdough starter, and so they need to be kept fed... if you don't want to make kefir every day, you can stall the fermentation process by covering your grains with a little milk and refrigerating in a lidded jar for up to a week.

If you have extra curds and no one to share them with, you can eat them or feed them to your pets. My dog, who is notorious for his sensitive gut, loves them. Other friends feed them to their backyard chickens.

Kefir can have a slightly effervescent quality to it and the taste is a little sour, like yogurt. For best gut propagation, drink a small glass first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach.

We like to make it into a  shake with frozen fruit, a banana and maybe a little splash of maple syrup or honey.

Cheers to your gut!

Comments

[Sharen Dean]

I have been making kefir since Jan of 08, and have encouraged my whole family, (and anyone that would listen)to explore the many benefits of the ancient form of probiotic. I have just sent an open letter to all of them with your LifeStyle Revolution Newsletter about homade kefir enclosed.Thank you Sharen Dean