The Benefits of Kefir and How to Make Your Own

Yogurt with live cultures are a good starting place but do not provide enough of these good bacteria to shift the balance in favor of the good bacteria. That is why I suggest taking a clinically tested probiotic.

Of additional benefit is the use of Kefir. This is a unique fermented beverage, used for centuries by Asians. It is produced by mixing raw milk with kefir grains. (It is not absolutely necessary to use raw milk though there are more benefits if you do.)

These cauliflower-like grains consist of complex colonies of 35 different strains of beneficial bacteria.

Simply remove the grains from the milk and replenish with new milk and you are on your way to having a continuous supply of kefir and plenty of grains to share with health conscious family and friends.

The resulting beverage is thick and a bit sour. The longer you leave the grains in the milk the more sour it will become. It usually takes about 24 hours for the grains to do their magic. In fact, you can make kefir cheese with longer soaking.

You may be familiar with commercial "kefir" available in some grocery stores; that's an enhanced version of buttermilk, NOT real kefir. These commercial beverages fall short of the benefits of kefir.

There is a tradition around the use of kefir grains. That tradition is to give the grains away as they grow quickly if properly taken care of. In fact, there are kefir communities on the Internet where people share their excess grains with people that live close by.

My favorite use of my kefir is to make a smoothie using frozen strawberries, a banana and a little raw honey from a local farmer. Yummy! This makes a great lunch.

This is a site where you may be able to connect with someone close to where you live for your own free grains.

Remember, kefir grains are live and must be treated with tender loving care. Do so, and they will reward you with lots of a great tasting probiotic beverage and great health.

Related Articles:

return from benefits of kefir to Food and Wellness: Making Sense of the Confusion about Fat

Looking for Nutritional Supplements That Won't Risk Your Health or Harm Your Family??