Wake
Easygoing Conservative
- Jun 11, 2013
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- #1
Hi there.
Anyone here ever tried kefir? 'Ke-FEER.'
It's like a cross between yogurt and buttermilk. Also, kefir's effervescent, like a dairy champagne.
First I drank 'Lifeway' kefir bought from Wal-Mart, and it was good, but it had 11 grams of sugar per serving!
So I started making my own by purchasing 'kefir grains,' and this last week has been like an interesting science project. Fermenting milk and turning it into something that's really delicious and healthy. Could have put this in the food section, but the topic's a bit more general, in that I was wondering how many of you guys consider your gut health and the balance of your gut flora.
Think you'd wanna try kefir out? If so you'd probably wanna buy it first before making it. For systemic candida overgrowth sufferers like me and those who are lactose intolerant or deal with Crohn's disease [among other stuff], this has been a really good thing for my health.
It's a bit rare to find real, REAL food that you actually make, that hasn't been processed or produced by big corporations. I like making fermented foods and growing my own heirloom produce. Kefir's from ancient turkey, and many heirlooms are like pieces of history from 200 years ago. It's really neat, and with your kefir you can 'ripen it by fermenting it a second time as the curds separate from the whey, and you can even make kefir cheese that you can eat without dietary consequences.
Just curious, really, and wanted to share some of my experiences with this stuff with you guys. The kefir grains you can buy online, and they're basically protein-bacteria complexes that look like pieces of cauliflower, and you can actually eat them for a probiotic punch. People always say you should eat yogurt because they have probiotic strains of bacteria in 'em. Yogurt's got, what, five kinds of bacteria? Store-bought kefir has about twelve strains. Homemade kefir has up to sixty [yes, SIXTY] different kinds of good bacteria for your gut, and it's loaded with goodies like folate and other vitamins and such.
I'm thinking of adding a few more bits of stuff about kefir and fermented foods and sources in this thread, later on. Right now I'm on the fourth batch of homemade kefir, and they're finally working right. This weekend I'll try making some cheese, and start working on simultaneous batches [mainly I'm desperate to find ways to improve my health]. So far it's been fun, and in the process I get to make my own whey protein, too, which isn't half-bad or loaded with sugar, dyes, and flavorings.
Who else knows about kefir, or is a bit interested in it?
Anyone here ever tried kefir? 'Ke-FEER.'
It's like a cross between yogurt and buttermilk. Also, kefir's effervescent, like a dairy champagne.
First I drank 'Lifeway' kefir bought from Wal-Mart, and it was good, but it had 11 grams of sugar per serving!
So I started making my own by purchasing 'kefir grains,' and this last week has been like an interesting science project. Fermenting milk and turning it into something that's really delicious and healthy. Could have put this in the food section, but the topic's a bit more general, in that I was wondering how many of you guys consider your gut health and the balance of your gut flora.
Think you'd wanna try kefir out? If so you'd probably wanna buy it first before making it. For systemic candida overgrowth sufferers like me and those who are lactose intolerant or deal with Crohn's disease [among other stuff], this has been a really good thing for my health.
It's a bit rare to find real, REAL food that you actually make, that hasn't been processed or produced by big corporations. I like making fermented foods and growing my own heirloom produce. Kefir's from ancient turkey, and many heirlooms are like pieces of history from 200 years ago. It's really neat, and with your kefir you can 'ripen it by fermenting it a second time as the curds separate from the whey, and you can even make kefir cheese that you can eat without dietary consequences.
Just curious, really, and wanted to share some of my experiences with this stuff with you guys. The kefir grains you can buy online, and they're basically protein-bacteria complexes that look like pieces of cauliflower, and you can actually eat them for a probiotic punch. People always say you should eat yogurt because they have probiotic strains of bacteria in 'em. Yogurt's got, what, five kinds of bacteria? Store-bought kefir has about twelve strains. Homemade kefir has up to sixty [yes, SIXTY] different kinds of good bacteria for your gut, and it's loaded with goodies like folate and other vitamins and such.
I'm thinking of adding a few more bits of stuff about kefir and fermented foods and sources in this thread, later on. Right now I'm on the fourth batch of homemade kefir, and they're finally working right. This weekend I'll try making some cheese, and start working on simultaneous batches [mainly I'm desperate to find ways to improve my health]. So far it's been fun, and in the process I get to make my own whey protein, too, which isn't half-bad or loaded with sugar, dyes, and flavorings.
Who else knows about kefir, or is a bit interested in it?