Sort Your Family’s Health with Kefir

Wisdom from the Ancients

Time and time again modern science has gleaned nutritional wisdom from older cultures. The fast paced modern world is plagued with wrong nutritional concepts. One of this is milk. Milk contains a host of negative ingredients from steroids to additives to many others. But now, there is a healthier replacement. The amazing fermented milk drink—Kefir!

Ancient cultures are known for their longevity. The peoples who live in Caucasus Mountains strongly claim that this fermented milk beverage is the primary reason for their longevity. Scrolls from the time of Abraham found in the ancient country of Turkey also place credit to fermented milk for their long lives. Mohammad himself stated that Allah gave Kefir grains as a gift to humankind. Noah also claimed that angels provided him with fermented grains while he was in the Ark.

Curious? Kefir actually looks like yoghurt. It is creamy, bubbly and has a cream like consistency. But it is definitely not yoghurt. Yoghurt boasts of 10 strains of good bacteria. This helpful bacterium stays only for 24 hours on the body. Kefir on the other hand has a scientifically recorded range of 30-56 strains of good bacteria. These strains stay in the body longer than 24 hours. This will provide us with sustained protection and nutrition.

This good bacterium will cancel out and overpower the bad bacteria. It protects your digestive system from external infection. They will also aid in the digestion and absorption of nutrients such as Vitamin production and assimilation including sugar breakdown for added zest and vigor.

The Natural Benefits

Kefir has been proven to assist your body in regulating blood sugar levels. This is due to the fact that it contains healthy doses of lactic acid and helpful enzymes proven to regulate sugar metabolism in the body.  This is a boon to those who have problems with their blood sugar levels. Remember that too much blood sugar and too little is still bad for the body. Also it is a Godsend to those who want to have or maintain a fit physique. Time and time again, it has been proven sugar makes us store excess amounts of fat. If you seek to have a beach body for the summer then you must seriously consider Kefir Milk as part of your diet.

Many individuals have noticed that once they start to make Kefir Milk a part of their daily nutrition, their blood sugar levels will almost immediately fall into the normal range.

In the laboratory, diabetes- induced mice have been injected with Lactobacillus casei; just one of the dominant probiotic bacterium found in kefir. The researchers discovered that the mice have been prevented from developing   diabetes as a direct result of the Lactobacilli treatment.

Kefir has also been known to regulate blood pressure levels. Hypertension, the evil pair of diabetes, has found its bane with Kefir. Anyone who is afflicted with diabetes most probably also suffers from hypertension.  Actual experiences have shown that once Kefir is introduced in the daily diet of individuals afflicted with hypertension, their blood pressure levels normalize. When they neglect or forget to use Kefir, they almost immediately return to their unhealthy levels. Sound scientific researches also support these observations. Medical Doctors customarily prescribe a drug known as an ACE inhibitor for hypertension sufferers, which, by dilating the body’s blood vessels, lowers blood pressure and decreases physical stress. Kefir fermented milk also produces natural ACE inhibitors during its natural process of fermentation.

The Inside Scoop

Our body is filled with microorganisms. Some of them are harmful and some are beneficial to us. The human body is one of nature’s perfect biological machines. It always regulates these levels on a day to day basis. This is the condition called Homeostasis. The body naturally supports the good bacterium whilst it keeps the bad bacterium at bay. A large part of these microorganisms live in our intestinal gut. They provide our body with many helpful processes and services.

For one, they assist in the provision of essential nutrients that protect us from infections and aid in our normal daily body functions. The sugar that we all ingest is broken down in the colon. This sugar is processed by the good bacterium to produce short-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids create a controlled acidic environment that is harmful to pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella. The fatty acids also supply our body with energy that can be easily absorbed and utilized. Bacteria also play a large part in the production of the Vitamin B12. We need this Vitamin for energy, healthy nerves and blood cells.

On the down side, if these good bacteria do not do their job, or are simply lacking, whatever nutritious food we eat is not converted to essential nutrition but just excreted out of the body. The stresses of modern life, coupled with an unhealthy lifestyle, have made it easier for the bad bacterium to thrive. This is where you need to basically help yourself.

Help your body by supplying it with good bacteria

The wisdom from ancient cultures has shown us the way. Modern science has also proved that you need to assist your body to have a healthy amount of beneficial microorganisms. Imagine them as nature’s very own nanobots that tirelessly work round the clock—protecting you from bad bacteria, synthesizing nutrients, beefing up your immune system, producing enzymes that lower blood pressure, regulate sugar levels and a lot more benefits.

This is where cultured foods is a MUST. One of the perfect choices is Kefir Milk.  Regular use of Kefir Milk, Kefir Cheese and for Vegans, Kefir-enhanced Almond Milk or Coconut Milk regulates your body’s sugar levels. We all take in sugars in one form or another every single day. You add sugar to your coffee. There is sugar in your fruits, cereals and in pastries. We all build up a large amount of sugar. Some of this the body utilizes for energy and some of this may be in excess. A regular diet of Kefir enhanced food stuffs can and will manage all of these sugars. Kefir probiotics stored in our gut greatly assist in the breaking down and use of these sugars which provide the body with nearly 10% of its daily energy needs. The cultivation of beneficial microorganisms from Kefir discourages the bad bacterium, when outnumbered and overpowered by larger numbers of good bacterium.

Kefir versus Probiotic Pills

You may have heard of Probiotic pills doing the same things as the Kefir culture can do. It may seem more convenient but let me lay down some sound scientific facts. This is the argument of whether probiotic foods work in the same way as probiotic pills.

First of all, you need to look how digestion works. We ingest our food in our mouth then it goes down the esophagus. It passes through the stomach and later on it finds its way into our gut. The stomach is one of the most acidic environments known to man. It is made to destroy any and all bacteria.  Any so-called “fast acting” pills will be easily eliminated there.

Natural probiotic food on the other hand can get past all of this acidity and the good micro-organisms can find its way to your gut. This is done since the food itself acts as a “defensive shield” around the good bacteria. Pills on the other hand,  get easily destroyed.

To compare, there is a huge difference between children who were using Kefir and those who don’t.  Observations have been made between children who have not used Kefir as infants and for those whose parents have made this natural food as part of their healthy diet.

Those who had Kefir almost did not need to visit the Doctor’s office or nurse’s officer at school. While those who did not have Kefir had to see the Doctor for Flu, stomach pains and other common childhood illnesses.

Making Kefir At Home

At first you may be getting Kefir Milk from a health store. This is pretty convenient. Later on, you will soon discover that you can make better by getting your own Kefir Packets. And what’s better is that you get actual “living” Kefir Grains. Many swear by this as the best choice. These living grains look like small spongy cauliflower florets. In reality they are an amalgam of tiny beneficial microorganisms. They pack more than 30-56 bacterium strains compared to only 10 strains for the store bought kind.

Making Kefir Milk is relatively easy. You just need to ensure your supply of Kefir grains. You can find frozen Kefir starting packs in a health food store. If you can get your hands on live Kefir grains, you can actually make them last for a long time.

You can use raw cow or goat’s unpasteurized milk, pasteurized whole milk, skimmed or low fat. Vegans and those who avoid dairies can also use almond, coconut milk or coconut water. Just avoid ultra-pasteurized and lactose free milk. Avoid heating your grains and make sure that they have sufficient milk medium for the good bacterium to feed on.

A recap on the health benefits of Kefir

•      Makes the immune system work better
•      Inhibits tumor growth
•      Makes better digestion and helps those with Irritable bowel syndrome and Lactose Intolerance
•      Acts as a natural antibiotic.  Studies have shown that Kefir Milk limits and stops the growth of E. Coli and Streptococci
•     Can possibly lower blood cholesterol by lowering blood triglycerides and boosts High Density Lipoprotein production.

ALMOND/ COCONUT KEFIR RECIPE

Almond coconut kefir is a great alternative to dairy kefir. If you are avoiding dairy for any reason—the probiotic content is just as high, and they also contain supercharged vitamin quantities.

Just keep in mind that Kefir grains do not keep in Almond or coconut milk in the long term. They grow and thrive by feeding on the lactose in dairy milk, and as almond and coconut milk have no lactose, the grains in dairy milk need to be refreshed once a week or more. Leave them in a few cups of milk and let them eat the Lactose. You can let them reuse the grains to make basic almond/coconut milk kefir. The same rule of thumb applies for basic dairy kefir. 1 Tablespoon of kefir grains per cup of milk. So if you want to make 1 cup of kefir, use 1Tablespoon of kefir grains per cup of milk. For 2 cups of kefir, use 2 Tablespoons of kefir grains and 2 cups of milk. And so on.

Step 1  Place the Kefir grains in a glass jar that can be securely sealed. Like a canning jar with a plastic lid.

Step 2  Using the 1 Tablespoon to 1 cup ratio of kefir grains to milk, add the appropriate amount of almond or coconut milk to the jar.

Step 3  Securely seal the jar, And leave the jar on your kitchen counter away from direct sunlight or in a cabinet at room temperature for 18-24 hours. Almond or coconut milk will culture faster than dairy milk.

Step 4  After 18-24 hours, remove the Kefir grains with a slotted spoon or a mesh strainer. The Strainer can be stainless steel or plastic. Add the Kefir grains to fresh almond or coconut milk to begin another fermentation batch.