What is Kefir?  Pronounced “key-fur”, as in Kiefer Sutherland, son of dramatic actor Donald Sutherland.  Lest I digress again … we’re talking about the ultimate probiotic, Keyfur … errr … Kefir!

As I understand, many people are unfamiliar with Kefir.  I know I was until recently, when a family friend introduced this amazing probiotic to me.  Milk kefir is a thick, yogurt-like cultured drink traditionally made from dairy milk, but can also be made from coconut milk or assorted nut milk varieties.  You can actually process it yourself from raw materials, but you can also buy it prepackaged and ready-to-digest in your local grocery store, somewhere near the yogurt section.  I mistakenly looked in the dairy section near the milk, and I almost gave up looking.  Again, save yourself some time and search near the yogurt and cottage cheese … you’ll have better luck.

Cutting to the chase, Kefir is a sour, yet refreshing, fermented food inoculated with valuable bacteria and yeast that break down the lactose in milk, or other sugars found in vegan milks, into lactic acid and propionic acid.  As it ferments, it develops a complex matrix of beneficial microorganisms that can greatly improve the health of the colon and entire gastrointestinal tract as well as boost immune functions.

In essence, drinking this cultured beverage provides natural probiotic properties that can be extremely helpful for reestablishing healthy gut flora.  Regular or periodic consumption coats the lining of the digestive tract and intestines where these beneficial bacteria can further incubate and colonize.  Drinking a glass in the morning on an empty stomach is especially recommended for those who have a past history of antibiotic use as these drugs tend to kill all friendly microflora in the body, leaving the yeast strains to dominate.

If there was just one probiotic to take on a regular basis, Kefir would surely be the one!

? Kefir benefits

  • Inoculates the digestive tract with friendly flora
  • Provides living enzymes
  • Supplies tryptophan, B vitamins and amino acids
  • Helps improve digestion and prevent constipation
  • Contains calcium and magnesium
  • Increases effectiveness of probiotic supplements
  • Helps to rebuild the immune system