Water and Milk Kefir, an introduction

Ever heard of kefir?  Well, I hadn't until a few months ago.  I assumed it's some wacky drink that only crispety-crunchy hippie-types drink.  Truth be told, I'm starting to believe I'm headed that way myself! That's a good thing if it means the road to improved health!  I'm gonna tell you a little bit about it, then in a day or two, I'll post the recipe for both milk and water kefir.  There's so much to tell, it can get a little confusing, so I'll try to make it as simple as I can.  Remember, I'm a newbie, too.

The word 'kefir' (pronounced 'kuh-feer') comes from the Turkish word for 'good feeling' or 'good life'. It is believed that the drink originated in the Caucasus mountains.  These people were living to be over 100 years old and it is believed to be because of kefir!  People have been drinking this fermented/cultured drink for ages, yet interestingly, it only seems to have become popular in the US more recently.  The health benefits of kefir are many. One reason to drink it is the large amount of probiotics it supplies.

Probiotic is a fancy way of saying good/healthy bacteria that consumes bad bacteria in our gut and intestines. If you have problems with regularity, kefir can help.  It's also good for those with acid problems, ulcers, colitis, diarrhea and candida.  I, myself, am going to attempt to wean myself off of my antacid using kefir.  I'll let you know how that goes, but that's a post for another day.

There are two types of kefir.  Water kefir and milk kefir. They both come in 'grain' form and feed on sugars. Water grains feed on regular sugar whereas the milk kefir grains feed on lactose, or milk sugars. The word 'grains' can be a bit misleading because it leads us to believe they're like a grain of wheat. Granuals would be a bit more accurate.  Water kefir grains are whiteish, yellowish, or orange-ish and remind me of those little things you can buy for plants to retain moisture in the soil.  They tend to take on the color of whatever sweetener you use to feed it.  They're somewhat rubbery in texture.  See photo below:

Milk kefir grains are white and more clumped together, like mini heads of cauliflower.  The texture is a bit spongey.  See photo below:

It's important to know that the two types of grains are not interchangeable.  Milk grains are for milk/dairy kefir and water grains are for water kefir.  You can purchase them at Cultures for Health, from eBay, or get some from a friend.

One thing I wished someone had told me back when I purchased my kefir grains was that you HAVE to work your way up as far as consuming it.  You can't just guzzle down a cup and a half of it on day one. Trust me, I tried it. I had the weirdest 'rock in my gut' feeling all day and a terrible headache and acheyness all night and the following day.  

What I didn't realize is that my body was going through what is called 'die off'.  No, my body wasn't dying off, although I AM getting old! But the bad bacteria was!  And when that happens, it tends to dump the ickies into your system.  Those nasty bacteria present themselves by giving you headaches, muscle aches and flu-like symptoms.  Not fun at all!  Some people have no symptoms of die-off.  Lucky ducks!

For adults, it is best to start with something like 1T for a few days, then try 2T for a few days, etc...until you work your way up to the amount you desire to drink every day.  I found this to work well for me.  I also started drinking it at night, just in case it did bother my gut a bit.  Never woke me up, so I'm assuming all is well in bacteria-land.

You might be wondering what kefir tastes like.  Since I have only tasted the water kefir so far, I can tell you it reminds me a tad of kombucha, which reminds me of a very watered down, barely-sweetened vinegar.  Doesn't sound too appealing?  Well, it's not, in all honesty.  But I know it's good for me!  I know this isn't the healthiest thing to do, but in order to get my water kefir in for the day, I have been mixing mine with my homemade sugar-free 'soda pop'.  That way, I can't taste it at all.  People claim they actually start craving this drink.  I'm not there yet.  I haven't tasted the milk kefir yet, but I've heard it tastes like a thin yogurt and is ideal for smoothies. Since the water kefir was bothering my tummy at first, I didn't dare add the milk kefir, too.

So, how do you make the kefir?  That post is coming soon!  I thought I'd just give you some basics before I introduced you to my strange new experiment, lol!

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