Did you know that homemade Kefir is the best way to get natural probiotics in your gut? There is so much talk about probiotics today! They are everywhere…the grocery store, health food stores, in chocolates at Costco, etc… Have you every wondered why? Let me enlighten you with a little bit of information on why everyone wants more probiotics and the best, most economical way to get them!!
You have probably heard how the gut is the 2nd brain. Well, it’s true! Did you also know that 90% of our serotonin, the happy hormone and neurotransmitter, is produced in the gut? Serotonin is thought to govern messages of wellbeing, contentment, satiety, anxiety, and fear throughout the nervous system. So if your gut is overrun with the unhealthy bacteria, you will probably find yourself with some depression and anxiety. With all of the unhealthy foods we put into our gut, it gets overrun with unhealthy bacteria and has led to a lot of disease and depression. Probiotics have been very helpful to a lot of people and that’s why they are everywhere now!
Kefir is the most economical, healthy way to get probiotics to help populate your micro biome with billions of healthy bacteria and yeast! Inside our gut, we have 40 trillion microorganisms called our micro biome. It’s made up of fungi, bacteria and other organisms. They are a huge part of who you are and the good guys (good bacteria) are always fighting the bad guys to keep you healthy! So drinking kefir is a great way to add lots of good guys to the battle that your gut is fighting everyday! Drinking even 1 Tbsp. of homemade kefir can contain more than 150 CFU’s of bacteria and can have 30-60 strains of yeast compared to most probiotics on the market which contain anywhere from 1-100 billion CFU’s and usually only contain 3-6 strains of yeast. When you are buying a good supplement that has 100 billion CFU’s, it usually costs around $70-80/month. So there is huge savings in making your own kefir and it’s much stronger than anything you can buy at the market!
When we have good probiotics (the good bacteria and yeast) in our system, it can help:
- aid the body with good digestion & absorption
- promote brain health & neurological function
- create beautiful skin
- help boost the immune system and the mood
- control appetite
- reduce allergies
- increase metabolism
- help treat IBS, Colitis and other digestive disorders
A coupe things that contribute to the overall health of our micro biome:
BAD GUY CONTRIBUTORS
- sugar and sweets
- wine and beer
- antibiotics
- water with chlorine
- food with artificial coloring
- pain relievers
- processed foots
- hydrogenated oils
- environmental toxins
- antibacterial soaps
- shampoo and conditioner with toxic ingredients
GOOD GUY CONTRIBUTORS
- fiber
- whole grains
- prebiotics (oats, apples, bananas, onions, garlic, asparagus, flax seed, etc…)
- fruits & vegetables
- legumes
So, as you can see, your diet is a huge contributor to the success of your micro biome! And for some reason, it’s really hard for a lot of people to get in all the good guys!! So, by adding this one habit, you can have a huge effect on what’s going on inside your system and how many good guys you have in there fighting the battle everyday!! There are SO many reasons to get good probiotics in our system, so if you want the best, most economical way to get killer probiotics, then making your own kefir is the way to go!! 🙂
Tools needed:
- Glass Jar
- Stirring utensil (not metal)
- Coffee filter, muslin, or other breathable fabric
- Plastic lids for storing kefir in jars
- Plastic fine mesh strainer
Ingredients needed:
- Cow or Goat Milk
- Live Kefir Grains (click here for link to buy)
How to make homemade KEFIR
Ingredients
- Cow or goat milk (raw is best)
- Live kefir grains
Supplies needed:
- Glass jars
- Glass bowl
- Fine mesh plastic strainer
- Plastic lids for jars
- Rubber spatula
Instructions
- Put the active kefir grains (1-2 Tbsp.) into up to 4 cups of fresh milk.
- Cover with a coffee filter or butter muslin secured by a rubber band or jar ring or lightly place plastic lid on top without screwing it on.
- Place in a warm spot, 68°-85°F, to culture.
- Culture until milk is slightly thickened and aroma is pleasant. This generally takes 24-48 hours, but can take less time in warmer temperatures, so keep an eye on your grains.
- After the milk changes texture and culturing is complete, separate the kefir grains from the finished kefir by pouring into a fine mesh plastic strainer over a glass bowl.
- Push and stir the kefir with a rubber spatula (not using any metal bowls or utensils).
- Keep pushing through the strainer until just the rubbery grains are left in the bottom.
- Place the kefir grains in a new clean glass jar and pour another 4 c. of milk over them and let them start working their magic again. In another day or two you will have another batch finished!
- Store the finished kefir in the refrigerator.
- Your grains will start to multiply, so when you have too many, just separate them and share a couple tablespoons with a friend! Share the kefir love!! You can actually eat them too if you want, but I don’t prefer that. Eewww! Just share them or freeze them in a little milk to preserve for another day.
Notes
- To make kefir taste delicious, I add a spoonful of homemade jam and a couple drops or stevia to sweeten it up a little. Fruit syrups work great too. Or pour some into your favorite smoothie to power pack it with probiotics.
- If you ever need to take a break from making kefir because you’re not consuming it within a week or so, then just put the grains in with new milk and put them in the refrigerator. You can store them there for 7-10 days without bringing them back out into the warmth to start feeding again.
- If your milk starts to separate into curds & whey, it’s beginning to be over done so quickly put through a strainer.
