What is Kefir?

 Have you heard of kefir? Some people describe it as a drinkable yogurt. I learned a lot about it from Cultures for Health.  I have a lactose intolerance and despite all of the health benefits of yogurt and how much I love it, I couldn’t tolerate it. I learned that the bacteria in kefir feeds off the lactose or sugars in the milk, which makes kefir 99.9% lactose free. I experienced great changes in my digestive system and I did not experience the negative symptoms that I have from regular dairy.

I start with some strong kefir grains that I ordered from Cultures for Health and I used a good quality milk. I don’t have access to raw or unpasteurized milk. I tried using organic milk from the grocery store but I don’t like that it is ultra pasteurized and my kefir grains started to weaken, such as they became smaller and they didn’t hold together as well as they did with other milks. The milk I prefer to use is a local milk, Shatto Milk. My grains are strong and large and my kefir is wonderful.

After my kefir has cultured for 24 hours, I separate it from the grains in a non-metallic strainer, using a non-metalic spoon.

I like to add fruit to finished kefir. I add a ¼ cup of fruit to 2 cups cultured kefir and refrigerate it overnight. In this kefir I used freeze dried blackberries. The next morning I put it in a blender. If my fruit has seeds or stringy, like mango, I strain it after blending it. You can add a sweetener of your choice. Drink 8 oz. daily for great digestion!