'Milk Kefir Grains' - My Little Probiotic Friends
Few days back, I watched a programe on the TV channel 'BBC Earth', which was part of an Episode in the Series "Trust Me, I'm a Doctor", wherein a team of doctors investigate (research) into different aspects of human health and fitness. This is where, a particular healthy probiotic drink caught my attention, though I had heard about it for a quite long time ago.
More and more research is suggesting that our gut bacteria (present in our digestive track) can influence almost every aspect of our health, from balancing our blood glucose to affecting our mood. So here is something we can do to change this inner ecosystem for the better.
This healthy probiotic drink is known by the common name
'Kefir' (Pronounced KEE-feer or ka-Feer or
kephir or keh-FEHR or
KEE-fuhr). It is of 2 types namely 'Water Kefir' and 'Milk Kefir' and I am talking here about the later i.e. Milk Kefir, hereafter I will call it Kefir.
Milk Kefir is a fermented milk beverage, similar in appearance to runny yogurt (Lassi or thick buttermilk). Wonderfully delicious, it is slightly tangy and slightly fizzy. It has a creamy consistency, a slight to moderate sour refreshing taste with a very subtle carbonated tang. Kefir is easy to prepare and it may be cultured to your liking. Fermenting for a shorter period produces a less sour kefir. Longer fermentation produces more sourness.
Kefir is
Simple Milk that is
fermented at room temperature with kefir 'grains', for about 24 hours. Kefir “grains” are not actually grains at all, but
are the culture of beneficial bacteria and yeast which are added to fresh milk in order to make kefir. (Check the picture I posted of my Kefir Grains)
Kefir is super simple to make, You simply add your Kefir grains to fresh milk and allowed to sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours, in which time the milk transforms into kefir. You strain the kefir and add the grains to fresh milk, where the process repeats. That’s all it takes!
I bought my Kefir Grains from a website that showed-up in Google Results and It cost me Rs 850/- Now my whole family takes Kefir Milk daily, mixed with some ground Flax seeds (Linseed or Alsi).
Kefir has many wonderful health benefits
(Tons & Tons of info on the net), a great flavour and is also usually tolerated well by the lactose intolerant. It's much easier to make than yogurt so I suggest all my Forum buddies to invest some time in your health and try this wonderful probiotic drink.
If someone is interested in Kefir, please PM me to share some informative Links I have compiled regarding this subject (Everything from A to Z....what it is, how to make it, what are the benefits..etc etc.)
P.S: Be advised that Kefir Starter(Powder Sold in Sachets) and
LIVE KEFIR GRAINS are two different things. Live Kefir Grains is
what I talked about above, and it is a onetime purchase (
and they multiply) which we can re-use endlessly if taken care of.
