Why I Love Kefir and What Are Kefir Grains?
| September 19, 2012 | Posted by Lindsey G. under Condiments and Fermented Veggies |
This is the second installment in my What are Fermented Foods? series. I started making my own kefir from live kefir grains about 2 months ago after many false starts. I tried drinking kefir back when I started eating an unprocessed, traditionally prepared real food diet about a year ago and it didn’t sit well with me. So I took a probiotic and stuck with foods like sauerkraut and fermented condiments like mayo. I figured I wasn’t reacting well to the dairy in the kefir so recently I heard you could also make kefir from coconut milk. I was able to score some grains from a friend and also got to talk to someone about introducing kefir slowly to your body. Apparently kefir is pretty potent and while it works on healing your body, it can cause a number of symptoms for a few weeks – things like headaches, rashes and digestive issues. Once I realized this I was able to make the switch from coconut milk kefir to cow milk kefir just fine. In this post I will describe what are kefir grains, the benefits of kefir and how to start slowly with kefir and work your way up.
What are Kefir Grains?
To understand what kefir is we must first understand the grains used to make kefir. According to Real Food Fermentation by Alex Lewin, ‘Kefir grains are combinations of yeasts and bacteria living on a substrate made up of a variety of dairy components.’ These live kefir grains look a little bit like cauliflower florets and are somewhat gelatinous in texture. My favorite fact about kefir grains is that live kefir grains cannot be made or manufactured (yay! a *real* real food!). No other milk culture (yogurt, creme fraiche, etc.) forms grains so it is very unique! You can purchase kefir grains or look for someone making kefir nearby who might be able to share some (or just ‘like’ my Facebook page because I give away some of mine every month or so!).
The exact details of their origin is not known although there are many stories ranging from the grains being the actual manna from heaven during the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years or a gift from Allah to the Prophet Muhammed. In any event, the grains were closely guarded secrets because of their health giving properties until the early twentieth century when a Russian spy was able to get some and then they quickly proliferated in Russia and Eastern Europe and now throughout the world.
What is Kefir and what are the benefits to drinking it?
Kefir is the drink made from the kefir grains and it has the consistency of a drinkable yogurt but is much more tart and is actually effervescent. Upon trying kefir the first time, my 3 year old daughter commented that it tasted like a milk soda! Kefir grains consume the lactose during the culturing process so lactose intolerant folks rejoice – you can apparently drink kefir. The neat thing about kefir is that it is pretty versatile – you can drink it plain or add it to a smoothie or even drain the ‘whey’ from it to make kefir cheese (like cream cheese) to use in dips, etc.
Kefir made from live kefir grains has 35 different strains of beneficial bacteria and yeasts. Kefir isn’t at all like yogurt in that kefir actually colonizes our digestive tracts with this beneficial bacteria and yeast. Yogurt and many other so called probiotic foods on the market today actually only provide prebiotics or simply – they provide food for the good bacteria that live in the intestinal tract. Laboratory grown yogurt has only 1 or maybe as high as 5 strains of beneficial bacteria and laboratory grown kefir for manufactured products has only 10 strains. Commercially made kefir sold in the stores is not fermented long enough. In addition the pasteurization process after fermentation kills the probiotic microbes. So my next statement only applies if you would like to make your own – Start SLOWLY. Just a spoonful a day for the first two weeks should be enough to slowly introduce your body to this magical substance. I had some digestive issues the first two weeks (I felt like I had a brick in my stomach) and my daughter got a rash. Some people call this period ‘die off’ because it is the kefir killing off bad substances and this shows up in different ways for different people. After a few weeks of this, I could actually tell when I was ready for more because I suddenly wanted more kefir. I am now able to drink almost 2 cups a day!
Kefir boosts our immune systems by keeping healthy bacteria in our digestive tract (and remember 80% of our immune system is in our digestive track!). The fermenting bacteria produce lactic acid which heals and soothes the gut lining. Kefir is rich in vitamin A, B2, B12, D, K, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and typtophan. It has anti tumor properties, prevents disease, increases digestibility and it controls toxins.
How do I make kefir?
Making kefir is a pretty simple process – you do not need to maintain a constant temperature like with yogurt. You basically add the grains to milk, set it in a pantry or countertop for 18-24 hours and voila! Kefir! Then you simply strain out the grains and put the finished kefir in the fridge. You then reuse the grains again (you don’t need to rinse them and if you do rinse them make sure not to rinse with chlorinated water – it will kill the kefir!) in a new batch of milk. When you need to slow down the process (read: you are leaving town for a week), you just put the grains in milk and put them in your fridge while you are gone. With each subsequent batch your kefir grains will grow and you can share them with friends and family. I absolutely love that part – what a way to build a community of healthy people.
This post featured in Freaky Friday, Fill Those Jars Friday
Between batches, where do you store the grains?
You just do one batch after the other. If you want to stop for a day or a few days – just put the grains in milk in the fridge and take out when you want to start up again. So basically it is just a continuous cycle – every 18-24 hours you start a new batch with the same grains. If you want to stop for a longer period of time you can take the grains out and rinse them in non-chlorinated water and then let them air dry completely and then freeze them in a plastic bag or jar.
When i've strained my kefir and have the strained grains.. i put them in a small glass jar, add milk just to cove 'em, put on a lid and keep in the fridge until I'm ready to make more kefir
[...] 9 Comments So what are fermented foods? I get this question all the time and I am going to provide the answer in three different posts. This one will help you understand what are fermented foods in general and then I will follow up with a post explaining in detail with recipes on how to make your own fermented foods: sauerkraut, other fermented vegetables and condiments and kefir. [...]
Does it taste like chalk? Can you put it in a smoothie for the same benefit? I'd love to get some grains from you and give it a go…my immune system needs a major overhaul!
I drink it every single day in my smoothie! Just ordered a new CASE of it today!
It doesn’t taste like chalk!
It actually tastes quite delicious! Yes–add it to smoothies, ice cream, salad dressings, you name it! I am out of extra grains this time but could find you some if you really want to start…let me know.
so how do I get the grains – can I order them online – dry?
check your local weston price chapter. people usually are giving them away! there is also a Fermentation group on FB – ask to join and then post if you need some. In a month I should have some more and can try to send you some!
Hi Misha/Lindsey, I use Kefir for 3 years right now. In the beginning I made kefir using the grains, however I found it much easier to make Kefir using dried Kefir starter cultures. I think the advantage of these starter cultures is that kefir taste exactly the same, I enjoy the same benefits of using the grains and the most important advantage for me is that I can start with fresh cultures every 5 weeks. I live in Germany, 3 years ago I orderd my cultures via the internet in the Netherlands. The last time I orderd my Kefir starter cultures via a company settled in the United Kingdom, they are called The Kefir Company. I’m very satisfied with their product and service. For the one that are interested you can find them on the following website: http://www.buy-kefir.co.uk.
@Lindsey: Did you already tried Kefir recipse?
I have never tried dried grains – only the fresh – thanks for the tips!
I’ve used the freeze dried cultures, which are fine in a pinch, but they are not as robust as the grains. They need a lot more babying and can be propagated only if you’re lucky (as the earlier commenter said, restarting every 5 weeks).
I’ll stick with my grains thank you very much. The freeze dried starter is a nice way to try out kefir making, but I wouldn’t recommend it in general.
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my mom kept a kefir “cauliflower” that survived well for years, Then (i don’t know what happened) it started to shrink until it finally died. I can only suspect it was the use of the pasteurised, homogenized milk.
I would use raw mik if i started to make this again.
i was also wondering, maybe someone knows, are kefir grains aka tibetan mushrooms?
lastly, i’d like to share a tip: my mom was keeping the kefir cauliflorette in a breathable synthetic homemade pouch.
one more question please (dear Lindsey, since i came here again, here’s a link to one of my favourite videos! – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiSkrxINkHA&list=PL2894BEB401175936&index=7&feature=plpp_video )
so, back to my initial q.: what is water kefir? gracias
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If kefir grains cannot be made or manufactured, then is it an animal that is born and grows? Ok, we know an animal grows in its mothers womb so where does kefir grains grow in? Where does it come from originally? Is it suitable for a lacto-vegatarian?
It is lacto-vegetarian. It is a symbiotic colony of yeasts and bacteria!
But that does not answer my question: Where does kefir grains come from? I know it is a colony of yeasts and bacteria but from where it comes from? If something can’t be manufactured then it would either be a plant that grows in soil or a living being like human or animal. So which of these two categories does kefir grains fall into? I want a clear answer. I’m tired of searching the internet but no site can give any clear information about the grains! Surprising!
Way back a long time ago there was a “first batch” of kefir grains. Itt grows and colonizes bacteria. It came from God in the beginning, if you want to get into the nitty gritty. All kefir grains are separated from a previous batch. Not that Kefir grains have a geneology, but they all trace back to the same kefir in the beginning. It cannot be developed. This particular combination of bacteria and yeast cannot be found somewhere naturally. It derives from itself.
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Wow! I’ve never heard of Kefir so Thanks for explaining how to grow it. Joan i Ontario Canada.
[...] dairy allergy or intolerance, are Paleo or vegan, this recipe is for you! You can enjoy all of the benefits of kefir with coconut milk! This is actually how I started making my kefir because I thought was intolerant [...]
Lidsay, you mentioned there is a fermentaion group on facebook.
What is the name of the group you are talking about? There seems to be a few, but im not sure which one you are referring to.
thanks!