~ Food Has Power ~
Our family has a lot of gut issues and toxins, so we don't drink the kefir as a drink. We just take a bit in an effort to provide some microbials back to our guts for healing. One teaspoon of milk kefir or water kefir is tons more probiotic benefit than any bottled probiotic.
The homemade milk kefir has 56+ different beneficial microbials strains. The gut has about 1000 different microbial strains. Traditionally, our foods introduced many more microbial strains than they do now, which helped to keep a balance in the gut. Nowadays, we have preservatives in food, antibiotics in food, sterilized foods, antimicrobial cleaning products, antibiotic overuse, steroids, etc. And we don't eat the foods raw as much; raw foods have beneficial microbials. So, the more *different* strains of microbials introduced, the more gut balance potential.
Candida albicans develops to sequester mercury out of blood circulation also. So, candida overgrows in the presence of toxin exposures also. Antibiotics also kill off the competing microbials, thus the candida overgrowth takes hold.
Inadequate stomach acid allows "pathogenic" bacteria to survive to colonize in the gut also. Antacids are the bane of our health. Well, antibiotics are. :-) The first step in gut microbial balance is adequate stomach acid.
Water kefir has about 30 different beneficial microbial strains. Commercial store-bought kefir has about 10 different beneficial microbial strains, more than most bottle probiotics. But, commercial kefir often has added sugar for flavor. When making the kefir, the sugars are consumed by the microbials. But, commercially, they add sugar back in.
Commercial yogurt has about 7 different beneficial microbial strains. (They add strains intentionally for benefit. Bifidum is one to look for, if you purchase commercial whole food probiotics.) Homemade yogurt strains vary, but each starter has somewhat limited different strains, usually about 5-7 different strains. Having different sources of microbials in our food is optimal.
Fermented foods add more *different* microbial strains. Each (raw or fermented) vegetable or food offers its own different microbial strains. The goal is more different microbial strains to allow diversity and balance in the gut, so that candida and other pathological microbials are kept in balance.
So, taste isn't our main concern. Milk kefir is slightly tart/sour, to me. I add a tablespoon of milk kefir to smoothies or yogurt and it is tasteless. Salad dressings and dips could be made with milk kefir plus some herbs and spices for variety. Water kefir is easily added to juice and retains microbial benefits, without taste change. Again, we just add a tablespoon a day. Or, if I forget for a few days, busy or whatever, we'll drink a 1/4 cup of the water or milk kefir. Ds only drinks the kefir mixed into something else with flavor.
I think water kefir tastes like lemonade cider, tangy.
Making milk kefir creamy requires more attention than I give. :-) You have to rebrew every 24 hours continuously and raw, grass-fed whole milk makes it amazing. The tending is not necessary for huge significant microbial benefits, however.
There is no inherent benefit of drinking tons of kefir over introducing more *different* strains of microbials, per my understanding. I believe that learning and making fermented veggies is easier and more beneficial, for the time invested.
Kombucha has about 10-15 different beneficial microbials. Not all kombucha has s.boulardii, which kills off candida (releasing the mercury back into blood circulation). So, kombucha is cautioned in pregnant and nursing mamas.
Kimchi is fermented Chinese cabbage, radishes and cucumbers pickled in a solution of garlic, salt, and red chili peppers. I just read, "The microorganisms involved in the fermentation of kimchi include approximately 200 species of bacteria and several yeasts. " Wow!!
Here is a tutorial about making it easily. http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/ATG/data/released/0275-JeanineNa...
Commercial kimchi: http://ksci.kisti.re.kr/search/article/articleView.ksci?articleBean...
Pro-biotics are recently associated with anti-obesity and traditionally with long life.
I really want to make kimchi now!!
MORE about the Probiotic Pusher!
Hope that helps.
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