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Kefir is a fermented milk product similar to yogurt. It is fermented using kefir grains, a collection of bacteria and yeasts which cooperate to produce an environment conducive to their mutual survival. The grains which convert milk to kefir are a collection of some 50 different strains of yeast and bacteria, most of which are beneficial to your digestive system.
Depending on the type of milk used it can be a low fat runny texture or have a thick high fat consistency. It can be made using any type of milk so depending on your tastes you can use low fat milk, goat milk sheep milk even nut milks if you are lactose intolerant.
Health Benefits of kefir
Better digestion
Kefir has a wide variety of beneficial probiotics which help to fight or crowd out pathogenic organisms in the gut. It is one of the few fermentations which contains probiotic cultures which can colonize the gut for a longer period of time. This protects the gut from invading pathogens and makes the environment inhospitable for pathogenic organisms (1).
Greater bone density
Milk is one of the most concentrated sources of calcium available to us but that calcium is bound up in casein, a protein useful to a growing calf. Since we do not have the digestive system of cattle we need help in unlocking the calcium in the casein. This is where kefir comes in. It uses the sugars and proteins in the milk for food which makes the calcium more bio-available to us.
Vitamin D is also valuable to the formation of bone. Although it is not a natural vitamin found in milk it has been added to store bought. Not all milk products have added vitamin D, these include kefir, yogurt, sour cream and hard cheeses.
This makes the kefir you make at home have more bone building potential then that of store bought.
Kefir also produces a wide variety of the B spectrum vitamins including vitamin B12 and vitamin K2. Both these vitamins are integral to the bone building process (2).
Improved cardiovascular health
Kefir helps to improve the bacterial balance in the digestive system. It does this by changing the environment of the gut to accommodate the growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). This environment kills off pathogenic bacteria.
The LAB then inhabit the mucous which lines the digestive system and further protects it from unwanted micro-organism overgrowth. It takes about a month or so for the effects of regular consumption of kefir to appear. This is due to the unhealthy balance which exists in the gut brought on by the typical first world diet.
Once the LAB in the kefir has changed the environment in the gut you will begin to reap the benefits such as:
- Lower bad cholesterol absorption
- Improved brain-gut communication
- Improved brain heart communication
- Less arterial plaque
- Better insulin levels and lower diabetic symptoms
- Lower blood pressure
Kefir is not a one shot health pill which will solve all your health ills. It is a solid healthy lifestyle choice which can benefit your overall health (3)
Reduced cancer risk
In animal studies kefir has a significant effect on the inhibition of tumor growth. It has been tested against breast and prostate cancer making it a good choice for both sexes. Since these are animal studies they are not definitive but since kefir is a safe and tasty drink why not start drinking it now?
With the improvements of probiotics colonizing the gut and the associated reduction of inflammation also comes a lower risk of digestive system cancers (4).
Improved cognition
Probiotic treatments have been shown to improve the effects of Alzheimer’s. In this randomized study 60 patients were given either a probiotic or a placebo. Of the patients which received the probiotic there cognition improved on a standard cognition test. Whereas the ones receiving the placebo continued to decline (5).
Kefir is a great source of probiotics. Supplying anywhere between 30 and 50 different species of probiotic bacteria.
Smoother younger looking skin
First you have to understand that skin problems are not always caused by outside forces. Of course things like sunburn or poor hygiene have an effect on the skin but most skin problems are a result of poor inside health.
Therefor to improve your skin it is important to improve your insides. Kefir is a great start to improving gut health. It is full of probiotics which reduce inflammation. This gives your body a chance to deal with the cause of the skin problems. This includes acne, eczema and dry or oily skin (6).
Kefir is also a great addition to skin care products as it contains lactic acid which is used in exfoliating scrubs. It also has probiotics in it which fights the bacteria on your face which can cause skin rashes and imperfections.
Improves the digestion of milk
Kefir grains consume the lactose in milk. This makes it more digestible to those who are lactose intolerant. Not only is the lactose consumed outside the body but also once the milk has made it to the small intestine the probiotic culture continues to work (7).
Kefir is one of a few probiotic rich foods which can recolonize the digestive system. This means that the probiotics in kefir stick around for a while. This can improve the digestion of other products which have lactose in them. This is great for those times when milk products are hidden in consumer goods or restaurant meals.
If you are lactose intolerant and do not want to risk consuming kefir made with milk it can also be made using nut milks, seeds or coconut water. This gives you the benefits of the probiotics in the kefir without the use of any milk ingredients.
Helps withdrawal symptoms from nicotine
A study on depression and anxiety during withdrawal from nicotine in rats shows that kefir made from soymilk has positive effects on feelings of depression and anxiety (8).
This being an animal study may not have any bearing on human subjects but if you are trying to quit smoking why not give it a try. If it helps then great if not then at least you have benefited in other ways.
Improves symptoms of depression and anxiety
The mechanism in which the probiotics in kefir reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety is still unknown but some studies have shown that the consumption of kefir reduces anxiety levels (9).
To the scientific community what mechanizims cause this effect is important but to someone who suffers from depression and/or anxiety it doesn’t matter, just as long as it works.
It could be the probiotic effect kefir has on your digestive system which makes the difference. Kefir has a large number of probiotic strains which help produce vitamin K and several B vitamins.
It also helps to reduce the number of harmful bacteria. Reducing inflammation and improving the brain-gut communication. In short when your stomach feels good so do you.
Has positive effects on diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a condition which has many negative health effects. It can cause blindness, poor circulation and cardiovascular disease.
There are many things you can do to reduce your risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes, one of which is start to consume kefir.
Consuming kefir for a minimum of 30 days improves the body’s ability to maintain a healthy insulin balance(10). It seems to improve our ability to deal with excess sugars. It may be due to the additional probiotics which can use the extra sugar in our systems for energy.
Helps fight candida overgrowth
Candida is a yeast which is ever present in your lower intestine. It does not cause problems until it expands its territory. This causes bloating, cramping and an overload of toxic compounds which over the long term can have serious health problems.
Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (one of the probiotics found in kefir) is effective in combatting this condition and has been found to slow the growth of candida (11). It does this by changing the PH of the environment and colonizing the habitat where the candida lives. This essentially crowds out the candida and relegates it back to where it belongs.
Has positive effects on asthma
Kefir appears to have anti-inflammatory effects on the lungs and air pathways. This action is beneficial for those who have allergic reactions which cause asthma attacks. It appears that kefir helps the lungs to not over-react to particles in the lungs (12).
If you are sensitive to air-born particulates you could try adding kefir to your diet. Since kefir is non-toxic it can be added safely to most diets.
Other benefits of Kefir
Taste
If the only reason you eat something is because it is good for you then it will not be long before you stop eating it.
Take for example cod liver oil. Here is a product which has been around forever. It is good for you. It is known to improve heart health, cognition, fight cancer and on and on. So when was the last time you added cod liver oil to your salad dressing, or into a smoothie? Can I hear you say never? If you have cod liver oil it will most likely be in the form of a gel cap so you can’t taste it.
Kefir on the other hand tastes great. It has a nice tangy slightly fizzy taste which adds complexity to your milk drinking habit.
Can be used in a variety of recipes
In the morning you can use it in your smoothie, pour it onto your cereal or make this kefir turmeric shake.
For lunch you can make sandwiches with kefir cream cheese, have it with a little honey as a midmorning drink or make a cream of carrot soup with kefir made with high fat cream.
Supper can include tacos with kefir cream cheese, salad with hard kefir cheese crumbled over top or roast beef with gravy made with kefir as a thickening agent rather than white flour or cornstarch.
For a sweet treat try making kefir ice-cream or add a dollop of whipped kefir cream to any sweet snack.
As you can see kefir is very versatile.
Easy to make
Kefir is the easiest fermentation to make. Once you have the grains activated you can make more than enough kefir then you could ever use and it takes less than 5 minutes. In fact the challenge seems to be how to slow the kefir grains down to produce less kefir.
Can be used to replace milk in many recipes
Kefir is not as thick as yogurt especially if it is only fermented for 24 hours. This makes it a great substitute for milk in recipes for those of us which can’t digest lactose but still like to have cream soups, cream sauce and other milk based foods.
Try this waffle recipe made from almonds and kefir. It makes for a healthy, hearty breakfast (or lunch or supper).
Can be made with non-dairy milks
Kefir grains can be used to make coconut kefir, cashew nut kefir or several other types of nut or seed milks. This is great for those who are dairy free for one reason or another.
The resulting kefir gives a drink which still has all the probiotic benefits, although some may be in greater or lesser amounts.
It also helps to digest the hard to digest elements of the nut or seed. These elements are meant to protect the nut or seed from degrading. It prevents breakdown until the conditions are right for sprouting.
This is beneficial for you as it keeps the nutrients in the nut or seed viable for a longer period of time but it also makes it hard to digest. The fermentation action of the kefir helps to neutralize these anti-nutrients and make the milk much more digestible.
Kefir is cost effective
Kefir bought from the store premade can be expensive, but if you make your own it costs as much as the milk you use to make it.
This makes it very cost effective. It can be made from any type of milk including premade nut and soya milks.
Kefir is one of the best fermentations to have on hand in your kitchen. It is healthy for you, tastes great and can be used in a variety of ways.