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Kefir

ladybird64

ladybird64

Well-Known Member
I did use the search function but I'm a bit weary and to wade through all the posts will make my eyelids droop...anyway, I wanted to know if anyone who makes their own has bought the grains from a cheap source like Ebay? I want to have a go at making it but I'm a bit nervous about what I might be getting, and can't really spend too much.

Ta :)
 
Thanks, CC

Yes, I make my own. Bought my grains from Amazon, and been very pleased with them. They arrived in a tiny plastic bag inside an ordinary envelope, and I really wondered if I had wasted my money. But they have been working their little fluffy toes off ever since, and I am now making about about 400mls a day.

From memory, I think I got to choose from quite a range - full or low fat milk, organic, coconut milk, water (and sugar). All that means is that the grains were already acclimatised to the food source of choice.

I went for FF organic milk, and that is what they have been munching ever since.

Very pleased with them, although I am still quite a newbie, only been making for about 6 weeks. I think.

My main surprise was how much I enjoyed the flavour!
 
Thanks Catherine. Brunneria, ta for the help on this - can I ask if there was a particular reason you decided to start drinking this, maybe digestive health? I'm guessing it has no effect as such on BG levels?
 
Its the probiotic aspect that made me interested.
I can't remember where, but I have been noticing references to how important the gut biome is, and a while back I started to make my own coconut yogurt (yum, but a bit of a phaff).

Then I read that yogurt bacteria are great, but they don't move in and set up colonies, they just arrive, live for a while, and then die out. So you have to keep eating them, to keep replenishing them.

Kefir colonies are different. they are a combo of fungus and bacteria, and they do (or at least some of them do) move in and set up shop. so there is less need for daily doses - frankly, I have no desire to eat yog every day for ever, whereas a small swig of yog drink most days (aka kefir) seems much more manageable.

As for the bg impact:
My testing was delightfully consistent.
After 250ml of kefir, my BG rises approx 0.5mmol/l at 45 mins, and stays there til 1.5 hours. At 2 hours, it is back down to fasting level, or maybe a fraction lower.

Here is the best site I found for all those FAQs
http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefir-faq.html#leavingkefir
:)
 
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I got to babysit kefir grains for a friend maybe a year ago. When she came back from her holiday, I returned half of them to her, and ever since I have been using mine with full fat, mostly organic, right now also raw milk. I believe kefir is very healthy, but I had no particular reason why I started doing this. My digestion is quite good, my immune system quite strong, and the kefir could have contributed, I believe. Every few months I have been giving a batch of grains away, but at the moment I need to grow them for a bit longer ;) These babies end up being quite cheap in the long-term and are quite stable too.

Good luck, if you decide to give them a go :cool:
 
I've been making Kefir for around 2 months, using organic whole milk. I have too many grains now, so very happy to post some out to anyone in the UK who would like some.
 
Brunneria said:
Its the probiotic aspect that made me interested.
I can't remember where, but I have been noticing references to how important the gut biome is, and a while back I started to make my own coconut yogurt (yum, but a bit of a phaff).

:)
Click to expand...

I am looking into coconut yoghurt at the moment. Do you now add probiotic capsules, or do you simply add a few tablespoons of kefir to let it ferment? Do you have a link?
 
ladybird64 said:
I did use the search function but I'm a bit weary and to wade through all the posts will make my eyelids droop...anyway, I wanted to know if anyone who makes their own has bought the grains from a cheap source like Ebay? I want to have a go at making it but I'm a bit nervous about what I might be getting, and can't really spend too much.

Ta :)
Click to expand...
I have been making my own for a few months. I bought a kit and culture from Amazon, and Lakeland. I buy grains now from Lakeland, and they are around £5 for two packets. 1 packet makes 1 litre, and can be recultured around 4 times. I use long life full fat organic milk and it takes around 24 hours per lot. Then it goes in the fridge and almost lasts a week. I love the flavour of it. I first tried the stuff they sell in Sainsbury's and kept the plastic bottles which I store my kefir in.
I have an IBS type of problem following extensive bowel survey for a perforated abscess and kefir really has improved it a lot. I drink about 100 miles a day.
 
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