NaturalNews.com
Originally published March 12 2008

Grow Your Own Probiotics, Part 1: Kefir
by Patty Donovan

(NaturalNews) The world of lacto-fermentation is a fascinating one.
Virtually every culture has some kind of fermented food/beverage.
Fermented products are significant sources of amino acids, vitamins
and minerals. The bacteria in fermented foods are potent detoxifiers.
They produce substances that inhibit harmful bacteria such as
salmonella. They can eradicate H. Pylori, the bacteria responsible for
the majority of gastric ulcers. In this series I will talk about a few
of the ferments with which I have become very familiar over the last
several months. By the last article in the series, I hope to have
convinced you that fermentation is not only cheaper and better for you
than popping a pill but that it’s fun. You have to eat anyway, so get
the most for your money. It doesn’t cost you more than the cost of the
food once you have your initial supplies and members of many yahoo
groups offer things for no more than the cost of postage.

The first ferment I would like to discuss is Kefir, a dairy ferment.
If you are vegan, lactose intolerant or allergic to casein, please
continue reading as there are alternatives to dairy ferments. Kefir is
considered to be the mother culture of all dairy ferments. To quote
Dominic N. Anfiteatro, who is probably the most knowledgeable person
in the world today when it comes to kefir: “I regard kefir grains to
be Probiotic-Jewels... and their culture-product kefir a Probiotic-
Gem”. I first became interested in kefir when I was reading “The
Maker’s Diet” by Jordan Rubin. I looked it up on the web, got some
grains and I was soon making kefir. I feel it has contributed
significantly to the healing I have experienced.

Kefir originated in the Caucasus Mountains. The word kefir is derived
from the Turkish word keif, which loosely translates to “feeling
good”. This makes perfect sense as those who drink kefir regularly
(myself included) claim it promotes a sense of well-being. The
Caucasus peoples enjoyed longevity of over 100 years. There is a
legend that kefir grains were a gift of the prophet Mohammed and the
Caucasus people fiercely guarded their grains for fear they would lose
their strength if given away and the secret of making kefir got out.
Others heard of the “magical” properties of kefir and word spread.
Even Marco Polo mentioned it. Then kefir was forgotten for centuries
until news spread of its successful use in the treatment of
tuberculosis, intestinal and stomach diseases. The first studies on
kefir were published in Russia at the end of the 19th century. This is
the true story of how kefir grains found their way to the rest of the
world:

The members of the All Russian Physician’s Society were determined to
obtain kefir grains in order to easily supply kefir to their patients.
The society approached the Blandov brothers and asked them to procure
some kefir grains. These brothers not only had a dairy, but had
holdings in the Caucasus. The plan was to obtain a source of kefir
grains and then produce kefir on an industrial scale in Moscow.
Nikolai Blandov sent a beautiful young employee, Irina Sakharova, to
the court of a local prince, Bek-Mirza Barchorov. Her job was to charm
the prince and persuade him to give her some kefir grains.

The prince however, afraid to violate a religious law, had no
intention of giving away any 'Grains of the Prophet’. He was very
taken with Irina though and didn't want to lose her. Realizing that
they were not going to complete their mission, Irina and her party
departed for Kislovodsk but were waylaid on way home by mountain
tribesmen who kidnapped Irina and took her back to the prince. Since
it was a local custom to steal a bride, Irina was told that she was to
marry the prince. Only a daring rescue mission mounted by agents of
her employers saved Irina from the forced marriage. The unlucky prince
was hauled before the Tsar who ruled that the prince was to give Irina
ten pounds of kefir grains, to recompense her for the insults she had
endured. The kefir grains were taken to the Moscow Dairy and in
September, 1908, the first commercial kefir was sold.

Traditionally kefir is prepared by fermenting milk with kefir grains.
The word ‘grains’ is a bit misleading. They look like little pieces of
cauliflower and have absolutely no relationship to cereal grains. They
are composed of a firm gel-like mass of proteins, fats and
polysaccharides and reproduce in a dairy medium. The organisms found
in kefir can be divided into 4 genus groups: Lactobacilli,
Streptococci-Lactococci, Acetobacter and Yeasts. Kefir, prepared with
grains, contains as many as 35 different strains of bacteria and
yeast. Commercial powdered starters are available and these contain
10-15 organisms, while the bottled kefir you buy in the store contains
a maximum of 10 strains (along with a lot of things you don’t want).
Most bottled kefir contains only bacteria as many states do not allow
the selling of beverages with live yeasts, so, as you can see, if you
want kefir for its probiotic value, it only makes sense to culture
your own. It is very simple to do, taking about 5 minutes a day. It is
also quite simple to prepare cheese from kefir.

Kefir has a creamy consistency with a slightly tangy (sour) taste
depending on how long it’s been fermented. Mine often gets as thick as
yogurt. Many, if not most people drink kefir after culturing for 24
hours then straining. However, by doing this they are missing out on
many of the benefits of kefir. For example, by ripening kefir another
24 hours, the content of folic acid is increased 116%. Kefir was
originally stored in airtight clay vessels or wooden barrels and
allowed to age. This produced a very effervescent beverage with up to
2% alcohol.

Besides kefir’s obvious probiotic value, it possesses other healing
properties. Kefir grains produce a polysaccharide known as kefiran.
Research in Japan found that rats with tumors, which were fed kefiran,
had reduction in tumor size. Kefiran is also proving to have anti-
inflammatory properties. Dom, mentioned above, actually cured himself
of Crohn’s disease by both eating kefir grains and inserting them
rectally. He has also had success treating Repetitive Stress Injuries
through the ingestion of kefir grains. In 2003, the anti-inflammatory
effect of kefiran was investigated and correlated scientifically by
Prof. Jose M. Schneedorf et al.

Other research shows regularly eating the grains themselves can lower
blood pressure, cure constipation, and control blood glucose. On his
site, Dom stresses that anyone culturing kefir should also ingest
excess grains. On Dom’s advice, a friend saved grains until she had a
large quantity, then started giving her autistic son about a
tablespoonful of grains with every meal. They are now about 3 weeks
into this process and her son is responding beautifully. He is much
calmer, emotionally less volatile and he is actually taking classes
online. He is 11 years old. Currently, there is no scientific research
using kefir grains to combat autism, but anecdotally, both with my
friend and with others, it appears to hold promise. Kefir and kefir
grains can also greatly aid in the elimination of Candidiasis.

There is a common misconception among most people battling Candida and
most Candida diets that all yeasts are bad and that fermented foods
will make you sicker. This simply isn’t true when talking about live
lacto-fermented foods. Yeasts are in the air so every time we breathe
or swallow, we are putting yeasts in our bodies. There is no way to
avoid exposure to yeasts unless you live in a bubble. If all yeasts
were bad, we couldn’t survive. Candida albicans is a normal part of
microbial flora in the intestines and only causes problems when its
growth gets out of control. Sadly, the SAD (Standard American Diet) is
the perfect vehicle to stimulate massive proliferation of Candida
albicans.

Candida is normally a smooth rounded bud and is harmless in this
stage. When the colony reaches a “critical mass” in the large
intestine and is running out of food, Candida has the ability to morph
from the round bud to a thread-like shape. It then migrates to the
small intestine in search of food and this is where the threads are
able to wreak havoc by poking holes in the small intestine. Instead of
vital nutrients being absorbed by the small intestine, approximately
180 toxins produced by Candida are given direct access to the
bloodstream. This phenomenon is called leaky gut syndrome. Undigested
food particles, toxins and other chemicals all cause inflammatory
reactions once outside the protected confines of the intestines and
this inflammation is the cause of myriad diseases and syndromes.

Unfortunately, mainstream medicine refuses to recognize the role of
Candida in inflammation.

The yeasts and bacteria present in kefir and other lacto-fermented
foods are actually able to displace Candida on the intestinal wall
allowing these holes to heal. Once the leaky-gut is resolved and
toxins no longer pass into the bloodstream and tissues of the body,
healing can begin. I truly believe that lacto-fermented foods are key
players in combating Candida albicans overgrowth and dairy kefir
provides the most comprehensive combination of beneficial organisms.

Milk kefir grains can be used to ferment alternative milks such as soy
milk, seed/nut milks, quinoa milk, coconut and rice milk. The grains
will not grow in such mediums and will eventually stop fermenting, and
kefiran is not produced. You do however; reap all the other benefits,
especially the probiotic benefits of fermenting milk. Another
alternative is water kefir. Water kefir grains are like squishy
crystals and are used to ferment sugar, water and fruits. You can
create your own carbonated soda-like beverages with water kefir and
get many of the same probiotic benefits. The organisms are not
identical to milk kefir grains. You can convert milk grains to culture
other mediums, but water grains don’t generally do a good job with
dairy. For more information on this:
((http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirp...) .

While kefir will work with all milk, even powdered, it does like a
little fat. I would highly recommend raw milk (cow or goat) from grass
fed animals. If you can’t get raw, try and find milk that has been
pasteurized but not homogenized. Ultra pasteurization is the most
damaging to the structure of the milk proteins, but that is often the
only way you can get organic milk. Above all, avoid milk that comes
from cows given hormones and antibiotics. Again, kefir grains will do
their magic with any milk.

If you are interested in finding raw milk in your area, go here:
(http://www.realmilk.com/where.html) .

If you are lactose intolerant, the initial 24-hour fermentation will
remove about 50% of the lactose, which is the food for the organisms.
Ripening the kefir after straining for an additional 24 hours at room
temperature or for several days in the refrigerator, will remove
almost all the lactose. Many people who are lactose intolerant are
able to drink raw milk even without fermenting, as the enzyme lactase
is still present.

I hope I have piqued your curiosity about kefir and tempted you to try
it. Here are some resources for getting grains. Most people give you
the grains for the cost of shipping.
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Kefir_making/) , Join this group, post
stating where you are and ask.

((http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Kefir_mak...)

((http://www.torontoadvisors.com/Kefir/ke...)

For some people, the tart taste may take a little getting used to.
Here are a couple of recipes I’ve developed for smoothies. I use
stevia because I have eliminated all sugars from my diet, however, you
can use honey or another natural sweetener of choice.

Mint Chocolate Smoothie

8 to 10 oz KEFIR
1 heaping tablespoonful Cocoa Powder
¼ teaspoonful Peppermint Extract
1 raw egg
1 tablespoonful Chia seed
Stevia to taste
Blend and enjoy

Berry Smoothie

8 to 10 oz KEFIR
¼ cup berries of choice
½ teaspoonful Vanilla Extract
1 raw egg
1 tablespoonful Chia seed
Stevia to taste
Blend and enjoy

(http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html)

(http://www.healingcrow.com/ferfun/ferfun.html)

(http://www.kefir.biz/history.htm)

((http://www.know-the-cause.com/NewsLette...)

About the author
Patty is a recent convert to health through "whole foods" nutrition
and alternative medicine. In April 2007, she was told to go back on
morphine, get in a wheelchair and "learn to live with it". Since that
time, she has spent countless hours researching nutrtion and
alternative health. She comes to News Target with a unique perspective
in this area after working in pharmacy and teaching pharmacology for
15 years, followed by 15 years as an RN. In less than 6 months of
following this lifestyle, she has lost 50lbs, stopped over 20
prescription drugs and no longer has several "diseases".

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