Dsybiosis and MC

[Zizzle]

Hi Leah,

Water kefir is a lacto-fermented beverage made with water kefir grains and sugar water. The “grains” (called so for their appearance) feed on the sugar leaving it with an extremely mild sweetness. The plain kefir tastes somewhat like hard apple cider to me, but very mild, and strangely it smells like yogurt! I drink it plain first thing in the morning, and in the evening I add a little juice for flavor, and water to temper the sweetness. I avoid it before bed because it seems to keep me awake!

Probiotics are good bacteria that help you keep a healthy gut. While it is thought to be not as strong, it contains a greater number of bacterial strains than are found in kombucha. These good bacteria help us to digest our food, prevent allergies, boost our immune system, and overall keep our body healthy. I'm doing this to crowd out any unsavory inhabitants in my gut and restore balance. Since many probiotic supplements are not reliable, I'm getting my probiotics through fermented foods – and water kefir seems to cause less histamine-related symptoms compared to fermented veggies and kombucha.

Some people start slow, taking tablespoons a day. I started drinking by the cup right away, and it did loosen my stool for 2-3 days, but not bad.

You can buy your grains (or find them from someone local) once and use them again and again. It’s very versatile allowing you to customize the flavors. The end result is somewhat bubbly making it a great alternative for soda. Many people add vanilla, or lemon, or fruit slices. Some ferment with dried fruits. There are lots of options for flavoring, although I like it plain.

To make your own water kefir you will need:

*Grains

*Mason jars (I re-use a large Bubbies pickle jar)

*plastic strainer

*spring water or well water

*unrefined organic cane sugar and/or coconut sugar

*coffee filter or cloth and elastic band to cover the jar (otherwise fruit flies try to get in)

Eventually you might add molasses and egg shells to help the grains grow and reproduce faster. A pinch of mineral rich (Real or Himalayan) salt helps too.


http://www.keysands.com/about-our-cultures/

http://www.keysands.com/water-kefir-strains/

Here's an excellent video on how to make it. I personally use a 1 tbsp sugar per cup of water ratio (given by Keysands), which is easier than measuring 1/4 cups sugar.
Cultures for Health is the bigger company, but they only sell their grains dehydrated.

http://www.culturesforhealth.com/water-kefir

[Leah]

Thanks Zizzle. I am very curious, but also a bit wary since I have a terrible reaction to probiotics and I have a histamine issue ( I also don't like yogurt).
I will think on this one.

[Gloria]

I'm with you, Leah. After a one-week trial of eating 1 tablespoon each morning of homemade almond yogurt, I'm convinced that yogurt doesn't agree with me anymore. But Culturelle does help me. My trial of doing without it has also shown me that I need it.

Gloria

[MBombardier]

Hi Zizzle,

I saw your post on water kefir. I had a couple of gallons going, but I just don't like it. It tastes like kombucha, and I don't like that, either. I mixed it with grape juice to make it taste better, sort of like grape soda, but I still didn't like it. If I had gotten a lot of benefit from it, I would have drunk it anyway, of course, but the saccromyces boulardi I take has been much more beneficial for me. So I gave all my grains away. Now I need to make an effort to drink the coconut water I used to feed it because I don't like that, either.

[DebE13]

Is it comparable to anything? Is it very sweet? I can't tolerate extremely sweet things anymore.

Be aware, if it matters to you where you are getting it from....if you order on Amazon it's very misleading. The Atlantis Group is using Keysands in their title. Somehow, if you do click on Keysands as the manufacturer, it changes to the Atlantis Group when you go to check out. I think this type of deception is shameful. I'm not familiar with them but I planned to order from Keysands because they were so prompt and friendly responding to a question I had. They warn consumers of this on their site so I was already aware of it.

[Zizzle]

I've only found my WK to taste like Kombucha when I left it in the fridge for 4 days while I traveled. The slow (cold) but long brew made it taste much more vinegary, like kombucha. I stop my ferments at 48 hours max, then I allow the second ferment (after you strain out the grains) one day on the counter, then in the fridge to slow the process. I can say the sweetness is equivalent to drinking natural apple cider watered down with 4 parts water, which is not very sweet at all. If you prefer sweeter, you can ferment for 24 hrs instead of 48. I've been using 2 tbsp raw cane sugar and 1 tbsp coconut sugar in my WK to mix up the types of sugar.

[Zizzle]

I have heard of the deception on Amazon. I try to go straight to the source when possible. Of course you might be able to find people locally, like on Craig's List or on the "I love water kefir" Facebook page. But I don't know how/if the probiotic stains differ from source to source.

[MBombardier]

I may give water kefir another try, Zizzle, and be more diligent about not letting it ferment so long. I know at least three gals that I can get grains from locally. I was reading yesterday that the Paleo Mom highly recommends water kefir as part of her Autoimmune Protocol.