I don't know the answer. It seems that a few of the mamas here do have some issues with water kefir. However, it seems specific to the sugar source, fruit used, or the use of citrus in the ferment.
Freshly made kefir can have an average microbial count as high as 10 billion cfu/ml. This includes a mixture of various bacteria and yeast strains.
This means that a 500 ml glass of homemade kefir could contain as many as 5 trillion beneficial microorganisms or even more!"http://www.healingcrow.com/ferfun/co...onspiracy.html
"Both kefir and yogurt are cultured milk products... ...but they contain different types of beneficial bacteria. Yogurt contains transient beneficial bacteria that keep the digestive system clean and provide food for the friendly bacteria that reside there.
But kefir can actually colonize the intestinal tract, a feat that yogurt cannot match.
Kefir contains several major strains of friendly bacteria not commonly found in yogurt, Lactobacillus Caucasus, Leuconostoc, Acetobacter species, and Streptococcus species.
It also contains beneficial yeasts, such as Saccharomyces kefir and Torula kefir, which dominate, control and eliminate destructive pathogenic yeasts in the body. They do so by penetrating the mucosal lining where unhealthy yeast and bacteria reside, forming a virtual SWAT team that housecleans and strengthens the intestines. Hence, the body becomes more efficient in resisting such pathogens as E. coli and intestinal parasites.
Kefir's active yeast and bacteria provide more nutritive value than yogurt by helping digest the foods that you eat and by keeping the colon environment clean and healthy.
Because the curd size of kefir is smaller than yogurt, it is also easier to digest, which makes it a particularly excellent, nutritious food for babies, invalids and the elderly, as well as a remedy for digestive disorders."
http://www.kefir.net/kefiryogurt.htm
Oral administration of
milk kefir and soymilk kefir for 28 days significantly
increased the fecal populations of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, while it significantly decreased those of
Clostridium perfringens.
Milk kefir and soymilk kefir also significantly decreased the serum OVA-specific IgE and IgG1 levels for both groups, but not those of the IgG2a analogues.
Consumption of milk kefir and soymilk kefir suppressed the IgE and IgG1 responses and altered the intestinal microflora in our supplemented group, suggesting that milk kefir and soymilk kefir may be considered among the more promising food components in terms of preventing food allergy and enhancement of mucosal resistance to gastrointestinal pathogen infection.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/j...90958/abstract
Research published by the Society of Chemical Industry reports kefir contains bacteria which could help reduce allergic responses.
The research indicated that feeding babies kefir may help to protect against some food allergies.http://stanford.wellsphere.com/diges...lergies/370766
So, unless you have an IgE (anaphylactic) rather than intolerance reaction, I advocate to consider including 1 Tbls of raw, goat's milk kefir for mama, and babies (prefer over age 6 months) who have food intolerances.
Pat
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