water kefir making us sick?

[my_baby_love]

I started making water kefir about three weeks ago and we are really enjoying it. But in the past couple days I have been wondering if it's making us sick. DS2 threw up a few times this week and I think it has been linked to when he has had some water kefir (not much, just an ounce or two). DS1 loves it and does fine drinking a small glass. Then I was watching my neighbor's girl yesterday and she had some with DS1. Her mom called me this morning to tell me she had been throwing up all morning. I had a big glass with lunch today and have felt queasy ever since. Finally my DH asked if I thought it was the water kefir and I made all the connections. Is that what might be causing it? I love drinking it, but are we consuming too much? It smells and looks fine to me, but I'm new to this so maybe something isn't right. Or maybe we just all have a stomach thing and it has nothing to do with the kefir. Has this happened to anyone else?

[jrose_lee]

Hey there! My opinion is that sometimes healthy things make us detox. They bring out all the yuckies out of you. So...in a way the WK could be making you "sick", but not in the way you might think. Detox is not always fun. It comes out in "colds" or feeling queasy or just plain ol' throwing up. If you feel comfortable with it and feel the WK is not "off" in any way you could keep at it and see if it truly is a detox period that would go away and leave you feeling even better than before. Just my thoughts. Talk to you soon!

(From my personal experience, btw, after our family went completely raw TF I would have these extreme moments of queasiness/sickness that would come on me suddenly and I would have to lie down I felt so sick. Then after a time they would pass. Once I even threw up. I truly believe that because we were eating the healthiest we had ever eaten that my body was getting rid of lots of toxins. Eventually that went away and I haven't had those episodes since)

[my_baby_love]

Originally Posted by jrose_lee

My opinion is that sometimes healthy things make us detox. They bring out all the yuckies out of you.

That makes a lot of sense, and I had actually considered that a bit. I was expecting to detox a bit in starting TF, but I guess I didn't realize that I could feel queasy as a sign of detox. Good to know.

[Koalamom]

Yup, sounds like detox. Water kefir is way too strong for us detox wise if it brews longer than 24 hours. And we don't take more than 1 tablespoon at a time.

[my_baby_love]

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1

Yup, sounds like detox. Water kefir is way too strong for us detox wise if it brews longer than 24 hours. And we don't take more than 1 tablespoon at a time.

So maybe letting it brew 36 hours and then drinking about 12 ounces in a sitting isn't a good idea? Good to know. I am so new at all this and maybe a little too excited about it. Oh goodness, I will have to take it easy with the water kefir from now on, or at least until my body is more used to it.

[Koalamom]

Originally Posted by my_baby_love

So maybe letting it brew 36 hours and then drinking about 12 ounces in a sitting isn't a good idea? Good to know. I am so new at all this and maybe a little too excited about it. Oh goodness, I will have to take it easy with the water kefir from now on, or at least until my body is more used to it.

What you are doing would knock our socks off!!!
But many people do use kefir the way you do and are fine. I just know that we have to take it easy. 1 tablespoon has so many health benefits- as much as a whole bottle of proboitics. Also I would take it easy if you are dealing with metals and/or have mercury filings.

[Millie Ivy]

Kombucha does/did the same thing to me. When i wasn't drinking it daily it would buzz me more than a glass or two of wine, flush cheeks, and sometimes get me quite queasy. This is on 4 ounces or less. This past 10 days or so I have had at least 4 ounces each day and am finally getting through the detox. On Friday, I took a full bottle with me to volunteer at co-op and finished the whole thing (16 oz) no problem. yay!

[my_baby_love]

Originally Posted by Millie Ivy

Kombucha does/did the same thing to me.

I can drink kombucha no problem, thank goodness . I had about 4 ounces of water kefir today and didn't have the queasiness so I think I will stick to that for a while until my body gets used to it.

[kjmccune]

Funny to just read this. We started keifer grains (milk) last week and things seemed to be going okay. We started slowly with a little bit for the kids (almost 4 and almost 2), but the past 2 nights I gave them some, maybe more than they had before. Well my 2 y.o. woke up last night almost sort of dry heaving, just some mucous throw up and has been doing it on and off since then, and my 4 y.o. threw up once last night. They both seem to be feeling fine and normal. 2 y.o. threw up breakfast but a few seconds later was off and playing. And the 4 y.o. didn't even wake us up when she threw up last night. I guess maybe it's too much kefir?! Any other thoughts or experiences like this?

[rhesp1212]

If you haven't been taking any sort of probiotic, your body is not used to it. It's very important to start in very small amounts. My DS, who is now 20 months started with literally 1 cc of water kefir a day and he now drinks about 4 ounces of it daily. For kids, I would only brew it for 24 hours as the longer it brews the higher the alcohol content is. I have noticed that if I accidently brew too long or have too many grains in it so that it ferments quicker, my DS will spit up and throw up after drinking it. I think it's the higher alcohol content that makes him do it. Most adults can eventually handle a 48 hour brew.

[caedmyn]

It could be amine sensitivity...all fements build up a naturally occurring chemical called amines, and the longer they ferment the more amines they have. The problem (IMO) with considering any negative reaction to something that's regarded as healthy a detox reaction, is that there are lots of other negative things that can cause any "detox" symptoms.

www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info and www.plantpoisonsandrottenstuff.com have more information on food chemical sensitivity

[kjmccune]

Well, I don't think ours was from the kefir anymore! My 2 y.o. was running a temp last night so I guess it wouldn't be from the kefir. Thanks for all the good info!

Another question though, when did everyone start their kids on kefir? I have a 2 1/2 month old and was wondering if I should just start him on it when he starts solids? Or wait bc it's in milk?

Any info would be great as we're just beginning on our kefir journey!

[WuWei]

I only recommend starting with a teaspoon for kids, a tablespoon a day for adults. Then work up (or down) from there, depending on tolerance. Increase by just that same amount each month (as tolerated), if doing gut healing; increase weekly if no health issues.

One 1/8 teaspoon is the equivalent of one probiotic capsule, basically. A tablespoon is nearly the equivalent of a whole bottle of probiotics. If you haven't been doing whole food probiotics, especially on top of any leaky gut or antibiotics, a big glass is Too Much, imo.


Pat

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by kjmccune

Another question though, when did everyone start their kids on kefir? I have a 2 1/2 month old and was wondering if I should just start him on it when he starts solids? Or wait bc it's in milk?

If you or baby received antibiotics during pregnancy or at birth (C-section, Group B strep, etc.) then I'd consider giving baby bifidum probiotics (for infants) directly. It is given as just a lick off the nipple or finger. I would not introduce whole food probiotics to infants under 6 months, unless they had reflux issues. Then I'd just give a lick of kefir off my finger, once a day.

Baby gets probiotics from breastmilk. If on formula, I'd be sure baby is receiving bifidum.

Pat

[my_baby_love]

Originally Posted by WuWei

I only recommend starting with a teaspoon for kids, a tablespoon a day for adults. Then work up (or down) from there, depending on tolerance. Increase by just that same amount each month (as tolerated), if doing gut healing; increase weekly if no health issues.

One 1/8 teaspoon is the equivalent of one probiotic capsule, basically. A tablespoon is nearly the equivalent of a whole bottle of probiotics. If you haven't been doing whole food probiotics, especially on top of any leaky gut or antibiotics, a big glass is Too Much, imo.


Pat

If we dose the kefir this way, then what in the world do I do with all of the kefir I would have left over? I can usually tolerate a moderate sized glass and drink that much about once a day (I took capsule probiotics for quite a while even before we ate TF), and I still have a huge pitcher of water kefir in my fridge that I add to with every batch I make. Do I just throw it out or can I make other stuff with it?

[WuWei]

I offer kefir to every person who walks in my door. lol

I use the excess water kefir (which has many vitamins and minerals) in place of water in cooking and baking. Heat kills the probiotic benefits, but doesn't lose the nutritive benefits.

Make a smaller batch.

Give excess grains away to your friends. I offer them to every person who walks in my door.

Pat

[Koalamom]

Great ideas Pat!

[velcromom]

As I read thru your thread, I first had to go back and see your location, because I thought, "I bet she's on the west coast" because there's a GI bug going around and I know how fast they spread. Then I read further and saw that you probably do have it, bummer, but nice to know it's not your kefir.

second thought was , Wow that is a lot of really strong kefir to be taking!

I offered fermented drinks in tiny sips to my dd starting about the time she could walk, 14 months.

One thing you can do if you have too much water kefir or kombucha and it hangs around a while and gets vinegary, make salad dressing using it in place of some of the vinegar. That way you still get the probiotics but it is in small enough amounts so that it shouldn't be troublesome.

[WuWei]

I use it for soaking grains or flour also.

Pat

[bright_eyes]

Originally Posted by WuWei

I only recommend starting with a teaspoon for kids, a tablespoon a day for adults. Then work up (or down) from there, depending on tolerance. Increase by just that same amount each month (as tolerated), if doing gut healing; increase weekly if no health issues.

One 1/8 teaspoon is the equivalent of one probiotic capsule, basically. A tablespoon is nearly the equivalent of a whole bottle of probiotics. If you haven't been doing whole food probiotics, especially on top of any leaky gut or antibiotics, a big glass is Too Much, imo.

I've never made kefir before but was thinking of getting some and trying this out.

So you are saying that it would be way too much to drink it like you would a glass of soda pop? Can you ever work up to drinking a whole glass?

Pat, if you are only taking a tiny amount, do you flavor it, or just drink it as is, after fermenting for a day?