Got Kefir? - Page 26

[Peek-a-boo]

Thank you so much dogmom!

[KaliD]

coconut milk kefir

Nm

[sunshinestarr]

Please Help!

We recently bought some kefir, milk and water. Dh and I are sticking to the water kefir and the milk is pretty much for the kids (mostly ds 3yo, ds 9 months has had tastes).

The kids seem fine, but dh and I are sick, sick, sick! It's like, all of the symptoms that we're trying to fix with dh are just BOOM coming out. And I've not been feeling well either since starting, stomach aches, headaches, snappy, my throat hurts. Dh's list goes on longer.

I have heard that this is normal, that while the kefir is re-colonizing our guts, things may get worse before they get better. Basically I've read that there's a war going on inside of us right now, and if we keep drinking the kefir, the good guys are sure to win.

My question is: how long will this take?!?! I don't know how much longer we can take feeling like this! It's been maybe a week and a half since we started taking it, and not that long since the symptoms started showing up. Maybe a few days, I'm not sure.

Any help would be really appreciated - before dh and I wrestle each other or something!!

[WuWei]

How much are you taking? Are you doing other antifungals, like coconut oil, Oil of Oregano? Have mercury fillings?

I would just do 1 tablespoon a day for a week. And add a tablespoon a day each week, IF none of the above. Otherwise, I'd increase by a tablespoon each MONTH. So, probably, slow down.

Pat

[sunshinestarr]

Gotcha. We've been taking a lot, I've been using pretty big glass jars (mason jars? I don't know) to make them. Fermenting 48 hours.

But how do I make such a small amount, that we're only taking such a small amount every day? I feel like I'd be dumping a lot out, the way I make it. Even using small jars, I'd be throwing out a lot, no?

Is it hurting to keep going the way I'm going? Dh will for sure slow down, but if I don't, are there.. bad things that could happen??

Thanks Pat!!!!!

For your questions, Dh was taking coconut oil for a while a few weeks ago, but stopped for some reason. I cook with it occasionally. He's got a big merc. filling, I don't have any.

Thanks again!!

[ack26]

OK, I should have looked at this before posting my basic kefir questions. Off to read this big long post!

[WuWei]

If you have symptoms from a new food/supplement/practice, I believe in listening to your body.

I don't believe anything 'bad' could happen. Are you doing kombucha also?

I don't strain my kefir right away. I store it in the refrigerator and strain off what I need each day, rather than make a new batch every 48 hours. Also, you can eat the water kefir grains, or make smoothies with the kefir, or give some grains away, or freeze some grains. I use the kefir to soak grains, rice, beans also.


Pat

[sunshinestarr]

You can eat them?? I'd ask if you're kidding but I have a feeling you're not!!

Thanks again, Pat! What you said about listening to the body makes a lot of sense. No need to make myself feel awful.

So it's ok to just keep the kefir grains in the fridge, with the batch I'm making? How long can they stay in the fridge for?

Theoretically I'm taking kombucha, but I haven't in weeks, it started to grow mold, so we threw a batch away, and I think it's getting moldy again. I miss my kombucha, I really love the stuff. Do you know anything I can do about it?

I'll throw this question in here too.. It's ok to freeze milk kefir, right? Does anything survive? (Not the grains, but the actual kefir)

Thanks a MILLION, Pat! You rock!

[highlandmum]

Just subbing! Looking forward to starting my own kefir soon:

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by sunshinestarr

So it's ok to just keep the kefir grains in the fridge, with the batch I'm making? How long can they stay in the fridge for?

Theoretically I'm taking kombucha, but I haven't in weeks, it started to grow mold, so we threw a batch away, and I think it's getting moldy again. I miss my kombucha, I really love the stuff. Do you know anything I can do about it?

I'll throw this question in here too.. It's ok to freeze milk kefir, right? Does anything survive? (Not the grains, but the actual kefir)

Yes, we eat the water kefir grains, occasionally. They are tasty with cinnamon, I hear. But, I just toss them in a smoothie, generally.

Kombucha has Saccharomyces boulardii a beneficial yeast which displaces and replaces candida. When candida dies off, it releases stored mercury into blood circulation. So, dh may need to go easy on the kombucha.

I don't know about freezing kefir. For popsicles, I believe it is fine and may retain probiotic benefits. Not certain.

Pat

[momofmine]

Elaine Gottschall used to say that freezing the yogurt did inhibit some of the probiotic activity, but there will still be benefit. As opposed to heating it, for example if you bake with it, which kills all the good bugs off.

I would imagine kefir would be similar to yogurt in that regard.

[sunshinestarr]

Thank you!

[Kamagrian]

I'm so inspired by this thread that I've finally got around to registering on MDC!

I first had kefir a couple of years ago, when I escaped to Norway for a long weekend to relax. Obviously this was in my pre-motherhood days! It's very popular there - you can buy it in pretty much every shop - and I loved having it with my breakfast. I recently read more about its health properties and decided to find out more. I found a local man happy to share his (very healthy!) grains, and we've now had our first few days of fresh kefir.

It's absolutely gorgeous - like a thick, creamy drinking yoghurt with a lightly sour tang and a trademark sparkly aftertaste - and it's going down well with the whole family, including our 1 year old who we have to stop stealing ours!

Thanks for all the information on here, it's great to see all the extra ideas and recipes, and I'm grateful to Xenabyte and others for the valuable resource.

Gill x

[sunshinestarr]

Welcome, Kamagrain!! Yay for kefir!

[Bubblette]

Hi everyone!
I haven't read through the whole thread. I'm sure this is answered somewhere in here, sorry! Is it ok to start Kefir while pregnant?? I'm 5w3d and I have had a terrible time with yeast the last five years or so. I know pregnancy can make it worse so I was looking around for something better than just yogurt and found kefir! Can I start with like 1T and see how it goes?

If it is safe I'll have to figure out where to get some grains...

Thanks!

[Naturally organic]

subbing

[nicolelynn]

Which kefir?

I am SO happy to be tolerating goat's dairy now, I have been buying Redwood Hill Creamery goat's milk kefir. My options are that, which is organic or making kefir myself with non organic pasturized milk (Trader Joe's brand). It seems like the culture I could get from making it home made would be better, but would it be worth it to use conventional goat's milk? I can get Meyenberg brand organic goats milk to make it myself, but that brand is ultra pasturized so I don't think that would be any good.

[WuWei]

Any milk (nut, homogenized, pasteurized, goat, cow, etc.) homemade with real kefir grains has more microbial benefit than store bought kefir. And commercial kefir has more microbials than most any yogurt.

Water kefir has more beneficial microbials than any yogurt.

Coconut water kefir is delicious and nutritious!


Pat

[nicolelynn]

That's what I was thinking, so I think I'll start making it. Maybe one day I can tolerate cow's milk again so I can just use Organic Pastures...or maybe I'll find a good source for raw goat's milk.

Thanks.

[Toolip]

Holey smokes this is a long thread!! Wow. I just read the whole thing, well I started to skim at the end, but I copied all the recipes out to put in my cookbook. Now I just have to find some grains