Kefir question

[almama]

Wow, kefir is very popular here! My question is whether it is as good for you cooked as it is raw.

Also what does NT stand for? Thanks!

[xenabyte]

NT = Nourishing Traditions, it's a book by Sally Fallon, with recipes and info on that particular way of eating.

Kefir is a probiotic, like yogurt. You want to consume it uncooked to get the living bacteria into your digestive system. However, there are some benefits to using it in your cooking (like increased nutritional value of the food, and it really makes a difference in your baked goods - at least I think so)

[scientist]

the greatest benefit comes from the living bacteria. Deer (for example) have millions of living bacteria in thier digestive system, which allow tham to digest what we would consider undigestable garbage. without these bacteria thier digestive system is incomplete, and they would not survive the winter when there are only twigs and bark to eat. like the deer, we also need good living bacteria in our digestive system. in this world of antibiotics and sterility that we live in it is extremely important to make an effort to replace the bacteria that we need in order for our digestive systems to be complete. after all our digestive system is not just for breaking down the foods we eat, it is also the vast majority of our first line of defense against disease.

well there's my 2 cents