Yogurt vs. Kefir

[mama-a-llama]

Which do you use and why?

[julesinottawa]

Both.

Kefir just recently appeared in my grocery store, I hadn't been able to find it before last week so I'm just getting used to it. So far I'm just drinking a cup of storebought in the morning. I'd like to get a starter kit and make my own to use in various recipes I've seen.

The reason I wanted to try Kefir was that I had read it's more beneficial in terms of types of healthy bacteria AND I heard it can help curb sugar cravings. I'm still getting use to it so I have yet to decide if I'll keep up with it.

I still eat yogurt too.

[tamagotchi]

We mostly use kefir now .... mostly because it's easier to make!

[moneca]

Both. I culture the yoghurt with thermophilus, bulgaris, and lactobacillus. Kefir has beneficial bacteria and beneficial yeast. I'm trying to repopulate my gut with as many different good beasties as possible.

[newcastlemama]

I like the firmness of yogurt....I kind that I only like kefir if it is lightly sweetened....plus drinking it is a new thing for me to get used to I guess.

[saratc]

I only use kefir since I have a milk allergy, and while yogurt will still give me reactions, kefir will not.

In terms of benefits, kefir has been known to help fight candida, which is the yeast in the body which tends to cause sugar cravings. It has some different strains of bacteria than yogurt, and also has the added benefit of good strains of yeast which are what helps compete with the candida. It is the yeasty taste in kefir that sometimes takes some getting use to.

DH and I love our kefir smoothies and we've taken to using kefir like sour cream -- we use it as an accompaniment for lamb or beef, add a bit to our split pea soup, and drizzle over burritos, tacos, and falafel patties.

[~member~]

Originally Posted by saratc

I only use kefir since I have a milk allergy, and while yogurt will still give me reactions, kefir will not.

In terms of benefits, kefir has been known to help fight candida, which is the yeast in the body which tends to cause sugar cravings. It has some different strains of bacteria than yogurt, and also has the added benefit of good strains of yeast which are what helps compete with the candida. It is the yeasty taste in kefir that sometimes takes some getting use to.

: I raspberry Kefir.

[Annabel]

I use both. I noticed a huge improvement in health when I started eating a lot of yoghurt, and an even bigger improvement when I added kefir to my diet as well. Strangely enough I have found I don't have yoghurt cravings anymore since getting started on kefir. I still eat yoghurt because it tastes good though.

[AnnC]

For some reason, once I started making kefir, I lost my taste for yogurt. I really don't like it any more. So I just make kefir. I drink it plain, or make smoothies. A friend of mine doesn't like the sour taste, so he flavors it. He did one with raspberry and honey, and another with pear and cinnamon -- yummy! I stir fruit-sweetened blackberry jam into mine.

Ann

[bigknitwit]

On a similar note - how does kefir taste in comparison to yogurt?

[KnitLady]

Julie: I don't know if you've found a starter kit or not, but apparently it is better to get kefir grains rather than a starter kit. Check out this site for more info.

Kirsten: I think kefir has a stronger, sharper taste. I can eat either plain, but I really do like kefir with a bit of fruit in it.

[zoebird]

i use kefir over porridge; i use yogurt with fresh mixed berries and raw granola that i make.

[Laurel723]

I noticed that doms kefir site is based out of Australia-I would just as soon buy grains from someone domestic-in the US-if possible, anyway (Just a little quirk of mine....) How does shipping them this time of year work? Does heat harm them if they are dormant or do I have to wait until fall?

[KnitLady]

I don't believe the heat will harm them if they are dehydrated and stored in dry milk.

[Laurel723]

Ugh. I just got an email back from Dom and he said that for the dry grains, book, and shipping, its $38. It's $65 for the fresh grains. Guess I'll be skipping it for now. $40 is too much for us to spend on a whim right now-our pennies are squealing like never before!

Anyone have any "just plain grains" they want to share? I'd be glad to pay for them, just not that much!

[Gale Force]

It's OK to ship grains this time of year, you just have to make sure they don't sit in the post office over the weekend. I ship mine on Monday or Tuesday via priority mail and they are at their destination (anywhere in the US) by the end of the week. But before anyone PMs me, my milk grains are at an all-time low. I shipped so many in the spring that I ended up with a tablespoon myself and I'm still working on building up the stash. We haven't been consuming all that much this summer.

Start a thread asking for milk grains. I've shipped to so many people on this forum that surely someone will have some.

[carnelian]

Kefir vs. yogurt info