kefir

[hcsl]

Does anyone have any strong opinions about kefir (positive or negative)? I recently came across the Mercola website and agree with some of his ideas and disagree with others.
Does anyone give kefir to your children? If so, how old should they be before having a bit?
Thanks!

[Katie Bugs Mama]

I don't have any answers to your questions, but I'd like to piggy-back a few of my own kefir questions on your thread, if you don't mind. Specifically, is kefir the same thing as "drinkable yogurt" or is it something different?

[lao80]

It's different. It almost has a fizzy quality to it. I don't know the answer to the other question. My son is almost 2 1/2 and he's been drinking it for about a year. That's when I first found out about it. He loves it.

[toraji]

I think kefir is great! Though actually I make probiotic yogurt at home out of raw goats milk and prefer the flavor of that better. If you listen to the pro-kefir folks, they'll have you believing that kefir is so much better than yogurt. I'm not convinced about that. But I think it is a great way to get probiotics into your intestinal tract which helps your digestive system. This page is the best source for kefir info: http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html

I give some to my 20 mo. old DD and she does not have any problems with it. So possibly you can try a bit with your children and see if they can tolerate it or not. I actually prefer giving fermented milk products to my child over non-fermented because the fermentation breaks down the lactose and makes the proteins more digestible.

ETA: kefir is different from drinkable yogurt b/c there are different beasties in it. The bacteria/yeasts in kefir cause fizziness from the fermentation.