Kefir for Health: A Fermented Alternative to Yogurt

My husband has made homemade milk kefir for about 4 years now and we are both benefiting from it greatly. I was diagnosed with Barrett's esophagus after many problems and an endoscopy. I started the kefir and went back 2 years later for a follow up endoscopy and they did biopsy's. They found no evidence of the Barrett's that time. I'm due again in the fall for a follow up and I'm hopeful they will not find Barrett's again.

My husband has always had many polyps when he has his colonoscopy. He had 13 one time and several were cancerous. He started the kefir, and 3 years later he only had 4 polyps. His doctor told him to keep drinking the kefir.

I get through the taste by making mine into a fruit smoothie. I put frozen red cherries, blueberries and every now and then add a few slices of frozen banana. Blend it in my nutribullet and enjoy!

*Note My husband has used regular whole milk to make his kefir but we are about to try the organic 2% milk. Hopefully with it being ultra pasteurized it will still process. Also, I drink a 1/2 quart in the morning and he drinks a 1/2 quart in the morning and 1/2 quart at night. Try it!

I've been fermenting my own grains for dairy kefir for years now and still cannot stand the taste. I've been choking it down all this time for the health benefits, but can't really tell you that I've seen any. I love full-fat plain unsweetened greek yogurt and, occasionally, make it myself at home. Kefir has something like 57 different strains of probiotics; yogurt only has, at most, 5.

So, my question is, what if I use fermented kefir milk instead of unfermented milk for the yogurt? Would the abundance of probiotics in the kefir proliferate in the yogurt? If they stay active but don't reproduce, I could keep on fermenting with the grains and use fresh kefir every time for the yogurt. Any thoughts on this? I have, recently, taken to mixing the kefir into the yogurt and consuming that, but it's not thick as I like it. Or am I totally wasting my time with the kefir since I can't see any health difference? I have ibs-d and insomnia and the kefir is said to help with that as well as with so many other health issues. And, I must admit, when others get sick or have allergies to pollen, I don't so maybe there's a benefit that I'm not seeing.

Also, to ORH, hang in there. If you know Jehovah God, then you know Who wins this battle. Embrace His will and all will be well.

Hi GertJr,

I also consumed the homemade milk kefir for a few years, as advised by a poster named P. Raghavan. I ordered the grains on the internet from a reputable seller. While I wanted the probiotics, I did it as an experiment, also, to see if it reduced sugar for a relative with Type 11 diabetes. My usual blood sugar is about 99, but by using the keifer for several years, eventually brought it down to 82. My daughter informed me that it may be too low, so I stopped taking it. My blood sugar is about 99 again. I, too, had a hard time with the taste, but found it better when mixed with blueberries.

I am an avid fan of kefir and have been drinking it for almost a year now. I grow so many grains that I have been able to start over 20 people on it. They are starting to call me the kefir lady. We have gotten great results on it in our family. My 11 year old twin daughter has Type 1 Diabetes and getting great results with blood sugars. It is as though her body is trying to work, We also have celiac disease in our family and it soothes the gut and helped heal the gut. We havent gotten sick on this except for mild detoxifying My twenty year old daughter had mrsa and had great results on a natural supplement with no scarring or reaccuring bouts it was scabbed over in a week to the doctors amazement. She did not take kefir but I wanted that info for the mrsa patients.

All I can say is that kefir is part of our daily healthy living along with supplements and all natural antibiotics. Lynn

Hi everyone, I haven't written for quite awhile but I wanted to say that my most recent journey has been with kefir. Those of you who know me know that I have been through many of the remedies here on earth clinic and each has been wonderful and beneficial. Still, I am always in search of alternative remedies/ protocols for ultimate health. I continue with my hyaluronic acid, once to twice a week I take apple cider vinegar and baking soda in water in the morning and zeolite once to twice a week as well to remove heavy metals/toxins.

For 3 months we were about 90% raw and had green juices everyday for 10 months. I had been dealing with excruciating pain in my body for 5 years and the juicing and raw really brought that to an end and all within about a week. I continue to not eat pasta or mainstream bread and no dairy. With that, I began to learn about kefir and had been making my own young coconut kefir for about 4 months drinking it daily. Then, I began to learn a lot about milk kefir. I was concerned about it because I had pinpointed the culprit of my pain was dairy so I was hesitant about milk kefir. I did a lot of research and what I learned was that those who are dairy intolerant rarely have a reaction to real kefir. I say "real kefir" because I'm not talking about commercial kefir but rather making it yourself at home with living kefir grains. It has been a little over 2 months now that I have been drinking it daily and have fallen in love with it. The benefits are amazing. Although I saw my skin change with green juices and going raw, I saw it change yet again with milk kefir. I have had melasma for the last 10 years or so and with the kefir have seen it disappear. Also, I notice my lungs feel very strong and when I'm teaching my voice is very strong and I can speak all the way to the other side of the room. I feel steady and calm when I drink it too. My nails grow unbelievably fast now and my digestion is really good too.

When I first started researching this, my thought was, this sounds miraculous but could it be true? The history of kefir is also fascinating. So far, it is proving to be a miraculous food. It contains over 30 strains of bacterias and yeasts that the body needs to stay healthy and strong. It can combat candida and prevent candidiasis. Anyway, if kefir is something that interests you due to its benefits you can google it and find lots of info. There are sites you can order living kefir grains from which I believe is the way to go to truly get the benefits that are claimed about kefir. Don't just get the commercial kind in the store. Also, if you buy the grains, they live forever because they are self-propagating so you never have to buy them again!

Here's to our health! Lisa

At the end of 2006, I contracted MRSA. I still have scars from that early time before I learned about kefir. I only bought one batch of kefir grains in early 2007, and I am still fermenting using grains created from that first batch. I never took any antibiotics. After I started sipping homemade kefir all day and night, I have never had any more outbreaks, except one time in 2008, I stupidly cut back on the amount of kefir I was drinking and got paid back with an outbreak on my chest. I am sipping my kefir as I write this. My primary said my MRSA looks "dormant". Yes, it is "sleeping" but if I stopped kefir, it would rage up again.

I sprinkle some turmeric in a couple times a day. Mike will teach you all about how to make your own fresh kefir at home. Or write to me. BTW, I do not eat any kind of meat or fish, because they contain HEME iron which causes MRSA bacteria to rage up. I am 66, I garden, shop, do my web work, and live normally just as I did before I contracted this hideous MRSA. If I can do this, so can you! Anyone can email me anytime. I care about people with MRSA.

I managed to give myself a yeast infection with an overzealous attempt at home-brewed root beer. I don't know how serious this sort of infection is, but I finished it off by drinking lots of water and lots of a cultured yogurt product called kefir. The idea was to flush the yeast, dead or alive, out of the gastrointestinal system and replace/combat it with the bacteria in the cultured kefir drink.

My very restricted vegetarian diet with sea salt and turmeric, has helped my MRSA boils condition tremendously, but I wanted to tell you I just began making and drinking kefir. After only one day, the wannabe boil which was trying to form on my bottom for over a month, receded and is extremely small now. I bought my kefir "grains" from Mike who is in Daytona Beach, Florida and who does NOT overcharge for the grains or postage as do many people on the net. His website is www.bacteriapimp.com and he also sells on eBay which is where I found him. He has Kombucha grains too, which I have not tried as yet because I am getting used to making kefir correctly. Kefir contains approx. 30 kinds of good bacteria and helps to jumpstart the good bacteria in the gut. Mike gives a lot of good information and he is a truly kind and wonderful caring human being. Anyone can please write to me anytime. My skin is clear now and my energy is back. Is my diet icky??? YES. Does it work to inhibit boils? YES.

I'm residing in Brazil for the last year and using Kefir in water and brown sugar, it is great and healthy. this may I'm moving back to Toronto Canada and don't know where to find it there. could you please let me know of anybody who make use of it there so i can get some? Thanks, Leo

I have had a worsening case of suborrheic dermatitis for several years. It started around my upper lip and chin and ended up in my ears. Prescriptions mildly controlled it, but not well, are expensive, and frankly I don't trust them very much. I tried several reccomended natural and "home" remedies, none of which worked very well. And then I started drinking kefir, a cultured milk beverage. I started drinking it because it's really tasty and I can digest it (I'm lactose intolerant), but found that when I drink it regularly my suborrheic dermatitis goes away. When I don't drink kefir for several days it starts to come back. Typically I've found myself drinking a 32 oz. bottle every two to three days. I've tried a couple of brands, but the Helios brand seems far superior to the other brand I tried (which I had trouble digesting). So I really reccomend it. At the very least, you'll be drinking something that tastes great and is good for you (live foods rock). And if it works for your skin ailements too, all the better. Good luck!

Kefir is great for lots of things. I've been using it to help my daughter's LGS. It helps you lose weight, detoxes your liver, restore intestinal flora, allergies, and so much more. It coats your intestines and helps your body break down foods. I drink 2 C a day. If you are just trying it out you might want to start with 2 oz a day and slowly increase it. I wouldn't recommend the store bought kind in the US. It only has 4 different bacteria in it. If you make your own Kefir it was over 30 things that are great for you. Plus if you are lactose intolerant, you can handle Kefir.

I am using kefir (fermented drink) for a long time. I am making it by myself. From the country where I am coming (Macedonia) it is very a popular drink and considered very healthy. But also you can find it in the healthy stores. It helps with constipation, regenerates intestinal flora. It is very good for the skin. When you apply on the face before going to bed, after few days you will notice the results. Clean and more firm skin. Looking very youthful.