Kefir Grains

Kefir is a fermented milk drink. The word kefir is said to have originated from the Turkish word "Keif" which means "good feeling". Kefir dates back many centuries to the shepherds of the Caucasus Mountains who carried milk stored in leather pouches where it would ferment into fizzy sour yoghurt.

Elie Metchnikoff, a Nobel-prize winning biologist at the Pasteur Institute, first suggested that lactobacilli might counteract the putrefactive effects of gastrointestinal metabolism in 1908. He attributed the long and healthy life of the people of the Caucasus Mountains to their consumption of soured milk. In modern times there's a great deal of interest and research into probiotics and the health giving properties of fermented milks like kefir.

The Kefir Culture

There are two types of kefir: water kefir - small transparent grains that ferment sweetened water; and milk kefir - white or cream coloured grains that look rather like cauliflower florets than ferment milk.

Kefir is a living culture, a complex symbiosis of more than 30 microflora that form grains or cauliflower-like structures (sometimes called plants) in the milk. As the culture ferments the milk these structures grow, creating new grains in the process. Real kefir from live culture is an endlessly self-propagating process.

Microorganisms present in the grains include lactic acid bacteria, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lb delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lb helveticus, Lb casei subsp. pseudoplantarum and Lb brevis, a variety of yeasts, such as Kluyveromyces, Torulopsis, and Saccharomyces, acetic acid bacteria among others. They give kefir excellent keeping qualities by keeping putrifying bacteria that might otherwise colonise the milk at bay. They've been shown to inhibit both salmonella and E. Coli in laboratory tests.

Kefir and Health

Kefir has many reputed health benefits. It has antibiotic and antifungal properties. It's been used in the treatment of a variety of conditions, including metabolic disorders, atherosclerosis, and allergies, tuberculosis, cancer, poor digestion, candidiasis, osteoporosis, hypertension, HIV and heart disease. You might find it odd that that a drink containing yeasts would be good for treating candidiasis but it has been helpful to many people, both by restoring a better balance to the gut flora and because some elements of the microflora will kill off Candida Albicans. Not all yeasts are harmful.

In addition to beneficial bacteria and yeast, kefir contains many vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. Particularly calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, B2 and B12, vitamin K, vitamin A and vitamin D. Tryptophan, one of the essential amino acids abundant in kefir, is well known for its relaxing effect on the nervous system. Because kefir also has an abundance of calcium and magnesium, also important minerals for a healthy nervous system, kefir in the diet can have a particularly calming effect on the nerves.

The abundance of enzymes brings more health benefits, especially to lactose intolerant people, many of whom can tolerate kefir without difficulty, as long as the kefir is raw and not cooked (cooking destroys the enzymes).

Enjoy fresh healthy Kefir,
the champagne of milks
Healthy and economical - Unique flavorful - Easy to digest - Inexpensive and eco-friendly


Did you know that once you buy your first batch of kefir grains, you wont have to buy the product again.  The grains double up in size every week so you can share them with family and friends :-)
Kefir Plant reproduces quick new plants and makes an exceptional health drink.
Make your own Kefir and enjoy the good taste and good health!

 Here are informative  links:

http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html

http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefir-faq.html#soymilk

http://www.seedsofhealth.co.uk/fermenting/kefir_howto.shtml

http://www.kefir.biz/benefit.htm

http://www.futurefoods.com/ferments.html

To purchase your batch of kefir go to Order form / Price list.


R40-00    FREE PACKING AND POSTAGE

INSTRUCTIONS

There are so many different ways that people look after their kefir...look at the links below, you will also find the wonderful health benefits of kefir in these links.

I personally just put mine in a clean bowl and pour milk over them. (Ratio is 1 tablespoon of grains to I cup of milk).  I leave the kefir grains to stand at room temperature for 12 or 24 hours depending on the thickness of the 'yogurt' (this also depends on the room temperature as the cooler the room the longer the kefir ferments)..I cover my bowl with a paper towel so that nothing can fall into it.

I then pour it all in a sieve over a clean bowl.  Once all the 'yogurt' has drained and the grains are left behind I put my grains into a clean bowl and start the procedure all over again...

Sit back, relax and enjoy my healthy drink!!!

LOOKING AFTER YOUR KEFIR (By: Gerald A Green. Registered Herbalist and Immunologist.)

''The procedure is to have a little basin (a smallish 5'' diameter Christmas pudding bowl is ideal) that will cover with a saucer - it MUST NOT be airtight.  Put 2 table spoons of KEFIR grains into the basin.  Use goats milk or sheep’s milk which is diluted 50/50 with water which is just as good. The fermentation process takes approx. 12 hours.  So say at 8 pm add at room temp (not ice cold out of the fridge) a mug of the milk mentioned and give 3 stirs and then replace the saucer lid.  At bedtime, say 2-3 hours later, give 3 more stirs to distribute the bugs and then replace the saucer lid until the Kefir milk/ yogurt is ready.

Give 3 final stirs and put contents into a flour sieve over a breakfast bowl and allow draining for 5 minutes. Obviously all the kefir grain culture remains   in the sieve which you now lift out and rinse well under the cold tap for 30 seconds.  Turn off the tap and briskly move the sieve in an up and down motion for 1 minute to get rid of the excess moisture.  Clean out and dry the Kefir bowl and then replace the grains again and recover with a saucer.  They then remain in the semi-dried state until the whole process starts again at 8pm.

This will ensure that you have a continuous free supply of this great health given drink/food that will ensure your body is never short of these good digestive bugs again. 

With the good bugs in charge, the now friendly Candida (their food source) is always controlled and should never again become the terrible enemy it was, providing you continue the regime to the letter.

This wonderful product Kefir will continue to infinity if treated right with good hygiene (It's been going for 2000 years!) and will increase in amount of grains which you can give to friends to keep them healthy.

Unless you like sharp tasting yogurt, take the sharpness off with the sweetener 'stevia'  or sweetex if you do not have this, to make possibly the greatest health drink of our time and a wonderful insurance for you in the future''