Hi All,I've asked this question before,but I'm hopeing for a better response.
Could anyone tell me a bit more about Kefir,I don't know if it's a milk,yogurt,or grains.
Where do you buy it? Also the same about sourdough,.Where can you buy it ?and does it taste good. I'd be grateful for any replies. Also has anyone benefited from Kefir.
Hi,
I don't know much about Kefir but I've found Sour dough to be a great help.
I think the main difference is that good bacteria are used to leaven the bread instead of relying solely on yeasts. The good bacteria produce lactic acid as a bi-product and I think this contributes to a healthy gut.
This is my purely my thinking but I can't help thinking the bacteria break down some of the less digestible elements of bread meaning I don't feel as uncomfortable.
The only problem is that there is no formal definition of sour dough and a lot of bakers/ supermarkets mix sour dough with normal bread dough.
I've been experimenting and so far the Marks & Spencers sour dough seems to be the best for me, but it's quite pricey for what you get.
I get sliced and freeze it to make toast in the morning as I always struggle with appetite in the morning.
That's about all I've got for you.
Some more info here: discovermagazine.com/2003/s...
Cheers,
J
Thank you Jimbo, that's very interesting. I'll certainly give it a try,as I can't stand gluton free bread it tastes like cardboard. If you've got any more tips on foods for IBS I would be interested to here. Apart from the Fodmap diet. Which I've tried and did me no good. So I'm looking for other alternatives to give a try.
Hi,
I'd suggest making sure that you keep to FODMAP for a 6 week run. Apart from gluten free pasta I found all thee other gluten free products to be fairly poor and the popular consensus now is that it's the FODMAP's in the grain which cause the problem, not the gluten.
I also had problems with oats and blueberry's (I was eating stacks of these due to their super food qualities!)
I don't recall if lactose is a FODMAP but I had to avoid dairy for a while too.
Although it's not to everyone's taste I also tried buckwheat flakes as a kind of porridge for breakfast, sweetened with maple syrup. It's meant to be very good for you but for me it was just a functional, convenient food to get rid of the empty feeling in my stomach. As I said above, I'm not that into breakfast but I'm built like a Rugby player so have to get the calories in.
The other key tip which worked for me is to consume mounds of green salad leaves (lettuce, baby spinach, rocket) at every opportunity. I think these green salad items promote good/benign bacteria in the gut which over time should help to settle things.
The very last thing is to avoid ready meals and reheated rice or potato until you feel like you are back on track as they all contain hard to digest carbs which are eventually broken down by gut bacteria.
Hope some of that helps!
Cheers,
J
Hi I love blueberries and there Fodmaps any berries apart from Blackberries. I did do the Fodmap diet strictly for 6wks,but I felt really ill,I think I was lacking vitamins ect ect. But I will give the salad leaves a go any things worth a try when your in pain. I also don't think I'm lactose Intolerant,you can eat hard cheese on the Fodmap. I think it's really just trying to find what's right for you. I heard a program on the radio about Kefir it's a probiotic, and it sounded quite interesting. Thank you for your reply .
Take Care.
Hi Gemini, I have used milk kefir for the last 2 years.
Milk Kefir is a creamy white popcorn shaped rubbery grain, it is made by putting the grains in gold to milk, it is highly probiotic, yogurt has about 15 strains of probiotics where as milk kefir has 50 so it's highly beneficial.
Your grains are a living thing and they will grow over time when you have too many pass them onto friends or sell them on eBay 😊
Your grains live and feed off the lactose in the milk and in return they put probiotics into it.
Put your grains in a glass jar top with gold top milk, put a paper towel over top of jar fix in place with rubber band and leave in cupboard or on worktop at room temp, it takes only 24 hours to produce, if you do it at 7 am by 7 am the next morning it is ready to use. You can also strain it and leave it for another 24 hours (double fermentation) it will become fizzy and effervescent.
Don't worry if your Kefir separates into curds and whey just mix it all together you will still end up with a creamy mix.
Once made you can use it in cooking it makes great cheese, beautiful fruit lassi type drinks, desserts, ice cream the list goes on.
So...
2 tablespoon of grains to 1 cup of gold top milk
Put grains and milk in glass jar with towel and rubber band on top (as flies are attracted to it)
Leave 24 hours and use or strain and double ferment in the same way.
I use a plastic sieve and one of those rubbery spatulas and a glass jug.
Pour your milk and grains into sieve placed over your jug gently move the grains around until all the milk is in the jug below
Transfer milk into a glass jar or use straight away YUM...
Start again by washing your jar out and placing your grains back in, top with gold top again. (Don't ever rinse your grains in water)
I always use glass jars for my kefir...
You can also make coconut kefir or almond milk kefir every now and again but just remember your grains live off the lactose in milk, coconut and almonds have none...
Once you have used them in coconut or almond put them back into gold top milk to refresh.
Don't worry if your grains look slimy this is how healthy milk kefir looks...
Pets love it
You can also blend your grains into a smoothie if you get too many.
Will post about water Kefir when I have a little more time (that's if no one gets there before me)😊
You might also want to look into Kombucha super easy to make, its made from tea and organic cane sugar it is the king of drinks and has lots of medicinal properties plus it tastes great 😃
Hi Lola,I've just used the short version of your name,I hope you don't mind.
Well Wow, what a lot to think about. Do the grains come with instructions? And where would I get them from? I must say a big thank you though for all that information,I think it's worth a try,as I suffer chronic IBS,and I'm looking towards anything that may help. So a BIG THANK YOU, for taking the time to write that post.
Hi Gemini, here is a link that you might find interesting
users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dn...
Copy and paste my posts for your information.
If you want some milk Kefir and water kefir I can send you some in the post, you will have to send me a stamped addressed envelope, I have lots of it 😊
Let me know if you want some, if you do I will bag it and weigh it so you know how many stamps to put on the envelope 😊
I would rather give it away and let someone have the benifit of it 😊
Hi Lola,that's very kind of you to offer me some,I'd be very grateful.
So if you could just let me know what I have to do,I'll do it.
where can I get it? I've been having a hard time with my ibs..I've tried almost everything and I'm to my breaking point.any chance anything will help, I'll try.
Me too,chewy, I've tried every probiotic on the market to no avail. But I've heard such a lot of encourageing information about Kefir,I even heard it being discussed on the radio last week. I'm also at my wits end,sometimes i just sit and cry because I've had it constantly for years. So hears hopeing for some help. Take care
Sorry if you give me an email address I will let you know my address then you can forward the envelope onto me 😊
Hi Lola,My email addresse is !
m.brooke42@icloud.com.
And thank you again.
Oh,and Lola says you can get Kefir off eBay .
Hi chewy, I will send you some If you like 😊 I will weigh it out this weekend and let you know how much it weighs so you can send me a stamped address jiffy envelope the one with the bubble wrap inside would be best. Do you want milk and water Kefir?
Hi Chewy, if you get a jiffy envelope the one that's lined with bubble wrap roughly 20cm in length and put enough stamps on for the envelope plus 200 grams in weight, that should cover the postage.
I will send you 100 grams of milk kefir and 100 grams of water kefir.
Don't forget to put your name and address on it.
If I recieved your envelope the back end of the week I will forward it on to you on Monday so it's not in the post over the weekend.
Sorry if you give me an email address I will let you know my address so you can forward the envelope onto me 😊
Hi Lola, I don't know if you've read my post yet,but if you let me know what to do for you to send me some kefir I'll do it.
And a big Thank you.
Hi Gemini, if you get a jiffy envelope the one that's lined with bubble wrap roughly 20cm in length and put enough stamps on for the envelope plus 200 grams in weight, that should cover the postage.
I will send you 100 grams of milk kefir and 100 grams of water kefir.
Don't forget to put your name and address on it.
If I recieved your envelope the back end of the week I will forward it on to you on Monday so it's not in the post over the weekend.
Just easier to buy Kefir milk or yoghurt from the supermarket I am having excellent results with it as it contains the bacteria
Water Kefir
The best way to describe it is flavoured soda minus all the processed sugar, artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. Water kefir is nature’s way of making soda and by far, one of the healthiest and easiest to make at home.
What is Water Kefir?
Water kefir is made from kefir grains, also known as sugar grains, tibicos, tibi, or Japanese water crystals. The grains make up a cultures of various strains of healthy bacteria and yeast, held together in a polysaccharide matrix created by the bacteria. The symbiotic relationship of the microbes produces a stable growing culture. The microbes feed on sugar and produce lactic acid, alcohol (ethanol), and carbon dioxide, yielding a fermented carbonated beverage. The alcohol content is usually very minimal, less than 1 %
Health Benefits of Water Kefir
The health benefits of consuming water kefir are endless. They are a natural supplier of probiotics to our digestive tract. Probiotics refers to the healthy bacteria that usually feeds on the “bad” unhealthy bacteria in our stomach and intestines. Bacterial overgrowth can lead to many illnesses some of which include fungi, yeast infections, indigestion, obesity, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s Disease, skin disorders, etc. By drinking water kefir you will bring balance to your internal microflora. Many people take a probiotic supplement daily for this particular reason but I prefer to drink the water kefir. It’s much tastier and more affordable in the long run.
Another health advantage of water kefir is that people who do not wish to consume dairy may find that water kefir provides the living probiotics without the need for dairy, and through the fermentation process water kefir becomes an excellent source of vitamin B12, and is high in vitamins B1 and B12, if bottled, will produce a carbonated beverage, it provides an alternative to sweet soda drinks. In that sense, anyone from children to adults can enjoy water kefir guilt-free.
You can make water kefir into any flavoured fizzy drink a healthy alternative to all the unhealthy drinks out there.
How to Make Water Kefir
Two Water Kefir Recipes
Recipe 1
A recipe for water kefir that gives good grain growth with traditional Sugary Kefir-Grains [SKG]
Ingredients / Utensils
8-cup glass jar with strong sealing lid [Jars with a swing-away lid and rubber gasket are great and so are Mason jars].
Stainless steel or nylon sieve.
1/2 to 1 cup traditional SKG.
1 large Turkish fig or 2 small Greek dry figs or 2 Tbs dry sultanas, raisins or any mixture.
Slice of lemon [Use non waxed Certified organically grown lemon. Peel and discard zest of non-organic lemon, or lemon that has been fumigated or sprayed with pesticide].
1/3 to 1/2 cup cane sugar-- brown sugar, raw sugar or refined white sugar, or non-refined dry sugar-cane juice such as Rapadura, Demarara or Jaggery etc. or a combination [Important, if using brown, raw or white sugar, include 1 Tsp organic black strap molasses].
6 cups water that's been left in a jar over night
1/4 Tsp sodium bicarbonate [pure baking soda and NOT baking powder that contains aluminium].
1/4 Tsp eggshell or oceanic coral ground to a coarse grit, or 1/8 Tsp of each [First sterilize coral and eggshell in boiling water, or use shell of boiled egg].
Recipe 2
A most simple, basic recipe that also gives good grain-growth with traditional SKG.
Ingredients / Utensils
8-cup glass jar with good sealing strong lid [Jars with a swing-away lid and rubber gasket are great and so are Mason jars].
Strainer [stainless steel or nylon sieve].
1/2 to 1 cup traditional SKG.
1/2 cup raw cane sugar, and 1 tsp organic black strap molasses. Or 1/4 cup each raw sugar and non-refined dry sugar-cane juice such as Rapadura, Demarara, Sucanat or Jaggery etc. and 1/2 tsp organic black strap molasses
6 to 7 cups fresh water I use tap water that's been left overnight in a glass jar.
1/8 to 1/4 Tsp sodium bicarbonate [pure baking soda and NOT baking powder that contains aluminium].
1/4 Tsp eggshell or oceanic coral ground to a coarse grit. Or 1/8 Tsp of each [First sterilize coral and eggshell in boiling water, or use shell of boiled egg].
Method for Both Recipes
Add water to an 8-cup glass jar [Do not fill any jar more than 3/4 full. This is very important because the CO2 gas produced during fermentation will produce pressure, which has the potential to force the lid off the jar with force or worst scenario cause the jar to explode, which can be dangerous].
Dissolve sugar, molasses [if used] sodium bicarbonate and then add the rest of the ingredients including kefir grains.
Seal jar airtight and let contents stand for 2 days at room temperature. [Stir after 24 hours and as often as you like].
Strain the bubbly Water Kefir and rinse SKG with fresh water. [It's not essential to rinse SKG with fresh water if they increase more than 50% per batch].
Simply repeat the process for preparing each following batch.
The strained beverage is ready to serve, but it is more appealing to transfer the water kefir in airtight sealed bottles and refrigerate for 1 to 3 days-- served chilled.
Another option is to store the sealed bottles at room temperature for a day to increase fizz in the bottle more efficiently, and then chill before serving.
Give your grains a rinse in water and start again...
Do a little research to get the different flavours my favorite is ginger 😊
Hope this answers your question.
You can buy both milk and water Kefir on eBay
Sourdough bread 
Kefir Grains
Spelt Sourdough Bread 
