By Sarah Heidler
Probiotics seem to be all the rage. In 2001, the World Health Organization defined of probiotics as “live micro-organisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”. Food companies are now putting them in everything from granola bars to juice and claiming wonderful health benefits ranging from maintaining psychological wellbeing to treating the common cold and everything in between. There are not always the peer reviewed rigorous studies to substantiate these claims, but that does not mitigate the fact that we need the micro-organisms that live in us, especially in our gut. Without them or with an insufficient amount of them, we become sick. My Aunt Lillian use to be one of those sick people.
Milk kefir is a great way to put these probiotics back where they belong. Three years ago I posted on my Facebook page that I had to split my SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast) that I had been making milk kefir with and wanted to know if anybody wanted any. My Aunt Lillian took me up on the offer, received her SCOBY in the mail, did a little research about how to treat it and was off making her own kefir in no time flat.
A long time sufferer from IBS and diverticulitis, my Aunt Lillian realized results in a very short period of time. She use to suffer from abdominal pain and bowel irregularities that could be so severe that it interfered with life, prevented her from going places and caused her much embarrassment. Since she started eating her kefir, she hasn’t struggled with either of her conditions. She no longer has pain in her gut and she can always make it to the bathroom in time.
I started making milk kefir because it’s very easy and inexpensive. I only had to purchase one starter (the SCOBY) that continues to grow, I don’t have to cook anything or keep it at a particular temperature. I basically add the SCOBY to milk and let it sit on the counter. That’s the scary part for many people because we are taught that leaving food out of the refrigerator is a health hazard. But, refrigeration slows fermentation. Additionally, kefir has more probiotics than yogurt. Kefir has10-20 different bacteria and yeasts and about 40 billion organisms per half cup, where as a typical yogurt will have 6 different bacteria with just 60 million organisms per half cup. (These statistics are for commercially produced products. Home made products typically have more.)
Milk kefir isn’t the only way to add a little needed life back into our food. Other fermented foods can deliver probiotics to your gut naturally, including miso, sauerkraut, yogurt, kombucha, kimchi and even pickles (the old fashioned deli kind that are fermented).
Here are more resources if you’d like to dig deeper…
Cultures for Health sells SCOBYs for milk kefir and other fermentation products
Sandor Katz is the guru of fermentation. Check out his web site or pick up one of his books.
We have the movie “Mircrowarriors” available in our free lending library in the Tom Dwyer lobby.
