Water Kefir

When you make a decision to quit drinking soda and things like Kool-Aid or other sugary drinks, it cuts your beverage options way back.  That's where my family has found itself.  We've basically been drinking  water, un-sweet tea or milk, which I don't particularly care for.  Well, I have recently found a solution that not only tastes good, but that is really healthful, too.  Enter water kefir...


I'll save the technical jargon on what kefir grains are exactly and just share some of the benefits of drinking kefir water.


According to ezinearticles.com:

Kefir drink has been known to help in the cure of back pain, neck pain and diverticulitis. It is also believed to help in the detoxification of the intestinal and removal of intestinal parasites. The healthy drink is also known to lower the blood pressure levels and reduce the risk of cardiac arrest by over 30% in mid aged folks.

The drink has been used by athletes to tone their bodies using the folic acid contained in the mixture to improve their circulation and blood pressure. The kefir diet is also used by Yoga trainers and it is also known as the Yoga Masters diet, Jesus diet, vegans diet and marathoners diet. It is true that many people that are serious in their health have used or still continue to use kefir drink as their number one choice in refreshment and healthy drinks.

According to yourkefirsource.com:

Over the years while studying and experimenting on kefir and kefir grains, I have compiled a list of the known benefits that kefir may be able to cure.

Kefir, the miracle food, is known as a superb probiotic source. With rich probiotic content, it automatically has a positive effect on our bodies. Kefir and Kefir grains have been around for centuries and centuries back, and all for a good reason.

I have personally seen many of these health benefits throughout the years and I really do hope it helps you too.

Here are some of the known kefir health benefits:

1. Strongest natural remedy against any allergy
2. Strongest natural antibiotic without side effects
3. Treats liver disease
4. Treats gallbladder, dissolves gall bladder stones
5. Clears the body of salts, heavy metals, radionuclides, and alcoholic products
6. Cleans the body of chemical antibiotics
7. Treats kidney stones
8. Good bacteria in kefir are able to fight off pathogenic microorganisms
9. Lowers level of LDL cholesterol
10. Cleans the gastrointestinal tract
11. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
12. Treats gastritis
13. Treats pancreatitis
14. Treats ulcers
15. Prevents and treats colon cancer
16. Improves digestion
17. Improves the body functions
18. Improves the human immune system
19. Cures Candida
20. Cures hypertension
21. Stops growth of cancer cells
22. Speeds up healing process
23. Treats psoriasis
24. Treats eczema
25. Treats inflammatory diseases
26. Reduces size of tumors
27. Treats heart disease
28. Reverses calcination of blood vessels
29. Clears the blood vessels
30. Boosts the bodies energy
31. Natural “feel good” food
32. Treats lung infections
33. Normalizes metabolism thereby can be used as for weight loss
34. Cures acne
35. Has anti-oxidants and anti-aging properties
36. Nourishes hair
37. Treats the gum disease parodontosis
38. Lessens effects of medicines
39. Replenishes body of good bacteria after antibiotic
40. Balances the microflora of the body’s digestive system
41. Regulates blood pressure
42. Lowers blood sugar
43. Lowers blood lipid levels or cholesterol and fatty acids
44. Treats diarrhea
45. Treats constipation
46. Promotes bowel movement
47. Anti-stress properties
48. Treats sleeping disorders
49. Treats depression
50. Treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
51. Improves the brains neuro functions like reflexes, memory retention, attention, the five senses
52. Reduces flatulence
53. Lactic acid fermentation enhances the digestibility of milk based foods. People who cannot otherwise digest milk, can enjoy the vital calcium rich Kefir.
54. Treats yeast infection
55. Eliminates vaginal odors
56. Cures wrinkles
57. Treats arthritis
58. Treats colitis
59. Treats gout
60. Cures migranes
61. Treats rheumatism
62. Treats other stomach disorders
63. Detoxifies the body
64. Improves protein quality of milk, and enhances absorption and digestion
65. Good bacteria manufacture B vitamins such as B3, B6 and folic acid.
66. Aids in treating tuberculosis
67. Treats stomach cramps
68. Treats chronic intestine infections
69. Treats liver infections
70. Treats asthma
71. Treats bronchitis
72. Treats sclerosis
73. Treats anemia
74. Treats hepatitis
75. Healing effects on catarrh, digestive nodes, astral nodes, bilious complaints
76. Treats leaky gut syndrome
77. Prevents metastasis
78. Cures bad morning breath

These are but some of the known kefir health benefits.

So, now that you have an idea why it's so good for you, I'll show you how to make it. K?

First, you have to start with kefir grains.  There are kefir grains for water and for milk, so you need to make sure you have the right kind.  They look like clear, little, bumpy balls of jelly.

I bought my grains from Cultures for Health and they came dehydrated.  There were easy instructions to rehydrate the grains.  You can also buy your grains from other sellers on the internet, or get extras from a friends.  Once the grains were rehydrated, the fun stuff began.  

To make a quart of water kefir, you first dissolve 1/4-1/3 cup of sugar in water.  There are a few caveats here.  First, the water can't be chlorinated. So, if you're going to use tap water you either need to let it set overnight so the chlorine can evaporate, or you can run the water in the blender and do the same thing.  Next is the sugar issue.  It is best to use organic because kefir grains are living organisms.  I use organic Sucanat or Rapadura because it also has minerals in it.  But, I started out with plain old white table sugar.  Anyway, after you dissolve the sugar in the water, fill the quart container almost to the top with more water.  When it is room temperature, add your kefir grains.  Then top the container with a coffee filter or cheese cloth secured with a rubber band.

Allow it to sit for 24 hours, then strain the grains out.  Now the kefir can be flavored.  You can drink it now and add juice or vanilla extract to make cream soda.  Or, and this is my favorite, you can add fruit or juice and let it ferment again.  It will become carbonated and be an excellent replacement for soda.

The kefir on the left is ready for it's first ferment.  It is a dark color because of the color of the Sucanat.  You can see on the right that the color is much lighter after the first ferment.  That's because the bacteria and yeast have eaten the sugars.  You can also see the cranberries on the bottom of the right jar flavoring the second ferment.

One of the most awesome things about making kefir and drinking it at home is that you don't need new kefir grains for each batch.  Not only are they are reusable - they will multiply, allowing you to increase the amount of kefir you make or share them with someone you love. <3  I've only had my grains going a couple of weeks and have already been able to spread the love.

So, the moral of the story is this:  if you want to ditch the soda, get hooked on water kefir. :0)


For more detailed recipes see this post.


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