If you have never heard of kefir, I am about to change your life. It is similar to a yogurt, only thinner and with significantly more health benefits. Kefir contains around 35 major strains of healthy bacteria that do not exist in yogurt. Don't get me wrong, yogurt is still very healthy! But unlike yogurt, kefir’s healthy bacteria, active yeast, and digestive enzymes actually help digest all of the foods you eat. The healthy bacteria not only eats up candida and sugars, it actually colonizes in your gut to help digest your food and kill off future pathogens. It helps keep you regular (not in a bad way!) so I highly doubt you will ever suffer from constipation. Also, if you drink it at night you will not have acid reflux.
I also read about a study where they put harmful bacteria into the kefir and the grains were not contaminated, but completely destroyed it!
I know I post about kefir all the time, but I will never be able to cover all of its health benefits. I am always reading new studies and articles on the amazing qualities of kefir and there are countless stories about people who have cured longe term illnesses, allergies, digestive problems, etc.
You can buy kefir from the grocery store, but making it at home is really simple, helps you save money, and is also much healthier because it doesn't have additives. To start making it, all you need are some kefir grains. I can send you some or you can order them other places on line. Once you have the grains they will last forever and continue to multiply if you keep feeding them with milk. I am constantly dehydrating my extra grains to save them (instructions to come).
Here is the link to my milk kefir article: Making Kefir
Coconut Milk Kefir Instructions:
Place one tablespoon of the kefir milk grains in about 2 cups of coconut milk. (It is best to use a glass jar when fermenting).
Cover the jar with a cloth or paper towel and secure it with a rubber band. Let it sit for 12-36 hours; the fermenting time will depend on you taste preference. The longer it sits, the more sour it will get. Also, the warmer the room the faster it will ferment.
It is good to stir it halfway through the fermenting process to mix the grains around (you can just shake it a little or stir it whenever you think about it).
When the kefir is done fermenting stir it with a wooden or plastic spoon (metal may harm the kefir grains) and remove the kefir grains. I usually do this by passing it through a fine plastic strainer, but you can also use a cheesecloth, milk bag, or fish out the grains with a plastic fork.
When you put the coconut kefir into the fridge, it should thicken up a lot, similar to yogurt.
Now the kefir is ready to drink and the grains are ready to be put into new coconut milk to start the process over.
Storing the grains:
If you want to take a break from making kefir, you can store the grains in a little bit of coconut milk in the fridge. If you do this, you should put them in fresh coconut milk every couple of weeks.