Kefir

[Guest guest]

Hi Jen,

Do you think the kefir has helped?

Micke

>

> For Micke:

>

> When I first began working with kefir it was recommended I just

separate some grains (small clumps), rinse them thoroughly with

bottled water and eat them. It was several months until I could drink

a few ounces of kefir (milk-based) liquid, diluted 1/2 & 1/2 with

water. After a year and a half I am still not drinking straight

kefir. My issues were/are candida overgrowth affecting digestion and

> skin, as well as frequent lung infections.

>

> Good luck! Jen

> yoganana@...

[Guest guest]

> When I first began working with kefir it was recommended I just

separate some grains (small clumps), rinse them thoroughly with

bottled water and eat them. It was several months until I could

drink a few ounces of kefir (milk-based) liquid, diluted 1/2 & 1/2

with water.

Hello, I am a big Kefir advocate. I drink about 8oz. of kefir a day.

I don't eat the grains..they're my friends!

> After a year and a half I am still not drinking straight kefir.

make it into a smoothie! You don't have to drink it sweet. Add

strawberries, banannas, honey, ground flax seed. It tastes like ice

cream that way!

>My issues were/are candida overgrowth affecting digestion and

> skin, as well as frequent lung infections.

>

> Good luck! Jen

> yoganana@...

Sorry you're still having issues. You could join my special yeast

group, Heal_Yeast_Infection.

Also...what water are you drinking?

[Guest guest]

Personally, kefir disagrees with me. I also have terrible GI issues. In

fact, dairy tends to disagree with me - even Whey protein powder after a

while.

However, EM is great!

On 2/13/07, Elaine Gallant <elainegallant@...> wrote:

>

>

> > When I first began working with kefir it was recommended I just

> separate some grains (small clumps), rinse them thoroughly with

> bottled water and eat them. It was several months until I could

> drink a few ounces of kefir (milk-based) liquid, diluted 1/2 & 1/2

> with water.

>

> Hello, I am a big Kefir advocate. I drink about 8oz. of kefir a day.

> I don't eat the grains..they're my friends!

>

> > After a year and a half I am still not drinking straight kefir.

>

> make it into a smoothie! You don't have to drink it sweet. Add

> strawberries, banannas, honey, ground flax seed. It tastes like ice

> cream that way!

>

> >My issues were/are candida overgrowth affecting digestion and

> > skin, as well as frequent lung infections.

> >

> > Good luck! Jen

> > yoganana@...

>

> Sorry you're still having issues. You could join my special yeast

> group, Heal_Yeast_Infection.

>

> Also...what water are you drinking?

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Personally, kefir disagrees with me. I also have terrible GI issues.

In

> fact, dairy tends to disagree with me - even Whey protein powder

after a

> while.

Ok..what was " EM " again? There are cultured liquid probiotics in

addition to Kefir. Kombacha tea for instance.

[Guest guest]

>

> Personally, kefir disagrees with me. I also have terrible GI issues.

In

> fact, dairy tends to disagree with me - even Whey protein powder

after a

> while.

Ok..what was " EM " again? There are cultured liquid probiotics in

addition to Kefir. Kombacha tea for instance.

[Guest guest]

Hi MIcke,

Yes. Kefir has helped. Even though I still have a problem with dairy

products, it helped tremendously when I had to take a short course

of antibiotics lately for a lung infection. I also take supplements with

digestive enzymes so Kefir is part of my whole wellness regime.

Jen

Re: Kefir

Hi Jen,

Do you think the kefir has helped?

Micke

>

> For Micke:

>

> When I first began working with kefir it was recommended I just

separate some grains (small clumps), rinse them thoroughly with

bottled water and eat them. It was several months until I could drink

a few ounces of kefir (milk-based) liquid, diluted 1/2 & 1/2 with

water. After a year and a half I am still not drinking straight

kefir. My issues were/are candida overgrowth affecting digestion and

> skin, as well as frequent lung infections.

>

> Good luck! Jen

> yoganana@...

[Guest guest]

It made sense to me to take probiotics, if I had an imbalance. But

luckily I *just* figured out to take probiotics, and the food for

them, preemptively! Good thing you already knew to do that, Jen,

before taking antibiotics.

Micke

>

> Hi MIcke,

>

> Yes. Kefir has helped. Even though I still have a problem with dairy

> products, it helped tremendously when I had to take a short course

> of antibiotics lately for a lung infection. I also take supplements

with

> digestive enzymes so Kefir is part of my whole wellness regime.

>

> Jen

[Guest guest]

Luckily I have had help in determining the best probiotics and

supplements for me. I see a woman who is an intuitive and does

muscle testing, energy work, craniosacral therapy, using a blend

of therapies to help her clients. She helped determine the candida

overgrowth and probable leaky gut I had, and together we figured

out my intolerance to wheat and gluten. I already knew I had an

intolerance to dairy products.

What is working for you?

Jen

Re: Kefir

It made sense to me to take probiotics, if I had an imbalance. But

luckily I *just* figured out to take probiotics, and the food for

them, preemptively! Good thing you already knew to do that, Jen,

before taking antibiotics.

Micke

>

> Hi MIcke,

>

> Yes. Kefir has helped. Even though I still have a problem with dairy

> products, it helped tremendously when I had to take a short course

> of antibiotics lately for a lung infection. I also take supplements

with

> digestive enzymes so Kefir is part of my whole wellness regime.

>

> Jen

[Guest guest]

>

> What is working for you?

Candida-wise, strict, long-term adherance to a yeast, intolerance, and

allergy-free diet has worked. I occasionally make cabbage rejuvelac,

and drink red cabbage and parsley juice. And I food combine.

Micke

[Guest guest]

>Does kefir help and does it cause die-off?

>

Hi ,

I don't know what stage of the diet you are on, but kefir is not recommended

at the beginning of the program. Here's

the information from " How to Successfully Overcome Candida " :

Yogurt & Kefir would ordinarily be a good sources of probiotics, however

many candida sufferers cannot tolerant them, for a number of reasons. It

has been found that candida sufferers are also intolerant of homemade yogurt

and kefir, where most of the lactose (sugar) content is removed by longer

fermentation times. Please note that the higher the butterfat content in

dairy the lower the lactose content (butter contains the least amount of

lactose).

The problem for candida sufferers is caused by more than just lactose

content. It is because candida sufferers have inadequate digestion, making

it is difficult for them to break down nutrients in all foods, but dairy

products, other than butter, are particularly difficult to digest. This is

mainly caused by pasteurization and homogenization which damages dairy

products. It is more evident in dairy products, other than butter, even in

homemade kefir and yogurt.

Pasteurization destroys all valuable enzymes, including lactase for the

assimilation of lactose; galactase for the assimilation of galactose;

phosphatase for the assimilation of calcium. Literally dozens of other

precious enzymes are destroyed in the pasteurization process. Without them,

dairy is very difficult to digest, which puts undue stress on the human

pancreas. However the pancreas is not always able to produce these enzymes;

over-stress of the pancreas can lead to diabetes and other diseases, in

addition to interfering with the digestion of other foods. Sally Fallon of

the Weston A. Price Foundation states that: " Pasteurization destroys

enzymes, diminishes vitamin content, denatures fragile milk proteins,

destroys vitamin B12 and vitamin B6, kills beneficial bacteria, and promotes

pathogens. "

Milk proteins like casein also make dairy very difficult to digest. While

most candida sufferers can have butter without any problems, others can only

tolerate ghee (clarified butter) which does not contain these proteins. For

more information on butter see the Section on Fats and Oils above.

Commercially made yogurt and kefir is high in lactose content because they

are made from low fat milk products, in addition to being made from

pasteurized and/or homogenized milk. Even though some of the problems

associated with processed dairy may be eliminated by using raw dairy it

still doesn't seem to help candida sufferers. Even when yogurt and kefir

are homemade from raw dairy and fermented long enough to lower the lactose,

it still causes problems for candida because lactose is changed into another

sugar called galactose during the fermentation process, and it also contains

casein.

It has been found that candida sufferers who hang on to their dairy

products, other than butter, continue to have problems until they entirely

eliminate them. Later on some candida sufferers may be able to tolerate

small amounts of homemade yogurt and kefir, but they should still proceed

with caution until they have cured their candida.

a

[Guest guest]

Hi, I live in London and have lots of grains to share. Send me your

address off list and I will send you some. No payment required.

Sally

kalkaska2003 wrote:

> I live in the uk and want to try kefir. Does anyone have some grains

> they can send me? I will pay postage.

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Hi Bee,

> I have had Candida ever since I was 18 (oral trush, dry mouth,

> digestive disorders,bloating, food allergies, vaginitis, fatigue,

> foggy thinking, acne). I am 25 now. I realised recently I have

> Candida and have been on Candida diet for 2 months now. I would like

> to ask you some questions:

>

> 1. What is your opinion about " Kefir " (home-made, by kefir grains)? Is

> it a good probiotic?

>

> 2. I know that the use of grains must be very limited, espesially

> gluten-containing ones. So, is quinoa or buckwheat allowed on Candida

> diet?

+++Hi. Welcome to our group. What is your name please?

You were emailed Candida Basics by Bee along with the Group's Rules,

and Introduction, etc. when you joined this group. If you don't have

them please read " How to Successfully Overcome Candida " on my website -

here's the Candida/Yeast section:

http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/candida/index.php

Kefir and all grains are not okay for candida sufferers for reasons

explained in the article to read above.

We are here to help and support you, so please read first so we are all

on the same page, and then get back to us with questions/concerns.

The best in health, Bee

>

> Thanks for your time.

>

[Guest guest]

There are a number of bacteria that are " pink " . Mostly the rule of

thumb is: if it smells putrid, it probably is. I've seen pink stuff

growing now and then though on milk ferments.

As for safety, your best bet are some PH strips. If the ferment is

acidic (PH 3-4 or so) then it is very likely safe. Thing is, most of

the bacteria that really make you ill don't like acids. Might be why

your stomach is so acid!

I'm guessing your grains are ok. Put them in some fresh milk for two

days, change the milk, repeat, for a few changes. If the new kefir is

something that smells/tastes good, and is acidic, then you have

healthy grains. Also you can look at the grains: after being in the

fridge for some time, they may have developed a kind of hard " shell "

.... that should go away and they should gets soft and slimy again. If

they don't, they may be having problems.

As for solidifying ... kefir can change. My kefir mutated some time

ago when I was raising viili, and now it consistently produces VERY

THICK kefir that isn't very sour. Nice stuff though. We used to like

it far better than the " sour " kefir, but then I had to give up dairy

and only the kids get it.

On Wed, Jun 10, 2009 at 4:53 AM, violin6245<violin6245@...> wrote:

> Hi All!  I am one of those people who do a lot of reading on the site but

posts infrequently.  Well, now I have a question.  I have had a large jar of

kefir sitting in my refrigerator for several months and it has solidified. What

I am concerned about is a layer of pink color I see on the top. What is this?

 Is it OK to make a fresh batch using the grains in this jar or has it been

contaminated? Thanks for your help!

> Dottie

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Hi,

> I have been reading alot about Kefir & the benefits - I was just checking if

water Kefir is okay as well as the milk kind? Thanks, Carly

>

@@ Hi Carly,

Kefir, Yogurt or any similar are not okay / allowed on the program because

candida sufferers cannot tolerant them, for a number of reasons.

That includes homemade yogurt and kefir, where most of the lactose (sugar)

content is removed by longer fermentation times, however lactose is changed into

another sugar called galactose which also feeds candida.

To learn more, I draw your attention to the linked article below.

Yogurt & Kefir

http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/cfd21.php

Your welcome,

Ed

group moderator

[Guest guest]

>

> Hi,

> I have been reading alot about Kefir & the benefits - I was just checking if

water Kefir is okay as well as the milk kind? Thanks, Carly

>

+++Hi Carly,

In addition to what Ed wrote, water kefir also isn't okay since it contains

alcohol.

Bee

[Guest guest]

Yes, it still has healthy benefits.

Roy

On Mar 4, 2011, at 12:37 AM, DRAGONSDEN wrote:

> well i have been drinking the thin kefir - does it still have healthy detoxing

benefits? I have been setting it out for 24 hrs, and I think it is starting to

thicken up!

> Allie

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Allie,

I am fairly new at making kefir myself, but have had pretty good success by

brewing it to my taste over the last few months. I am not sure if this is

considered correct or not, but I brew it in raw cows milk for 24 hours with the

grains and then a second 24 hours without the grains. This is done on the

counter at room temp which in my house is 68 degrees F. Once the second 24 hour

brewing period is done it is not really thin, but just slightly thickened. I

put it in the fridge and it seems to thicken up even more. I brew 3/4 of a

quart jar per day which keeps about an 8 ounce glass per day for me to drink

(which has sat in the fridge for about one day so when I go to drink it, it is

thick and creamy.)

With this double brewing (24 hours with and without grains) I get a kefir that

is a bit flavored like a very mild cultured buttermilk. It is thick and creamy

with a taste that is similar to the Helios plain flavored kefir I used to

purchase at the store.

I hope this info helps you some. Experiment with brewing until you get the

flavor you prefer. Enjoy. I love the way it tastes and I drink about 8 ounces

a day. Yum!

Carol Onefreespirit

>

> well i have been drinking the thin kefir - does it still have healthy detoxing

benefits? I have been setting it out for 24 hrs, and I think it is starting to

thicken up!

> Allie

>

[Guest guest]

I noticed that a lot of people take kefir to help with yeast flare up while on

LDN. Does anyone have one that is dairy free that you can recommend?

Thanks!