I just wanted to drop a tip to everyone out there. I know probiotics have been discussed in this forum before.. But, I gotta say... Kefir is a wonderful & tasty probiotic yogurt drink that helps replenish the good bacteria in the digestive tract.
http://www.kefir.net/benefits.htm

Another wonderful thing I use to help with indigestion/heartburn that's also good for your body is crystalized ginger. It can neutralize stomach acid, lessen nausea, and has vitamin a, vitamin c, calcium, and iron in it as well. I suppose you could take it in pill form, or just eat the root, but I honestly love the candy.

I'm not trying to step on the toes of those who've sworn off dairy, I understand. Or the toes of anyone who can't stand the taste of ginger root. Or for whom the idea of something coated with processed sugar is a big NO.

I really just wanted to share what made my stomach feel better this week than a whole bottle of Zantac could accomplish.

What are good yogurt recipes? I can't eat yogurt plain, what can I put inside it to give it flavor? I know this doesn't relate to kefir, but it's close =)

And does sour cream also have any good bacteria in it?

I honestly don't know about the sour cream.... Here's wikipedia's page on sour cream.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sour_cream

Kefir's info on lactose intolerance:


I sometimes put granola or trail mix in yogurt, fruit or preserves are tasty in it as well.
Kefir is sweetened with cane juice or you can get it unsweetened, but it's drinkable. It also has more good bacteria in it than just lactobacillus acidophilus.

Kefir:




This page has a couple kefir recipes on it:
http://www.kefir.net/recipes.htm

Fresh ginger root added to tea is simply delicious as well.

I don't think it's quite correct to say that kefir can colonize the intestines, but yogurt can't. It's more that the strains used in most commercial yogurt can't. They don't survive. But I make it using a probiotic capsule that contains the better strains and organic milk. Making yogurt is much easier than kefir. And making either is cheaper than buying it. I buy a half gallon of organic milk for under $3 and make one quart of yogurt and either drink the rest or make more yogurt.

BTW, it's Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium Breve that will protect you from e. coli.

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...5

Who said it can't? I know it wasn't me...You must be talking about this:

You could write the Kefir company and complain to them about that. Maybe they'll change their wording.



Can you tell us how you make your own yogurt? It'd be good to know.

yeah, the Kefir sites always say that.

Yogurt making is extremely easy. I make it in an old quart canning jar. I just put in several tablespoons of yogurt with live cultures and/or the probiotic capsule. You can use the last quarter cup or so of your last batch. Then fill with organic milk. I use 1 or 2%. Then you just put it some place warm overnight. I wrap it in a heating pad on medium. If you have an oven with a pilot light or an oven light bulb, that should work. I used to do it in an oven with a pilot light or in summer, set it in my garage over night. It needs to be 80 - 90 or so degrees. If it hasn't thickened by then, you can leave it longer. Some say it should ferment for 24 hours, I think to really get the lactose broken down.

Most instructions will tell you to cook the milk to a certain temperature first to kill any organisms that might prevent the yogurt strains from growing, but you don't have to do that with pasteurized milk. Especially organic milk, which is usually a lot fresher than the bigger, cheaper commercial brands.

I used to always use danon yogurt for a starter, and that made a thin, smooth yogurt similar to kefir. Since I added the probiotic capsule, it makes a thick gelatin, which breaks up into lumps when you stir, so it's not as pretty if you just wanted to stir in some juice or something. I also experimented with some greek yogurt to see if I used it as a starter, I'd get the same thick ricotta like consistency. It was close, but it spoiled fast for some reason. Also, that's one of the strains that doesn't survive the digestion process.

The Food Network show Good Eats, did an episode on yogurt. That's the one where he analyzes ingredients and methods telling you what variations produce what results. Unfortunately I can't find the info on their website. So all I remember is that he used a heating pad and preferred 2% milk.

With Kefir, you have to buy these grains that contain the live culture. You then ferment it the same way as with yogurt, but then you have to strain it to recover the grains and save them for the next batch. I bought some grains from whole foods and tried it, but it didn't 'kefir.' So it must be more sensitive to temperature or maybe bacteria in the milk which I didn't cook first interfered with it. Or the grains I bought were already dead.

Thanks for sharing!



You said you had used dannon for a starter..Which yogurt are you currently using? Also, I'd like advice on which probiotic capsules would be good to use.
I do have a heating pad, so I would probably use that method.

I currently buy my Kefir premade in bottles at our local supermarket, but I really do like the idea of doing it myself. Then I can control what it's sweetened with should I decide to.

I use the last from the prior batch which I've been keeping going since before Christmas. The probiotic I have is Nature's Way Primadophilus Bifidus. It has Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Acidopholus. I added it to the the last of the prior batch made with the Dannon as a starter. But I also made a small amount with just the probiotic as the starter to make sure it worked, and it did.

The b. breve and L rhamnosus are supposed to help protect you from E. Coli. And the L. Rhamnosus is supposed to be the most beneficial for Candida.

I'm thinking of looking for some L casei to add. If nothing else, I'll get that Dannon product they keep advertising on TV with their L. Casei Immuntas. Activa?

Edit: I want to add that the only reason I used Dannon was it was all I usually found in the small pint containers. The others, with more strains of probiotics were usually only available in quart containers. There's no point spending $4-5 on a whole quart when what you want to do is make your own. But since, my stores have started carrying more brands with more strains in smaller containers. And if you keep your culture going, you can use your own yogurt for the next batch.

Thank you very much.
You seem to have a wealth of knowledge. It is wonderful getting you to expound upon it.

fiber will also feed the good bacteria and help them grow.

This is true.

You can also make something very similar to creme fraiche or Crema to Latin Americans using purchased buttermilk for a starter. This is similar to sour cream, just with a milder flavor and it usually has a thinner consistency (at least crema is thinner, I've never had creme fraiche). I have no idea what benefit the live cultures have, but presumably they at least consume some of the lactose. And it tastes good and you can make it with organic and/or raw milk.

It can be used in place of cream sauces made with flour and cream that involves dirtying yet another sauce pan. Have with fruit, frijoles, etc.

You just buy commercial buttermilk, which isn't really buttermilk but a fermented product. I looked for a while for organic and/or something that said it had live cultures but never found any so I just used a supermarket brand. Just use a few tablespoons in milk and ferment just like yogurt. Then you can use a spoonful or so of your crema for the next batch. You are supposed to use cream, but I used whole milk.

Another thing you can do with yogurt is drain the whey from it so it thickens and use it like a cheese spread. Stir in some herbs, sun dried tomato, etc. In my prior post I mentioned adding a probiotic capsule to my yogurt and it makes it thicker and tangier which should make it even 'cheesier.'

Different probiotic strains help different conditions. Some were mentioned above. This article names some others. http://realage.typepad.com/youdocsdaily/20...s-its-good.html

And here:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...t

I dunno if I agree the delicious part but ginger tea definitely helps me with an upset tummy! Swear by it, even though I dont enjoy it!

There are other fermented foods you can try as well:

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/SAUERKRAU...IC-t205113.html

Also, sour dough or some other fermentation methods can make grains digestible even to celiacs.
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Bifidobac...-c-t200362.html

i've been using kefir for about two months now, and I definitely notice it's benefits on my digestion being as it i've been lactose and gluten intolerant for nearly seven years. before, i couldn't stomach eating any dairy because i'd have horribly negative digestive reactions. after using kefir for a few weeks, i was able to occasionally have ice cream without any issues whatsoever.

i make kefir shakes for my breakfast everday. i strain the kefir into the blender, add a cup of blueberries or strawberries, a teaspoon of cinnamon, some freshly ground ginger (or powdered ginger if i'm in a rush), and Total EFA 3-6-9 oil.

i tried drinking kefir after straining it without adding anything to it for flavor, and it wasn't the best tasting cup of goat's milk. adding some berries, cinnamon, and ginger to it is almost a necessity for anyone who doesn't enjoy slightly bitter drinks.

for anyone interested in making their own kefir, check out *Moderator edit, URL removed - read the board rules. *. it helped me quite a bit when my kefir grains weren't producing drinkable kefir for the first two weeks I was trying to make it. also, there are a lot of really good ideas and recipes for making cheese, ice cream, dips, and spreads using kefir.