SCIENCE! Dairy Kefir
In this SCIENCE! we will talk about one of your favorite (or soon to be...) foods, dairy kefir.
Much of this information is garnered from a wonderful review article from the May 2016 issue of Frontiers in Microbiology.
We know you know this already, but just to review in case you are reading this with your clearly advanced 4th grader, dairy kefir is a food which requires the presence of kefir grains. These grains (not actually a grain, but so named because of their appearance) are a combination of yeasts, fungi, and bacteria which convert milk into a teeming pool of probiotic goodness. The byproducts are numerous, including a unique compound called keferin. Well over 50 species of bacteria have been isolated from traditionally-fermented dairy kefir.
As early as 1908 the medical community was commenting on the benefits of fermented dairy when it was suggested that these foods, by their impact on the beneficial bacteria in your intestines, lead to a long and healthy life. Along with yogurts and cheeses, dairy kefir has been consumed for hundreds of years (note: we're not saying that things are necessarily good or bad, reliable or unreliable, based solely on how long they have been around). Scientifically, consumption has been associated with improvements in gastrointestinal health, immune system function, wound healing, and cholesterol metabolism. Kefir also has anti-tumor and anti-microbial effects.
Of note for the avid foodie, home-fermenter, and vigilant, well-informed person such as yourself, commercially-prodcued dairy kefir does not use kefir grains, but rather starter cultures. This results in an absence of health-promoting yeasts which are present in the traditionally-fermented dairy kefir.
In summary, dairy kefir = good.
And if I may, as a physician, comment on the scientific community's push to isolate. It is tempting. It is enticing. Let us isolate THE single most important component in kefir. The active ingredient. Put it in a pill. Market it. Prescribe it. Stamp out disease. Save lives. This sounds nice. But, let us take one step back. And a slow breath. These dairy kefir benefits have been shown, thus far, only with the traditional, home-fermented approach. The slow, hands-on, craft. Tasting the kefir every few hours to test the tartness. Hand straining patiently to remove the grains for the next batch. Peacefully watching the kids sip on a mason jar of cherry-infused, homemade dairy kefir instead of horking down a prepackaged sugar-laden commercial yogurt while sitting on the cough in front of the TV. Let us not enjoy only the kefir and its health benefits, but also the leisure, joy, and contentment that accompany the process.
If you tolerated this commentary, you may also tolerate our recent commentary in the post SCIENCE! Dairy where you'll find an overview of health and dairy in general. Pro-inflammatory? Weight loss promoting? Just a scam cleverly promoted by people from Wisconsin?
To learn more about kefir and how to incorporate it into a complete and personalized wellness plan, contact Refine Wellness Consulting at contact@refinewellnessconsulting.com or on the CONTACT page.