Water Kefir
I mentioned Water Kefir a couple of weeks back and was asked to elaborate…this is my attempt:
Why Water Kefir?
Water Kefir is a non-dairy probiotic drink full of beneficial bacteria. Instead of buying and taking expensive supplements, I can make my own probiotic drink.
According to Wikipedia, probiotics potenial benefits include: Managing Lactose Intolerance, Prevention of Colon Cancer, Lowering Cholesterol, Lowering Blood Pressure, Improving Immune Function and Preventing Infections, Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea, Reducing Inflammation, Improving Mineral Absorption, Preventing Harmful Bacteria Growth Under Stress, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Colitis, and Managing Urogenital Health.
If any of these are partially true, then taking probiotics on a regular basis sounds like a good idea and one that I have been doing the pharmaceutical way for several years, until I started drinking Water Kefir.
Looking at my expensive probiotics (and I have several), only one has more than one type of probiotic and it contains Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Streptococcus thermophilus.
I have read that Water Kefir includes the following: Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus casei rhamnosus , Lactobacillus alactosus, Lactobacillus casei casei, Lactobacillus pseudoplantarum, Lactobacillus plantarum, Streptococcus lactis, Streptococcus cremeris, Leuconostoc mesenteroides,Saccharomyces florentinus, Saccharomyces pretoriensis, Kloeckera apiculata, Candida lambica, Candida valida. (Source Dolores Sánchez-Peñalver)
What is Water Kefir (Tibicos)?
From Wikipedia:
Tibicos, also known as tibi, water kefir grains, sugar kefir grains, Japanese water crystals and California Bees, are a culture of bacteria and yeast held in a polysaccharide matrix created by the bacteria. As with kefir grains, the microbes present in tibicos act in symbiosis to maintain a stable culture. Tibicos can do this in many different sugary liquids, feeding off the sugar to produce lactic acid, alcohol (ethanol), and carbon dioxide gas which carbonates the drink.
Tibicos are found around the world, with no two cultures being exactly the same. Typical tibicos have a mix of Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Pediococcus and Leuconostoc bacteria with yeasts fromSaccharomyces, Candida, Kloeckera and possibly others. Lactobacillus brevis has been identified as the species responsible for the production of the polysaccharide (dextran) that forms the grains.
People who do not wish to consume dairy products may find that water kefir provides the living pro-biotics without the need for dairy or tea cultured products, like kombucha. Since the finished product, if bottled, will produce a carbonated beverage, it provides an alternative to sweet soda drinks for children and adults.
Do this–not that:
I have read all kinds of conflicting information about how to ferment and care for Kefir Grains. Use plastic utensils only, no metal; metal is fine, no worries. Never use honey it will kill your Kefir; honey is good. Cap the jars tightly; leave them loose. Ferment Kefir in a dark cabinet; leave on the counter.
I am still new to the process and am seriously winging it. My grains are multiplying, which is what they are supposed to do. I use a metal strainer, because I don’t have a plastic one with tiny holes. I also use regular spoons.
Water Kefir Grains
First Ferment
Second Ferment with Lemon
My current method/recipe (which might change as I plod along):
First ferment: In a new jar I dissolve 1/3 cup of dark brown sugar (organic, if possible) in spring water, I hear that tap water is bad because of the chemical treatments and distilled water is bad because the natural minerals in the water have been removed, leaving room for the Kefir Grains. I add the grains and cap tightly. Setting the jar in the cupboard for 24 hours or so. Taste it to see if it is to your liking. If I can’t tend to them at about the 24 hour mark, I stick the jar in the fridge for another day…the cool temps slow, but don’t stop the fermentation process.
When ready, I strain the liquid into another clean jar and set aside. I then wash the Kefir Grains by swishing them around in spring water for a moment and then redraining them before adding them to a new jar of sugar water.
Second ferment: To the strained Kefir water that I previously set aside I add some fruit (organic is preferred) and cap for another 24 hours. Then I strain it once more and refrigerate for drinking. I have tried lemons (loved them), lemon with lime (good), lemons and strawberries (yum), figs with lemon (I liked just lemon better), ginger (meh), peaches (yum), mandarin oranges from the can w/juice (it was good)…etc. The only time I really hated it was when I accidentally over-fermented a batch. I could tell immediately that I wasn’t going to be able to drink it. I threw it all out, except for the grains which I washed with spring water, and started over.
Here are a couple recipes from other sites if you are curious:
I have also found several helpful videos on YouTube.
ooooooh.. i just don’t know… all this tends to freak me out.. BIG TIME!
i’m so weird.. you must understand this!!
i cannot even bring myself to eat yogurt b/c it says it has live cultures inside…
aaaagghhh… i SO WISH i could get past this.. b/c after reading what all it could help.. this would be great for me..
Starr feels the same way, but she does love “highly processed” yogurt..strawberry only.
Read Robynn’s comment, she explains it all so much better than I ever could!
Randi, GO FOR IT! You NEED live cultures in your intestinal tract – trillions of them, literally. The digestive tract of a healthy person should have 3-5 lbs. of healthy gut bacteria. No matter what, you WILL have that amount but the average American diet will tend to provide more bad bacteria than good. What Kelly is talking about introduces GOOD healthy bacteria in the right amounts. Those good guys balance you and improve your health. So don’t think of it as putting something LIVE in your mouth – there’s already LIVE stuff in ya! Think of it as sending in the good guys to snuff out the bad guys.
Kelly, I have made kefir with raw milk lots of times but have never tried the water variety. I would be interested in a recipe with honey, as you mentioned. This is VERY intriguing. Hey! You might want to visit a friend of mine at Nourishing Traditions. Her name is Pam and she makes kombucha (in fact, has a post about it right now) and lots of other things.
SO GLAD you are taking care of your tummy and health and THANK YOU for this fascinating new info. We switched to raw milk four years ago to correct immune problems that were off the hook. It has worked fantastically for gut health. Truly amazing stuff. I cringe when I now have to drink “dead” milk. (Pasteurized milk has TRILLIONS of dead bacterial bodies in it due to the pasteurizing process but they don’t remove them! Often thought to be the cause of what seems like lactose intolerance – it’s actually dead bacterial body intolerance.) Plus, commercial milk producers aren’t required to have the same stringent cleanliness rules as raw milk operators. They can have cow poop, pus, and blood in proportions that would curl the hair (and the lip) if people realized.
A great site to visit is the Weston A. Price Foundation or Real Milk.com.
(Now stepping off VERY TALL SOAP box and slinking away……….)
.-= Robynn’s Ravings´s last blog ..He Calls Me Auntie Robynn =-.
Thanks so much for the awesome additional information! Many of my friends drink/use raw milk, but I never gave it much thought as we aren’t milk drinkers. I keep it on hand for the odd bowl of cereal and for cooking. However, the thought of dead bacterial bodies (among other things) has given me the squicks! Eew!
The “squicks!” Hahahahaha! Loved it! I thought I could have pulled off Debbie Downer here so sorry for the info OVERload – can you imagine me at a PARTY?!
.-= Robynn’s Ravings´s last blog ..He Calls Me Auntie Robynn =-.
I’m so glad you got your grains; I still have a TON to share if you know of anybody who needs some locally.
About the honey and the metal… I believe that it’s over time that it will weaken the grains, not at one use. I believe milk kefir grains are okay with metal, but I baby my water kefir grains just in case. LOL
The honey is a problem only because it is antibacterial, and the grains are a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria & yeast), so the honey just goes to work weakening them.
I do like the flavor of the honey, as well as the added health benefits, so I just add honey to my second brew.
Glad to be on this adventure with you!
It’s really cool that you mentioned the probiotic strains present in the water kefir. I’m really wondering what strains are present on each probiotic food
I’ve tried making kefir and kombucha, but haven’t tried water kefir yet. I’ll definitely try this one, and any recipe I encounter as long as it’s homemade 
Here’s a good video why homemade is much better than the ones bought on stores : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neHbUI2JiPw