Kefir is something that we’re not as familiar with here in the west, but it is nonetheless a staple food of many cultures and peoples around the world.
If you’ve never tried it, then I would definitely recommend it.
It’s tasty, comes in many forms depending on what you like, and best of all, it’s packed with nutritional benefits!
Today, we’re going to look at some of the main benefits of goat milk kefir.
Everything from vitamins, and minerals to the conditions it can help with and how it is even healthier than a lot of other dairy products.
So, let’s get into this.
Powerful probiotic
Firstly, kefir is a very powerful probiotic.
Yogurt is usually touted as the ultimate probiotic, the best way to start your day—but kefir is a far better choice than even yogurt!
Microorganisms called probiotics influence our health in a number of ways, from digestion and weight management and even mental health.
Without a good gut biome, you will be much more susceptible to many diseases and conditions.
This is one way kefir is great.
Source of nutrition
Overall, though, goat milk kefir is simply a great and nutritional dish.
A cup serving of kefir will contain around 9 grams of protein.
It will contain around 24% of your daily calcium intake.
It also contains high amounts of vitamins like B12 and B2, which aid the body in many ways from bone health to the functioning of the immune system.
It also contains magnesium, phosphorous, and Vitamin D.
The list could go on and on of all the beneficial things in kefir—it has a really excellent nutritional profile.
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Antibacterial properties
The probiotics that we mentioned earlier do a really good job of maintaining your internal health.
But they can also stop against external threats.
One particular probiotic called Lactobacillus kefiri, is actually unique to kefir, and found in no other dishes.
There have been studies to show the link between the inhibition of the growth of bacteria like salmonella and consuming kefir.
There is also a special carbohydrate in kefir called kefiran, which also has these properties.
Protects against cancer
The spectre of cancer can hang over all of us, and it occurs when cells grow uncontrollably in the body, often into a tumor.
Again, the probiotics found in kefir can reduce tumor growth in that they are so stimulating to your immune system.
Kefir could well be one of many lines of defence against kefir.
Studies have shown that kefir extract is able to reduce breast cancer cells by around 56%.
There are still conclusions to be made on this matter, but the results at the minute are quite promising.
Digestive aid
Digestion troubles can be the biggest problem with dairy products for many of us.
Kefir, surprisingly, can actually not only be much easier to digest, but help you digest the rest of your diet, too.
The probiotics specific to kefir have been show to reduce the symptoms of many digestive troubles.
This includes IBS ulcers and other common problems.
Kefir can be a great help for these problems.
Bone health
Dairy products are often put forward as advancing bone health, and in the case of kefir this is particularly true.
Particularly when it comes to the common condition osteoporosis, kefir is a great source of calcium to prevent these kinds of issues from occurring.
Kefir is also a great source of vitamin K2, which helps metabolise calcium in the body.
This has been shown to reduce the risk of fractures.
Kefir is even better than milk for bone health.
Low lactose content
If your problem with dairy products has been lactose content, then kefir may be the food for you.
In fermented dairy foods like kefir, the lactose is broken down into lactic acid.
This lactic acid is much easier to digest than lactose, and so there is less lactose in kefir than in other things.
Compared with milk and other dairy products, kefir is generally far easier for you to tolerate if you have a tough time with milk products.
You can even make goat milk kefir that is completely lactose-free with the right ingredients.
Easy to make
One of the best things about kefir, if you’ve been reading this and thinking you might want to try it, is that it’s really easy to make yourself.
If you can’t find it at the store, all you need to do is add goat milk to a jar of kefir grains.
If you like, you can also add cream.
Leave it for up to a day and a half, and it will ferment, and you have kefir!
It’s really that easy!
Improve allergies
Finally, there is even data to suggest kefir can improve the symptoms of many allergies and asthma.
Kefir has shown, in some animal-based studies, to suppress the inflammatory responses which lead to allergic reactions.
Again, we will need to conduct studies on humans to get a full idea of these effects, but the results are currently very promising.
So, as you can see, kefir is not short on health benefits—the list could go on!
The best thing of all is that this dish is really easy to make at home, if you can’t find it store-bought.
Even if you can, you can probably make a nicer and fresher version yourself anyway!
From its protection against cancer and osteoporosis, to its basic nutritional quality, kefir can be both a great part of balanced diet and a line of defence against all sorts of conditions and diseases.
Kefir could well be one of many lines of defence against kefir.
Ha! That made me chuckle as well.
I make it at home. Within 1/2 hr of drinking a cup, my chronic back pain (pinched nerve) subsides.