How to make Kefir and the Benefits of Fermented Foods for your Gut Health

Hey busy mom!

We’re all familiar with the adage, “You are what you eat.”

Here at Mom Training, not only do we prioritize delicious and quick meals - we also want to make sure we can show you how to create the healthiest meals you can possibly make because we know how demanding being a mom is. We need to stay on top of things by being healthy. On top of that, we want our kids to develop an inclination towards healthy living by introducing healthy food options as early as now. We take this adage seriously and truly believe that good meals lead to a positive wellbeing.

Today we’re going to show you how to make an unconventional but healthy drink that’s good for you and your kids. Kefir, also known as fermented milk or sour milk, is a health-promoting drink that’s rich in good probiotics, and is also so, so good for the taste and the body. Let us help you know more about kefir.

Why go for fermented milk?

Fermented food has been linked to improved health. It improves cholesterol and blood levels, helps us prevent diseases like diabetes, and regulates gut health. This is because of the presence of good microorganisms in the food that we consume, that can only be formed through fermentation. Examples of fermented foods are yogurt and kimchi.

Kefir is healthy, but here’s another positive spin - it has less lactose than regular milk! This can be consumed by those who are lactose intolerant as the probiotics help break down the lactose.

What are good probiotics for?

Probiotics help our immune system and overall health. It keeps bad bacteria in our bodies in check as the good probiotics balance it out, and helps reduce irregularities in the digestive tract.

Don’t worry about how it tastes because it’s good! It’s tangy and thick in texture like yogurt, and it can be mixed into fruit smoothies too. We’ll help you find ways to enjoy it. Let’s start!

You’ll need:

Cow’s milk (we used 2% milk)

Kefir grains

Distilled water

2 jars

Plastic or wooden spatula

Plastic strainer

Blueberries or other fruits

Power Pak (energy drink with no sugar and caffeine)

Process:

Pour about half a gallon of milk into a jar and add your kefir grains. Close the lid tight and let it sit for 24 hours. Don’t worry, it will not go bad because the grains will work their magic in the milk.

After a day, take the jar and open it. Drain out the kefir grains by pouring out the kefir into a bowl by using a plastic strainer. During this process you might want to mix the kefir to make sure you separate the grains from the milk. Use a plastic or wooden spatula when mixing the kefir and the grains because metal will kill all the good probiotics. The kefir grains will look like chunks of cottage cheese.

For the next step, rinse the grains with distilled water. Be sure to use distilled water because it is free from chlorine.

Put the drained kefir grains in a mason jar, fill it with milk, and keep it in the fridge for another week. You can use this again to make another batch of fermented milk.

Get the milk we separated from the grains and put it back in the jar. Add fruits like blueberries in it to balance out the flavor because it’s on the sour side. The blueberries will balance it out with its natural sweetness. You can ferment it a second time by letting it sit on your counter for another 8 hours.

After the second fermentation process, pour the milk in a glass and add Power Pak in it. We used one with cherry lime flavor. Take note that as you mix it, the milk builds foam and raises so don’t fill the glass to avoid spilling. You can also use it when making yummy smoothies, just remember to make sure it doesn’t go into contact with metal!

And there you have it! Something unique and super good for the body. We hope you’ll give this a go. To watch the full Meal Monday video of this recipe, just click here and let us know what you think by leaving a comment. Have a great week!

- Micah from Mom Training