Bored Of Kombucha? Why Kefir’s Back On The Block.
Brittany Darling is an accredited Nutritionist and Herbalist. With over 8 years experience, Brittany’s approach is to use food as medicine, she also complements this with evidence-based nutraceuticals and herbal medicines to enhance, support and speed up results in her clients. Here she is listing the benefits of adding kefir to your diet.
Including fermented foods in your diet boosts your intake of beneficial probiotics and improves not only your gut health but also overall wellbeing. Fermented foods include sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, yoghurts, and kefir (like Tummify). The name “kefir” originates from the Slavic Kefir, meaning “wellbeing.”
Kombucha vs Kefir
Kombucha and kefir both contain a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts, or “SCOBY.” If you’ve made kombucha, you’ll know that you will need a “SCOBY,” which looks like a jellyfish to culture your tea base. Kefir cultures are referred to as “grains” and have a similar jelly-like texture but rather form clumps and are added to milk or dairy alternatives.
Kombucha seems to be popping up everywhere; in tea, premade syrups to add to sparkling water and even in cocktails. If you are bored of kombucha, you’re not alone, and you’ll be pleased to know that kefir is way better for you. Here’s why.
- Kombucha is acidic, which is not good news for your teeth. Kombucha has a pH of 2.5-3.5. Anything below 5.5 in the mouth can lead to teeth erosion and cavities. Kefir is less acidic at 4.2 – 4.6, and one comparative study (Ghasempour et al., 2014) demonstrated that kefir was as effective when compared to sodium fluoride rinse in controlling dental caries.
- Kombucha is a source of good bacteria and yeasts. Unfortunately, many of the commercial and shelf-stable varieties of kombucha aren’t what they are cracked up to be. Commercial kombucha is often pasteurized, meaning that many of the beneficial bacteria and yeast strains are reduced and suppressed. This stops the natural fermentation process and makes the product shelf-stable. If fermentation were to continue, the bottle would eventually explode. Culturing dairy products, has been a method of preserving and prolonging the shelf life of milk for thousands of years. Kefir, as a milk-based product, is refrigerated, which keeps cultures alive.
- Kefir cultures have an increased ability to adhere to the intestinal mucosa. Bacterial species isolated from kefir products were able to dodge the highly acidic environment of the stomach, surviving digestion, and adhere to the intestinal mucosa.
- Kefir offers a range of nutritional benefits including being a source of protein. The fermentation process increases concentrations of vitamins B1, B2, B6, B9, B12, and biotin and contains magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, and potassium in kefir.
- Evidence of kombucha’s health benefits in humans is severely lacking. The research for kefir is still ongoing and has sparked the interest of the scientific community. There is also an abundance of evidence for kefir in both humans and animal models.
Health benefits of kefir
Some of the health benefits that have been attributed to kefir include:
● Improved digestion
● Cholesterol reducing effects
● Antibacterial effects
● Blood sugar control
● Blood pressure-lowering effects
● Anti-inflammatory effects
● Antioxidant activity
● Potential anti-cancer activity
● Immune modulatory activity
I recommend consuming fermented foods, like kefir daily. My go-to kefir product is Tummify. It not only contains traditional kefir cultures but also has 13 unique probiotic strains, including highly researched BB-12 plus sun fibre as a prebiotic. It’s easy to incorporate into your daily routine. Take as a shot, add to breakfast cereal or in a smoothie.
To try Tummify for yourself visit https://tummify.com
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