Kefir
 

Anyone drink the stuff? It's supposed to have lower carbs than milk cuz the friendly bacteria eat up the sugar. I bought some "grains" (as they're called) last week and have been making it at home. Tastes ok, not my favorite, but it's supposed to be very good for you. Just wondered if anyone here drinks it???

I drink kefir all the time...it's a major component of my morning hazelnut mocha shake.

It has fewer carbs than milk because of fermentation and evaporation (ie, it's thicker than milk). And like greek style or strained yogurt, it has more protein per ounce than milk, too.

I count it as commercially labeled, which is 1g carb and 1.5g protein per ounce (Lifeway low fat plain...I can't find the full fat version around here, and my life is too hectic to make my own.)

I do think the probiotics it contains contribute to a healthier digestive system...but I don't subtract any of the listed carbs because of 'lactose being eaten by the fermentation process' (the reason given for the yogurt advantage.) I just incorporate it into my shakes, cooking and baking, as a nice protein hit at a lower carb cost.

Mileage will vary.

Yeah, I used to maintain and drink it-- its like sourdough and seems to keep forever in the fridge. Mine was more like a sour cheese. I started it with a powder I bought at Whole Earth Market. I haven't used it lately since I used so little and I prefer Brown Cow or homemade yogurt.

:cool: Avatar BTW

I tried it a couple of years ago, long before I started LC. I blended it with some kind of sweetener and drank it up. Then I forgot about it a while and managed to kill my grains, and I never bothered replacing them.

I don't do it now because I'm staying away from all dairy for a while to see if it helps my fibromyalgia symptoms.

You might get more answers from kefir-drinkers on another forum that I frequent. http://www.mothering.com/discussion...splay.php?f=365

Mmmm, what's your recipe for this?

Gaelen's Cinnamon Hazelnut Mocha Shake

4 oz. plain kefir
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 oz. half and half
4-6 oz. ice cold hazelnut coffee
dash of cinnamon, to taste
1 scoop of the low carb protein powder of your choice (chocolate for a mocha, or vanilla for straight coffee flavor)

Layer in the blending cup in the order listed, and blend with an immersion or hand blender until mixed and thickened.

I use Isopure low carb chocolate whey protein powder. One scoop is 25g protein, 3g ECC. Along with the rest of the ingredients in the shake, that comes in around 32-37g protein (depending on the kefir protein content) and around 10-12g ECC.

Enjoy!

I love Kefir and Brown Cow. With CFIDS and chronic pain, my stomach is very touchy, and yoghurt really settles a nervous stomach. I've been eating i regularly since I discovered it as a college student. I understand it does wonders for the digestive tract, and it sure feels like that's true. When I forget about it for a month or so, I suddenly think, "I've got to have yoghurt, now!"

I drink about a pint of kefir a day (homemade, not the store-bought stuff). Somewhere on Dom's Kefir in-site or on the Kefir forums, I can't remember, I read that homemade kefir has about 4g of carbs per 8oz. And yes, this is due to the grains feeding on the sugar in the milk. That's why lactose intolerant people generally can drink kefir. And if the sugar's been eaten, I don't see much else that can be a source of carbs.

Drink it all the time. You can mix things in it like protein powder, fruit, davinci syrup, etc and make very tasty shakes.

kefir is great for low-carbers. it's actually quite filling and pretty healthy too. i think it also has some weight loss properties and i've heard its better than yogurt. There's the lifeway brand and the commercial starters if you prefer not to make kefir yourself. But it's always better to have kefir grains and make it yourself. just some of my thoughts. :)

I'm not convinced that kefir should be regarded as low carb. The thing is that the body pretty effortlessly converts its own lactate to glucose when oxygen is abundant, so why wouldn't it do so to the lactic acid in the kefir? Even so, any whole milk product isn't going to have a terribly high glycemic index because the milk-fat slows down absorption so much.

And if you want to reduce the carbs even further then do what I do. Make kefir out of a 50/50 mix of milk and cream. Don't use ultrapasturized if you can avoid it. You can mix kefir with most anything for flavor. Strawberries work great.

But I drink most of it straight. I put it in the blender to smooth it out. Sometimes I add raw eggs.

I know this appears to be an older posting and thread, but has anyone ever read the carb counts for water kefir or kombucha?

I make milk kefir, water kefir and kombucha at home, but have put them in 'rest' mode for now since I began Atkins Induction on Monday. I want to find out the carb counts on them before adding them back!


Marci

I always preferred kefirized goat milk to cow's milk. It's just was richer and tangier.