Have you seen, heard, or tried kefir before? Well, you might be wondering what this is. In the actual fact, kefir is a uniquely cultured dairy product, which is one of the richest probiotic food sources here on Earth. It has been on the planet for over centuries now. People actually use it in treating various illnesses, just like leaky guts. Well, actually, there is more to the health benefits of kefir than meets the eye. Actually, there are a lot of these. If you want to know these and more, feel free to give this article a read. Worry less, because you will learn a lot from this article –that’s for sure.
Kefir: What is this?
The term kefir actually comes from the Turkish word keif. It means good feeling in English. As what we have said earlier, kefir is a distinct cultured dairy product. Furthermore, it is also one of the richest food sources of probiotics.
For more than centuries, kefir has been used in Asian and European folk medicine because of its capacity to treat a wide variety of illnesses. When you make it properly, it is one of the best drinks that you can taste. After you get to read this and get to learn the different health benefits of kefir, I hope you will be considering the inclusion of it in your own regular health regimen.
Furthermore, kefir may actually give a boost to your main digestive system. Kefir, being nutrient-rich and probiotic-packed drink can hold the key to helping in the improvement of the so many digestive and immune linked health conditions. Not just that, it is even tabbed as one of the ‘IT’ health foods of the 21st century.
Kefir is a probiotic-rich food, which possesses a lot of bioactive compounds, including more than 30 strains of good bacteria, which help in fighting off tumors, carcinogens, bacteria, and many others.
Moreover, the kefir comes from the starter grains that are in certainty are a combination of yeasts and bacteria, which interact with the milk. This is in order to make a lightly fermented drink, which even those who are intolerant of lactose can drink. Furthermore, it may also come from some other source of milk, like coconut, rice, coy, sheep, and goat. Not just that, it may even be made with the use of coconut water. Scientifically, the kefir grains possess a complex type of microbial symbolic mixture of yeasts and bacteria in a matrix of polysaccharide and protein.
Nutritional Value of Kefir
You may have known now that kefir is a fermented milk product, which comes from sheep, goat and cow milk. If you try tasting it, it is almost the same as the yogurt.
When it comes to the nutritional value of kefir, it contains high levels of folate, probiotics, biotin, vitamin K2, enzymes, vitamin B12, magnesium, and calcium. Due to the fact that kefir doesn’t have a uniform nutritional content, the content values of it may vary based on the region, cultures and the cows where it is produced. Nevertheless, even with the range of values, kefir has a great nutrition.
For instance, a cup of whole kefir milk from the store has approximately:
- Calories: 160
- Carbohydrates: 12 grams
- Protein: 10 grams
- Fat: 8 grams
- Calcium: 300 milligrams
- 30% daily value need of calcium
- Vitamin D: 100 International Units
- 25% daily value need of vitamin D
- Vitamin A: 500 International Units
- 10% daily value need of vitamin A
In addition, kefir also contains a lot of probiotics that is where a lot of the health benefits of kefir come from. This dairy product is undeniably one of the richest probiotic food source that has a lot of important probiotic strains.
Health Benefits of Kefir
Here are some of the most astonishing health benefits of kefir:
- Helps in improving the symptoms of lactose intolerance. The good bacteria that is in kefir is beneficial for the healthy body and gut. Nevertheless, there are some who are intolerant of dairy. Good thing, the active ingredient in kefir is essential in breaking down the lactose, thus making it easier to digest.
- Treats skin conditions. A lot of allergies may be in connection with inflammatory in the body. Various studies show that kefir is essential in reducing inflammation that disrupts the air passage and the lungs.
- Helps in supporting digestion. The kefir is beneficial in restoring the balance f bacteria in the gut and help in fighting against gastrointestinal conditions like an ulcer, Chron’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.
- Helps in potentially fighting cancer. The huge anti-carcinogenic properties of the kefir is essential in treating various cancerous cells in the body. Furthermore, the compound in this probiotic drink is essential in self-destructing the cancer cells. This is one of the best health benefits of kefir.
- Helps in boosting the immunity. There are lots of nutrients and compounds in kefir, including folate and biotin, which helps in putting the immune system to gear and protect the cells. Furthermore, it also has a huge amount of probiotics that helps in making the immune system much stronger.
