Digestive Health
Kefir Joins The Super Food Club!
Think of super foods and most likely you will have images of broccoli, nuts, quinoa, yogurt and berries flash through your mind. But wait, there is a new entrant in the super food club and it goes by the name of kefir.
Though kefir has already caught the imagination of fitness enthusiasts and celebrities, it is still relatively unknown to the public at large. And what could be the reason for the near-obscurity of such an amazing natural and wholesome food?
It is simple: So far, kefir has neither been marketed aggressively in terms of information nor has it been made widely and easily available in the shelves of local grocery stores. You may spot it the health and diet aisles of upscale supermarkets.
So, What Exactly is Kefir?
Kefir is a 100% natural, probiotic, nutrient-rich and fermented drink. It has some resemblance to low fat yogurt or even thinned buttermilk. It may be made from out of dairy milk but kefir is neither buttermilk or nor is it yogurt. Kefir tastes very different from the two products as it carries a mildly tangy flavour and has an effervescent texture . In other words, kefir is a completely different product. In fact kefir can also be made from plant-based sources like soy milk, rice milk, coconut water or even almond milk! Many people consider it to be more nutritious than yogurt.
Traditionally, kefir is a drink that is got from fermenting milk of cow, goat, sheep or even camel. The milk is fermented using what is known as kefir grains. Kefir grains are not really grains but actually a coarse-textured substance that resemble shredded cauliflower and are made of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria along with proteins, lipids and sugars! Once kefir grains are added to the milk and stirred, the milk is covered and allowed to stand at room temperature for a period of 24 hours. The resultant product that looks frothy, mildly effervescent and tastes slightly sour is kefir. Of course, kefir grains can also be used to ferment soy milk, almond milk, rice milk or even coconut water!
What Makes Kefir a Super Food?
To start with and true to the definition of a super food, kefir is an unprocessed, natural food that has a great nutritive profile and confers immense benefit upon regular consumption by keeping the consumer Healthy.The other reason kefir is being considered a super food by the discerning few is that with rise in general consumer curiosity, there has been a corresponding spike in the number of studies conducted by teams of scientists and dieticians, and here is why they would include kefir in the super food list:
• Kefir is a rich in calcium and phosphorus, and high lean protein content.
• Kefir is a great source of tryptophan.
• The bioactive compounds (healthy bacteria) found in kefir help develop and maintain a healthy gut flora and good digestion.
• Those who are lactose intolerant or are vegan can also benefit from consuming kefir made out of plant sources such as soy, rice, coconut, almond etc.
As if all that was not enough look at what consuming 100 grams of low-fat, plain kefir delivers to you:
Kefir also offers a range of essential amino acids such as phenylalanine, tyrosine, leucine, cysteine, methionine, lysine and valine. It also has small quantities of iron, magnesium, molybdenum and zinc!
You can now see why including kefir to your regular diet may be the best thing you do for your health this year!
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