Review - k-Grain Kefir Probiotics

With the COVID-19 virus pandemic, more than ever we need to boost our immunity to best defend ourselves against any potential infection. Did you know that our guts contain 70% of the cells in our immune system - where there is a complex relationship between gut bacteria and immunity. That is why the effectiveness of our immune system depends on a healthy gut, and that is why there is increasing importance to eat a variety of probiotics and one source of this would be from kefir.

What is kefir?

It is essentially cultured, fermented milk which has a thinner consistency compared to yoghurt. You can read more about it here. Most people make kefir from grains or powder that contains the colony of yeast, bacteria and fungi, and prepared using cow, goat or sheep milk. After 24 hours, the microorganisms will ferment the milk's lactose into lactic acid, giving kefir its characteristic sour taste.

Benefits of kefir

Kefir is loaded with protein, minerals, vitamins and probiotics - all of which are valuable to your guts. The probiotics help with digestion and absorption of nutrients, regulation of a normal, healthy bowel movement, improvement in gut flora environment which reduces stomach bloating.

Certain probiotics such as Lactobacillus kefiri, which is unique to kefir, have been shown by studies to inhibit the growth of various harmful bacteria, including salmonella and E.coli. Kefiran, a type of carbohydrate present in kefir also has antibacterial properties.

Besides strengthening gut health and supporting health immune system, kefir is linked to better skin and reduced eczema flare-ups, improved bone health, prevention of the recurrence of yeast infections and helps in weight control. 

k-Grain Kefir Probiotics

In 1 packet of k-Grain Kefir Probiotics contains a few sachets of powder and each sachet contains 3 trillion probiotics. Containing active kefir cultures and formulated in Japan with up to 61 strains of beneficial microbes. It is sugar-free and suitable for vegetarians as well as lactose intolerant consumers because you can make kefir with non-dairy milk such as soy or almond.

I'm not lactose intolerant but I have tried making milk kefir before and my eczema flared up for whatever reason (I suspect it is due to some milk protein). As such, I was keen to try making kefir with my nut milk.

k-Grain Kefir Probiotics is made from legitimate kefir grains originating in Caucasus, Russia. It is an exclusive partnership with a Russian corporation and has been sold in Japan since 1983. The manufacturer in Japan has one of the world's most comprehensive research data on kefir with studies still conducted at Kyushu University, Oita University and more.

Straight off, I liked that k-Grain Kefir Probiotics come in neat little sachets of powder! Those who are making their traditional kefir from grains would know that these grains need to be fed everyday and they multiply really quickly. With the powder in sachets, one doesn't need to worry about constantly feeding the culture. And if you can't finish the 500ml in 1 day, you can keep it in the fridge where it can last up to months.

Preparing this kefir was as simple as pouring the contents of 1 sachet into 500ml of almond milk and allowing it to ferment at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours. Once it was ready, I did a taste test and it does taste like mildly sour almond milk on its own. To consume it like a yoghurt, you can add fresh fruit, nuts and seeds. Or like me, I used it in my morning smoothies where I combined it with kombucha, adding yet another strain of probiotics to boost my gut microbiome. After consuming it for a few days, I didn't get any flare-up on my skin or bloating, unlike my experience with milk kefir. 

There are clinical studies on k-Grain Kefir Probiotics tested on humans as well as animals with reported results of improved bowel movement and immunity protection to anti-cancer and anti-diabetic properties. Subjects had increased stool frequency and few suffered from constipation or hardness of stool after taking k-Grain Kefir Probiotics, with an increase in good bacteria Bifidobacterium and a decrease in bad bacteria Clostridium.

You can check out k-Grain Kefir Probiotic's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/KefirProbioticsSingapore for recipe and demos.

My final thoughts is that we should all take as many varities of probiotics because it really helps with your body's 'plumbing' and when your gut is healthy, your immunity will naturally be boosted too!

Great news for you, my dear readers! You can get 5% discount with the promo code "MEDIA5" when you purchase any k-Grain Kefir from the website www.qbi.sg. Get your kefir on today!