10 Reasons Why I Drink Kefir Every Day
Wondering if it is worthwhile to consume kefir everyday? Yes it absolutely is! In this post we take a look at 10 different reasons why one should eat kefir everyday.
Milk kefir has been experiencing a sharp rise in popularity as a health food. Added to smoothies and protein drinks by athletes, models and celebrities, kefir is fast becoming the new yoghurt. Kefir seems to be experiencing a fad-like surge in popularity, making it look like overdone health and beauty craze. However science shows that there is good reason to be eating kefir everyday.
10 Reasons Why Milk Kefir is One of the Best Foods to Consume Everyday
When placed under the microscope, kefir stands out as one of the most important fermented foods to eat on a daily basis. Here are the reasons why.
Probiotics
Like all other live fermented foods, milk kefir is jammed packed with probiotics. Probiotics play an invisible but enormous role in the body’s health. Probiotics work to assist the body to absorb nutrition and to carry out proper digestion and elimination. This in turn supports the whole body in maintaining good health.
Rich in Easy to Absorb Calcium
Because it’s base is milk, dairy kefir is a rich source of calcium. An average serving can contain roughly 30% of one’s daily calcium needs. To top it off, because fermented dairy products are usually easier for most people to digest than raw milk, the calcium present is in a more available form.
High in B Vitamins
Milk kefir is rich in B vitamins. The B vitamin set are important for many areas of health. Such as nutrient synthesis, energy production, and nervous, brain, and cardiovascular system functioning. Although B vitamins are present in a variety of foods, because they are water soluble they can often pass through the body. The body uses what it needs at the present, but does not build up stores, except for in the case of vitamin B12 and folate which are stored in the liver. B vitamins are also easily destroyed by cooking. This means that while you might be consuming foods which are a good source of B vitamins, you can still develop deficiencies if those foods are usually cooked before eating.
For these two reasons, having a daily source of guaranteed B vitamins is a good idea.
Biotin for Strong Hair and Nails
One of the B vitamins which milk kefir contains is Biotin. Biotin has been getting a lot of publicity recently for its ability to actively promote thick hair, strong fast growing nails and healthy skin. Milk kefir contains high levels of biotin, making it an excellent food to consume daily if you are struggling with brittle nails, thin hair or lack lustre skin.
High Protein Content
One of the reasons why kefir can make such as great additional to one’s daily food intake is that is is high in protein. One cup of milk kefir contains roughly 10 grams of protein, including all of the eight essential amino acids. Besides the nutritional value of this, the spin off benefit is that milk kefir keeps you full for longer – which can ultimately contribute to weight loss. This is one of these reasons why kefir is a popular ingredient in smoothies.
Immunity Booster
Because of its probiotic value, kefir can act as a superb immune booster. Modern research has shown that up to 80% of our immune system resides in our gut. This can sound crazy, but the way it works is roughly like this: germs and bacteria enter our bodies mostly through our mouths and noses. From there they try to gain a footing in the respiratory or digestive system. If probiotic levels in these tracts are up and running at full strength, the resident probiotics literally crowd out the invaders and make infection impossible or very short lived.
Therefore, findings are showing that if you are ingesting a potent source of probiotics like kefir, on a daily basis, you will be strengthening and maintaining your immune system.
Mood Booster
Studies are now beginning to show a strong link between the consumption of fermented foods and mental/emotional happiness. Many of the important brain chemicals we need for proper functioning are produced in the digestive tract. The probiotics in fermented foods assist the body to produce these, and keep us in good supply of important neurochemicals. In addition, kefir contains tryptophan, the amino acid that helps raise the levels of serotonin in your brain.
Kefir is Even Healthier than Yoghurt
Yoghurt is often the food that we all think of when probiotics are mentioned. However it is not the most potent source. The exact strains and concentration of probiotics varies widely from yoghurt to yoghurt. The average amount of variety of strains is roughly 2-5. Research has also shown that the concentrations of these strains can often be too low even in unpasteurized brands to constitute a considerable health benefit. Kefir by comparison contains up to 30 different strains of probiotics at high concentrations.
Kefir is Easy to Make at Home
Besides being a really top notch supplement-like food, milk kefir is a great ferment to try making at home. It is simple and easy to do and does not take up a lot of time. And, its cheap to make! All you need is some whole milk, preferably organic, and the kefir culture starter grains.
For detailed info on how to go about making your own kefir check out How to Make Kefir: The Ultimate Guide. If you are interested in finding a reliable source to procure a culture from, have a look at this post. The post is a guide on where to find a good quality kombucha SCOBYs or cultures. However most of the outlets listed also produce kefir cultures.
Final Word
As you can see, milk kefir is a valuable item to incorporate into your daily diet. In fact, eating kefir everyday can be arguably one of the best things you can be doing for your health! The benefits of ingesting probiotics are far reaching and have a positive effect on the whole body. The nutritional value of milk kefir is also very high, yielding up all eight of the amino acids, easily absorbed calcium, as well as a good complement of B vitamins.
By eating kefir everyday you could boost your mood, immunity, digestion, energy and even contribute to weight loss. More potent that yoghurt, dairy kefir is one of the best fermented foods to eat everyday.
