Ferment your way to better health

What do you mean Fermenting? 

Fermenting basically means culturing bacteria. We often associate fermenting with the process of making beer or wine. The process of fermenting beer or wine is structured around creating the byproduct alcohol.   When I say fermenting, I mean culturing good probiotic bacteria that has a laundry list of health benefit. Health benefits ranging from improved digestion and immunity to a clearer complexion. Check out this, this and this  article on the benefits of consuming probiotics. 

So, does probiotics have alcohol in it?

According to the company that I buy my probiotic starter from, there is no way can get an alcohol by product.  

I already consume kombucha, rejuvelac, activia and take a probiotic supplement! Why do I need this?

Here is the thing, you already understand the importance of fermented foods! However, the specific drinks and yogurt that I mentioned (there are others too) create more problems than good. We know there is good bacteria, but there is also bad. In addition, some products have some good bacteria in a sea of bad bacteria and it's not enough to make it beneficial 
for your health.  More details on kombucha here and other products here and here.

Where has this been all my life? I need some of that!

You're telling me! My health has vastly improved since I started making making my own  probiotic drinks and cultured vegetables.  For more details on why I decided to give fermentation a try go here.

What probiotic drink do you drink?

I drink my own cultured coconut water kefir and sometimes dairy kefir.  I mainly drink coconut water kefir because it digests better in my body and has the most health benefits. Diary kefir can be constipating and toxic to certain body types. Read more details here and here.

Where do I start?

This is the fun part! The first thing you need to do is get a starter.  There are two different starters that I use.  I use a Kefir starter and a cultured veggies starter. Go here for the kefir starter and here for veggie starter. 

What about kefir grains? 

Personally, I do not use the kefir grains. Mainly because they are finicky and more of a challenge to work with( I do easy folks) and they have not proven healthy for me. I also don't drink dairy kefir as much as coconut water kefir. The grains do not work for coconut water kefir. Go here for a detailed explanation.

Do I have to be a scientist to make my own?

Boy, if that were true I wouldn't be writing this article!!!  The process of culturing your own cultured probiotics in the form of kefir and saurkraut is very simple!!! I promise! Did I mention I do easy?  You only need a few simple ingredients and your good to go! Click here for the recipe for coconut water kefir, here for dairy kefir and here for cultured veggies.