Making Water Kefir

Ever since I started seeing a naturopath to treat my chronic illnesses, repairing the gut has been a huge priority in the healing process.  I've been on a probiotic for over a year either in pill form or through drinking kefir.  I would buy milk kefir by Lifeway and drink that once or twice a day.  Although I can't ingest dairy, their kefir products are 99.99% lactose free.  But buying two-three bottles a week got costly and I thought hey, why not make my own?

What's water kefir you say?  Cultures for Health does a really great job at explaining it, so here is their description from their website:

Originating in Mexico, water kefir grains (also known as sugar kefir grains) allow for the fermentation of sugar water or juice to create a carbonated lacto-fermented beverage.  Incredibly easy to brew, the starter culture can create a new batch of kefir every 24 to 48 hours. This makes a fantastic non-dairy alternative to milk kefir and can be flavored after brewing to make a variety of delicious sodas.  If you are looking to replace soda pop, your family will love it!

• Traditional heirloom-style kefir culture (called "grains" due to appearance); not a powdered starter culture
• Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan
• Reusable culture; makes a new batch of kefir every 24 to 48 hours
• With proper care, the culture can be used indefinitely to create delicious probiotic-rich kefir
• Cultures on the counter at 67° to 80°F, no heating appliance required
• Can be used with sugar water, fruit juice, and coconut water

Kefir consists of lactic acid bacteria and yeast existing in a symbiotic relationship.  The benefits are similar to those of milk kefir (dairy kefir) but the average person will be able to consume larger amounts of it due to its water base.  Click here for information on the numerous strains of yeast and bacteria generally known to comprise water kefir grains. 

Cultures for Health sells both milk (dairy) and water kefir grains.  I chose the water kefir grains, which were reasonably priced at only $16.99.  I also bought quart sized mason jars to make and store the water kefir in and a small stainless steel mesh strainer (plastic is okay too) to catch the kefir grains when transferring the finished kefir to another jar (both are available at Walmart).  You also need trace mineral drops to add to the water if using filtered water, i.e. water from a Brita, Pur, or another type of filtration system.  I already had a bottle that I bought through my naturopath.  You can purchase a bottle from the website or purchase their starter kit, which includes the kefir grains, bottle of mineral drops, and a small plastic mesh strainer for $26.99.

The process to make the water kefir is so easy.  When you first receive your grains, they will be dehydrated.  You will need to activate them by heating 3-4 cups water and pouring the water into a glass jar.  Dissolve 4-6 tablespoons cane sugar in the water. Cool to 68°-85°F. Empty entire packet of dehydrated water kefir grains into cooled sugar water.  Cover with a coffee filter or cloth secured by a rubber band.  Place in a warm spot, 68°-85°F, for 3-5 days.  After 5 days grains should be plump and translucent. They are now ready to make water kefir. Strain the sugar water off and discard it.

Kefir grains dehydrated and activated.

Once the grains have been activated, it's time to brew your first batch of kefir.  Below is a video showing how to prepare it.  You can also follow a detailed list of instructions here. 

Here's how mine looks.  I use raw organic sugar which is why it's dark.

Once your kefir is finished brewing, you can flavor it using fruit juice (preferably 100% and organic), organic fruit rinds, herbs, and fresh or dried fruit.  Below, you'll see pictures of the different flavored water kefir I've made over the past two weeks.

On the left is grapefruit, in the middle is an assortment of grapefruit, cranberry and cream soda (made with quality pure vanilla extract), and mango tangerine on the right.

As you can see in the picture of the grapefruit water kefir*, there is a lot of carbonation.  It will get nice and bubbly and is a much healthier alternative to soda.  I have been having a lot of fun experimenting with flavors and getting my entire family to drink their probiotics!  I hope that you try making your own kefir at home and get on track to eating and living a more healthy life!

For a list of probiotic supplements for your specific health needs, visit Review.com's Best Probiotic Supplements page.  You can find the best probiotics for general digestive health, IBS/IBD relief, immune health and more.  They have done the research and put all of the information in one easy to follow guide.  Check it out now!

*Grapefruit juice can cause an adverse reaction if consumed while on certain medications.  Please check all warnings on your medication before using grapefruit juice or rinds to flavor your water kefir.  Here's a list of drug interactions for your reference:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit_drug_interactions