Kefir is a probiotic beverage that contains high concentrations of live microorganisms that are helpful to the human body. Originally only made from unpasteurized cow's milk,  now there's a number of different varieties that can be classified into two groups --- milk kefir and water kefir (a.k.a. tibicos).

Kefir is often pronounced kee-fur or keff-er (American), keh-fuh (British) or keh-feer (Russian). Sometimes people also use a hybrid pronunciation --- kuh-feer. 

Kefir is believed to have originated centuries ago from the Caucasus Mountain regions where it has a long history of traditional usage as both a social drink and health supplement.

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Kefir in the Bible, Grains of the prophet

Kefir is composed mainly of water and by-products of the fermentation process including carbon dioxide (CO2) and alcohol (ethanol). It also contains varying concentrations of the dietary nutrients, bacteria, and yeasts.

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kefir microbiota, milk kefir nutrients, water kefir nutrients

Kefir is made from lacto-fermentation of either milk or sugar water through the infusion of kefir grains. Kefir ferments relatively quickly --- typically between 12-48 hours with the right quantities of ingredients and grains.

Kefir grains is basically a starter culture (or mother) for making kefir milk. It has a soft puffy creamy-white appearance usually described as like a small cauliflower or popped popcorn. These structures are formed by the clustering of microorganisms covered in layers of biofilm made of a matrix of heteropolysaccharide called kefiran.

Generally, kefir replenishes the gut with live microorganisms that contribute to a variety of essential processes that occur in our body (e.g. digestion, metabolism). By doing this, it helps your body become healthy. A healthy body will be able to heal faster and be more resilient to illness or disease.

Both milk kefir and yogurt are probiotics made through lacto-fermentation of dairy milk. However, kefir is uniquely produced through the inoculation of grains and aerobic fermentation without the addition of heat. Kefir also contains a lot more nutrients and has the capability to repopulate our gut with probiotics.

Milk kefir has a consistency and taste similar to thin drinkable yogurt. It can also be a little alcoholic and carbonated since the lacto-fermentation process produces a bit of carbon dioxide and ethanol.

Kefir is essentially classified as food or beverage. Although it can sometimes also be considered as a health supplement, kefir is not a medicine or drug. As such, there are no official therapeutic claims that can be associated with it.

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kefir benefits

Kefir does not target any particular illness or disease. Instead it helps improve general health and enables the body to heal faster and become more resilient to illness or disease. However, many kefir users feel that kefir contributed significantly to their successful recovery from their disease, illness, or disorder. You can read about success stories shared by kefir users in our community forum. 

For most people, the answer is yes. Why not?

However, if you have a medical condition, or if you are under medication, undergoing treatment, or following a dietary program you may need to consult your doctor or consultant (e.g. diet consultant, fitness trainer, etc.) first.

There are not too many physical stores or establishments where you can buy ready-to-drink kefir off the shelf. However, there are many online sellers who sell ready to drink homebrewed kefir. You can find some of them listed in our community forum here.

If you are new to kefir, we recommend that you try it out first. Check out the taste. See how your body reacts to it after drinking. Find out if kefir is the right probiotic for you. Then, make a decision. 

Making your own kefir is simple and easy. However, it does take effort, entails some cost, and requires some level of commitment to do well.

Go to the Make section of our website. There we teach you step-by-step how to make your first batch of homebrew milk or water kefir. Just click on make on our main navigation (typically, at the top left of the page on desktop, or inside the hamburger menu if you are on a mobile device).