When I first started making my own kefir years ago I knew I found a miracle for my health. At the beginning I was craving it so much I had to drink it twice or more per day. I couldn’t get enough of it. When you are giving your body exactly what it needs it is the most exciting feeling on the planet!
I have been diagnosed with a primary immune deficiency called CVID or Common Variable Immunodeficiency. It is the most common type of immune deficiency but affects everyone who has it, uniquely. Because of this I had to find the most powerful foods that would help my body fight off illnesses. I found it with kefir and other cultured foods and have never felt as good as I do now, completely (prescription) medication-free. Kefir is my daily multi-vitamin, my daily probiotic, and my greatest detoxifier. Here are a few reasons why:
Kefir has so many beneficial vitamins and nutrients. The fact that it is fermented means that it is pre-digested so it is very easy on your body. It also makes the nutrients more bioavailable. Your body knows exactly what to do with this living food.
Homemade kefir has up to 50 different beneficial bacterial and yeast strains. Yogurt has just 7 to compare. When you are building your personal army, diversity is as important as quantity. You want to have a lot of different types of soldiers who perform different tasks. I believe this constant infusion of beneficial microbes to be the number one reason my health improved so dramatically after making and drinking kefir. Scientists around the world are researching and discovering more and more about our inner ecosystem. Our microbes do so much for us! In fact we are 10 times more microbes than human cells so taking the best care of them is crucial for our health.
Kefir contains calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, B vitamins and tryptophan. All of these help to calm down and strengthen our central nervous system. This is why people who suffer from anxiety or depression swear by its calming effects. In fact the word kefir translates to "good feeling" in Turkish. When I am having a stressful day or am upset about something, kefir will calm me down and help me to assess the situation more thoughtfully. And because its just food there are no negative side effects.
There is evidence to suggest that vitamin D and magnesium work together in order to absorb calcium in our intestinal tract. Vitamin K, also found in kefir, helps regulate where the calcium goes. When we take synthetic or processed supplements how do we know how much of each nutrient we should take? But when something is processed by nature, it already has this all figured out. I see this over and over again in the nutrient content of whole foods.
Due to the high probiotic content of kefir, this really helps to alleviate digestive issues. I believe all of my digestive issues were a significant reason I was diagnosed with an immune deficiency. When we can't properly absorb nutrients from our food, we become deficient in so many areas. This causes your body to work overtime to try and keep up with keeping it in balance. This can lead to auto immune disorders, or serious immune deficiencies like mine. My body was really trying to tell me something by sounding all of these alarms to try to get my attention. I was listening but didn't have the answer until I found kefir. A wonderful side effect of healing your microbiome is weight loss which also leads to increased energy. The beneficial microbes help you to digest your food better and also allows your body to be able to absorb more nutrients from the food you eat. This means you feel better! The longer you consume this on a regular basis, the better you will feel. It takes time to alleviate our health problems which took years or sometimes decades to form. Many of the beneficial bacteria found in kefir are transient nature. That means they go in, grab on to a pathogen and leave, which is why you need to replenish kefir in your body regularly.
Speaking of pathogens, drinking kefir on a regular basis helps build your personal internal army also called your microbiome. This will allow you to protect yourself against bacterial and viral infections. In 2018, I did a lot of traveling throughout the Midwest and Northeast during the winter months and during a particularly bad flu season. I had to be around crowds and in direct contact with a lot of people. Even though I have an immune deficiency I honestly did not worry about my health at all. Everywhere I went, I was making kefir in hotel rooms and in people’s homes. All I needed to do was to buy milk along the way which I gladly did. I ended up contracting a very mild case of the flu. The only symptom I had was a decreased appetite as my army was working hard to rid my body of this virus. Other than that I was able to function normally. I love how kefir protects me!
These are just a few of the reasons I drink kefir every day. I don’t want to be down for the count with any kind of illness. I have spent enough time in my life being sick in bed, I no longer have time for that!
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