comfort4adhd home page

Home | LOCAL NOTICES | Support Our Troops | Adhd | More on adhd | Associated Disorders | Vision | ADHD Medications | Med Talk | Alternatives | Supplements | Advocate | MEDICINE OR JAIL ? | Behavior | Self Esteem | Anxiety | Lying | Parenting | Moms Only | Organization | Jobs | Sleep | Recipies | LD's | Dyslexia | School | Gifted | Homeschooling | Delinquency | Teens | Kids Page | Summer camps/schools/mentors | Vouchers | College | Adult adhd | BiPolar | Depression | Chores | Tv | Social Skills | Truancy | Relationships | Autism | Kefir | Homeopathy | Bedwetting | PDA's | Careers | Social Security | Bullying (kids) | Bullying (teachers) | Bullying (parents) | Teachers Resources | Ky Legislature | Discipline | Military | Caffeine | Drop Out Prevention | LINKS
Kefir

Kefir
Kefir is not a drug, it is a food, a probiotic food.
 
Kefir is a delicious fermented milk beverage that you can easily make at home. More healthful than yogurt, kefir builds immunity and imparts a sense of well being.
 
All kinds of milk can be kefired -- even nondairy 'milks'. This includes milk from any animal (goat, cow, sheep, etc), bean (soy, pinto kidney, garbanzo, ...), grain (rice, barley, ...), nut (almond, brazil, coconut, ...), or seed (flax, pumpkin, sesame, ...). The most popular are milk from cow, goat, and soy.
 
Kefir is a natural probiotic.  It contains live active cultures of normal flora that will actually repopulate your digestive tract and aid in digestion.  Kefir is superior to yogurt because yogurt is made with transient, less potent bacteria.   The bacteria in yogurt will last a few days in the digestive tract, and you need to keep reintroducing them.  Kefir contains more organisms than yogurt, and the "normal flora" in kefir is made of vary strong strains of micro organisms (unlike yogurt) which will help to over take pathogenic organisms that have taken over. Kefir will repopulate the digestive tract with good organisms.  We consider this the more natural way to add good bacteria to the digestive tract and feel these strains are superior to any capsules which might contain organisms that have been dried.  The cultures on Kefir are active and growing when they enter your body.  They thrive in dairy and use up the lactose and partially digest the proteins, making it a product that most people can ingest and will benefit from.  Even people with milk sensitivities can usually drink kefir.
 

This information is not intended to substitute for medical advice or care that you would receive from your healthcare professional, so always check with your provider.
 
I hope that you enjoy reading about Kefir and that you will do your own research on all the
healthy benefits it provides. 
 

What is Kefir?
 
Kefir History

How Kefir Works

HAVE YOU FED YOUR 'GOOD BUGS' TODAY?

Most consumers have heard of probiotics and know that they are foods containing live, beneficial bacteria. Foods such as yogurt, buttermilk, miso or kefir are the most recognized foods providing ‘good’ bacteria for the gut.

But are you aware of the health benefits of prebiotics? In a nutshell, prebiotics are the food to help the probiotics grow and multiply. They are the food for your ‘good bugs’.

A quick review of probiotics will help in understanding prebiotics. The advantage of beneficial living organisms in food, particularly lactic acid bacteria, has been known for centuries. In fact, the Roman historian, Plinius, in 76 BC, recommended fermented milk for treating gastroenteritis. In the early 1900’s, a Russian zoologist, Elie Metchnikoff, wrote about the health benefits of “friendly bacteria” and hypothesized that consumption of fermented milk products were responsible for the long, healthy lives that Bulgarian peasants enjoyed.

Probiotics means “pro-life”. The digestive tract is home to over 400 species of microorganisms. Some are ‘good bugs’ and are ‘bad bugs’ or unhealthy bacteria. Probiotics are the ‘good bugs’. Two of the most common strains are lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. It is believed that if a positive balance of good bacteria is maintained, the bad bacteria are less able to cause disease and irritation.

Here are some health benefits to taking probiotics:
- inhibits growth of ‘bad bugs’, or bacteria that cause disease
- synthesizes vitamins, primarily B vitamins
- increase availability of nutrients
- decrease lactose intolerance
- decrease symptoms of GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease)
- decrease prevalence of allergies
- boosts the immune response

As mentioned earlier, prebiotics are food for probiotics. Consequently, the more you can feed and care for your ‘good bugs’, the healthier you can be!

The Japanese have known the benefits of prebiotics for years. In fact, a commercially prepared prebiotic (“Neosugar”) is currently used in over 500 Japanese food products, from infant formulas to health products. The two most common prebiotics are inulin and oligofructose. As a supplement, it will be listed as either inulin or FOS (fructooligosaccharides). Inulin or oligofructose are present in over 36,000 plant foods as plant storage carbohydrates. Excellent food sources are chicory and Jerusalem artichokes. In fact, most commercially prepared inulin comes from chicory, or else synthesized from sucrose. Other food sources include wheat, barley, rye, onions, garlic and leeks.

Because flatulence, bloating and abdominal cramps can be an undesirable consequence of taking prebiotics (and even probiotics), it is recommended that anyone considering taking these in supplement form contact a healthcare professional familiar with such products for individualized recommendations. Those who could benefit from taking probiotic and prebiotic supplements include:
1 – People taking antibiotics which kill off the ‘good bugs’ in the intestinal tract.
2 – People who suffer from diarrhea, constipation, gastrointestinal distress, and/or irritable bowel syndrome.
3 – Women who suffer from chronic yeast and/or Candida infections.

Probiotic supplements are available as freeze-dried, powdered, capsules, wafers and liquids. Doses of Acidophilus and Bifidobacteria are expressed in billions of live organisms and a typical dose, unless otherwise recommended, is between 3 billion to 5 billion live organisms. Because probiotics are living organisms and are fragile, they should always be refrigerated. Products found on a shelf, therefore, are not going to contain live organisms and not be as effective. The product label should guarantee a certain number of live organisms by the expiration date of the product. There should always be an expiration date.

Prebiotics can be found either with a probiotic product or separately, because FOS and inulin are food for the probiotics. If purchased separately, they can be taken together. Some people, because of the high number of ‘bad bugs’ in their gastrointestinal tract, cannot handle the two products taken together in the beginning. This is where an experienced healthcare professional can be beneficial. The suggested intake of FOS is 2-3 grams per day. Products containing vitamin C, whey protein, or cysteine may improve the effectiveness of probiotics.

This information is not intended to substitute for medical advice or care that you would receive from your healthcare professional, so always check with your provider. If you are taking medications, or have health issues, make sure you start these products under the care of a professional. Some people will notice no harmful effects and these products are generally very safe, but individual sensitivity can alter the effects of such products.

If something as simple as providing and feeding your ‘good bugs’ in the intestinal tract can improve subtle or severe health issues, it’s certainly time to start feeding our ‘good bugs’ today!

http://www.yeastremedies.com/yeast_articles.html

MICROFLORA IN KEFIR
 

Typical Microflora Isolated from Kefir Grains 

Divided into Four Genus groups :

   

I.

LACTOBACILLI

Lb. acidophilus

Lb. brevis

Lb. casei
Lb. casei subsp. rhamnosus
Lb. casei subsp. pseudoplantarum
Lb. paracasei subsp. paracasei
Lb. cellobiosus
Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus
Lb. delbrueckii subsp. lactis
Lb. fructivorans
Lb. helveticus subsp. lactis
Lb. hilgardii
Lb. kefiri
Lb. kefiranofaciens
Lb. kefirgranum sp. nov *
Lb. parakefir sp. nov *
Lb. lactis
Lb. plantarum 

 

II.

STREPTOCOCCI/LACTOCOCCI
Lactococci lactis subsp. lactis
Lc. lactis var. diacetylactis
Lc. lactis subsp. cremoris
Streptococci salivarius subsp. thermophilus
S. lactis
Enterococcus durans

Leuconostoc cremoris

Leuc. mesenteroides

 

III.

YEASTS

Candida kefir
C. pseudotropicalis
C. rancens
C. tenuis
Kluyveromyces lactis
Kluyveromyces marxianus var. marxianus
K. bulgaricus
K. fragilis / marxianus
Saccharomyces subsp. Torulopsis holmii
Saccharomyces lactis
S. carlsbergensis
S. unisporus
Debaryomyces hansenii **
Zygosaccharomyces rouxii **

 

IV.

ACETOBACTER

Acetobacter aceti
A. rasens
 
 
 

Reference:

Encyclopaedia of Food Science, Food Technology, and Nutrition [1993] [pp. 1804-1808] Edited by R. Macrae, R.K. Robinson, M.J. Sadler

* International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 44 (3) 435-439 [1994]

** T. Loretana, J.F Mosterta and B.C. Viljoen [2003] Microbial flora associated with South African household kefir. S. Afr. J. Sci. Vol. 99 No. 1/2

List of Bacterial Names with Standing in Nomenclature - Genus Lactobacillus 

http://www.medicinalfoodnews.com/

Units Count of Microbes in Gram Stained Kefir Grains

Bacilli [single cells, pair, chains]
Streptococci [pair, chains]
Yeast [single cells] 

The Means Range

Bacilli 66, 62-69%
Streptococci 16, 11-12%
Yeast 18, 16-20% [10]

THE WONDERS OF WHEY PROTEIN

A GUIDE TO PROBIOTICS
 
PROBIOTICS
 
PROBIOTICS HEALTH HEROES

Revitalize Your Health with the Healing Power
of Probiotics
How Probiotics Can Combat Our Two Greatest Killers: Cancer and Heart Disease
Dr. Mark A. Brudnak

ENZYMES
WHAT ARE ENZYMES?

HEALING WITH FOOD, FOOD AS MEDICINE,KEFIR,FIL MJOLK, AND VIILI

FERMENTATION IS FUN
HOW TO GET STARTED WITH FERMENTED FOODS AT HOME

The benefits of consuming kefir regularly in the diet

Easily digested, it cleanses the intestines, provides beneficial bacteria and yeast, vitamins and minerals, and complete proteins. Because kefir is such a balanced and nourishing food, it contributes to a healthy immune system and has been used to help patients suffering from AIDS, chronic fatigue syndrome, herpes, and cancer. Its tranquilizing effect on the nervous system has benefited many who suffer from sleep disorders, depression, and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). 

The regular use of kefir can help relieve all intestinal disorders, promote bowel movement, reduce flatulence and create a healthier digestive system. In addition, its cleansing effect on the whole body helps to establish a balanced inner ecosystem for optimum health and longevity.

Kefir can also help eliminate unhealthy food cravings by making the body more nourished and balanced. Its excellent nutritional content offers healing and health-maintenance benefits to people in every type of condition

http://www.kefir.net/benefits.htm

If you want to read more about the scientific research being done on kefir, yogurt, and related fermented and cultured foods.
(type in Kefir as a search term)
 

A.D.H.D in Children and Adults:Alternative vs Standard Treatment
Bacteria probiotics found in yogurt, kefir, or supplementation with acidophilus products.

ENZYME NUTRITION THERAPY
Some of these foods are fermented from dairy such as yogurt,KEFIR AND other soured-milk products ... Attention deficit disorder (ADD or ADHD) If you cannot digest fats

WHY YOU SHOULD DRINK KEFIR
Among its many restorative powers, kefir will:
  • provide supplemental nourishment for pregnant and nursing women.
  • contribute to a healthy immune system and help fortify patients suffering from AIDS, chronic fatigue syndrome, herpes, and cancer.
  • promote a tranquilizing effect on the nervous system and benefit many who suffer from sleep disorders, depression, and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
  • help relieve all intestinal disorders, promote bowel movement, reduce flatulence, create a healthier digestive system -- and is an absolute must after the use of antibiotics to restore balance to the digestive tract.
  • curb unhealthy food cravings by making the body more nourished and balanced."

http://www.johnheinl.net/LHserver/JP-kefir.htm

BENEFITS OF KEFIR

The benefits of consuming kefir regularly in the diet are numerous. Easily digested, it cleanses the intestines, provides beneficial bacteria and yeast, vitamins and minerals, and complete proteins. Because kefir is such a balanced and nourishing food, it contributes to a healthy immune system and has been used to help patients suffering from AIDS, chronic fatigue syndrome, herpes, and cancer. Its tranquilizing effect on the nervous system has benefited many who suffer from sleep disorders, depression, and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).

http://www.pihealth.com/kefir.htm

EFFECTS OF KEFIR
From experience of generations, here are some of the properties possessed by the real kefir.

* Regulates the body's immune system and improves resistance to diseases.
* Regulates the blood pressure, blood sugar and cures diabetes.
* Heals the lungs, bronchitis, tuberculosis, asthma, allergies and migraine.
* Has a positive influence on the heart and blood, heals circulatory conditions.
* Heals various eczema, all skin disorders and leads to cure of acne.
* Heals the kidneys, the urinary tract and protects prostate.
* Has a positive influence on cholesterol, osteoporosis and rheumatism.
* Supports enzymes production and heals the pancreas.
* Improves the liver and gallbladder, regulates bile production, influences positively hepatitis.
* Regulates metabolism, digestion and heals diseases of the colon.
* Heals colitis, diarrhea, catarrh, reflux, leaky gut syndrome, candidasis and more.
* Rebalance the intestinal flora and stomach acid, heals duodenum and cures ulcers.
* Produces its own antibiotics, eliminates unfriendly bacteria, cures internal and external inflammations.
* Heals lactose intolerance and provides full digestibility of milk based products.
* Produces own anti-cancer compounds, prevents metastasis, and leads to cure.
* Slows the aging process, smoothes and improves skin, hair and muscle tonus.
* Reduces anxiety, depression, increases energy and feeling of wellbeing.
* Produces all necessary vitamins and beneficial bacteria needed for our healthy daily life.

Almost century of scientific and medical research confirming the above is available from Diary Research Institute in former USSR. With the worldwide cost of medical care getting inflated by chronic diseases, real kefir is gaining popularity not only for its health benefits, but also for its effects in lowering medical cost. With increasing resistance to antibiotics, intensive research of the real kefir is conducted in Europe and Japan. The results are supporting the experience of generations.
http://www.gewo.applet.cz/health/kefir_manual.htm

KEFIR INFORMATION

 
Kefir The Miracle in the Kitchen
 

Relaxing Properties of Kefir

KEFIR RECIPES

MotheringDotCommune Forums

Dom's Kefir in-site

Kefir Recipes

Kefir Information and Recipes

Natural Health, Wellness & Lifestyle

Lifeway Foods Bread Recipes
(substitute home made kefir in recipe)
 
Smoothies
 
recipes
 
Breakfast
 
Soups
 
Entrees
 
Desserts
 
recipe archive
 
 

WHERE TO FIND "REAL" KEFIR GRAINS
Real kefir grains, will last forever if cared for properly.
Kefir from powder is not as nutritious or healthful as that made from real kefir grains, since it does not have the full complement of probiotic bacteria and yeast.
A kefir grain resembles a piece of cauliflower, except that it has a rubbery texture.

Kefir Grains
kefir_grains.jpg
http://buncombe.main.nc.us/~gwilcox/kefir.html

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REAL "LIVE" KEFIR GRAINS AND
KEFIR STARTER.
 
Live grains will grow and won't need to be replaced if handled
with care.
You can eat them or give them to someone else if you begin to get too many.
You can also store them as a back up just in case you decide to do some experimenting and should need them.
Live grains are placed into cold or room temperature milk.
 
Kefir starter is just a starter. A powder that does not grow and will need to be replaced.
It is not as nutritious or healthful as that made from real kefir grains, since it does not have the full complement of probiotic bacteria and yeast.
Kefir starter is placed into heated milk.

There are two types of kefir grains:
 
water kefir –transparent grains  prepared with water and   fruits, where the micro-organisms metabolise the fruit sugar.
 
milk kefir –traditional, white or cream colored grains prepared with milk; it is the lactose, the milk sugar, that is used by the micro-organisms.

KEFIR MANUAL ONLINE
 

Dom's Kefir in-site
 
Live Kefir Grain Database
 
Project Kefir
 
GEM Cultures
 
Natural Health and Beauty
 
or
Contact me
 
 

 
KEFIR D'ACQUA 
WATER KEFIR
Small transparent grains that ferment sweetened water.
Water Kefir works along the same lines as milk kefir, except it is perfect for people who do not like milk.

KEFIR GROUPS

Kefir Making
 
Gregs Grains
 
Microbial_Nutrition
 
Kefir Grain Support Forum
 
Real Kefir Making
 

Can you tell me if Kefir has more beneficial properties than yogurt?
 
Yes it does. So do the kefir grains themselves.
Note:
you can control the speed of culture with more or less milk
and more or less temperature.

Why Fermented Milk Products are different. . .

Other Natural Probiotics
 
Viili
A ropey (viscous),rubbery, spoonable milk ferment
made at room temperature. You add a couple of tablespoons of Viili to a quart of milk and leave it for 24 hours.
Milder than Kefir.
 
 
Kombucha
Kombucha Mushrooms are used to make fermented Kombucha Tea, a probiotic. Kombucha is fermented in water, tea and sugar. Known as the "Elixir of Life" by the Chinese.
 
It is known by a number of different names around the world including - Cainii Kvass, Kombuchakvass, Tea wine and Teekvass.
 
The secret of Kombucha is not that it 'cures' a multitude of illnesses but, that it boosts your body's own system to fight those sicknesses.

What is Kombucha Tea?

http://www.kombuchatea.co.uk/what-is-kombucha.asp

http://users.bestweb.net/~om/~kombu/

 
What is Kombucha made of?
 
The FDA has found KT is safe to drink
 
 Kombucha Recipes
 
Caspian Sea Yogurt
A creamy, slightly viscous yogurt made at room temperature.
It is easy to make because you do not need to heat the milk. 
You add a couple of tablespoons of CSY to a quart of
milk and leave it for 12 hours.

Milder than Kefir.
 
 
translator
(Japanese to
English)
http://homepage1.nifty.com/NewSphere/trans.html  'copy & past' the CSY website link to the translator, you can read the Japanese in English.
 
Yogurt yo!
 
VIILI, KEFIR, & FIL MJOLK
 
Tibicos
(Chinese Mushrooms)
The Chinese mushroom was sent to Mexico by Mother Teresa from Calcutta with the desire to help to cure persons, especially those with few resources or living in remote places where there are no doctors or medicines. Her only condition was that it not be commercialized, or distributed any way except gratis.
 

EQUIPMENT That May Be Used
 
STRAINERS
 
CROCKS
Standard Crocks
 
JARS
Mason Jars
Empty Pickle Jars
Sun Tea Jars
 
 
 

Enter supporting content here

Have a spectacular day

FREE Web Host Sites
Searchable index of free web space providers
GeoCities
Bravenet
Tripod
Angelfire
My Family
Virtual Ave
FreeWebs
MSN Spaces
 
 
FREE Graphic & Photo Storage
iParenting
uLoad
 
FREE Hit Counters
Statcounter
Bravenet
 
FREE WebTools
LAVASOFT
Ad-aware SE Personal Edition
Free Spybot Search and Destroy Download
http://www.download.com/3000-8022-10122137.html
Free ONLINE Antivirus scan
 
FREE Desktop Calendar & To Do List
Rainlendar
 
 

Canadian Pharmacy
 
Prescription Drug Search

countrylanelisalogo2.gif

langa.gif

http://www.langa.com/newsletter.htm
 
I made the Langa List on 11/21/2002

 


It's always Mother's Day at Moms Rewards!
Freebies, Rewards and Resources For Mom!
Subscribe with a blank email to: MomsRewards-subscribe@topica.com

1001 Free Things for Parents
Free Things for Parents including Baby Coupons!

banner08.gif

Ask The Computer Lady