Water Kefir: Properties, Use And Recipes
Water kefir is a refreshing fermented drink with health-promoting properties. Find out more about it today and make the drink yourself.
We know how important nutrition is to our health and many of us have changed our lifestyles and adopted new habits as a result. Today we are introducing you to a refreshing, very healthy drink that should not be missing as part of a healthy diet and a conscious lifestyle: water kefir!
Then learn more about this drink and how you can benefit from it. You can easily prepare it yourself, today we will explain how to do it.
What is water kefir?
To make this fermented drink, you need kefir cultures made from yeast and lactic acid bacteria. The kefir cultures are also known as SCOBY ( Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast ). You can use it to make a probiotic drink from milk or water.
The cultures need nutrients to develop and produce the fermented beverage. This creates the ideal environment for making water kefir. We’ll go into this again later.
Health benefits of water kefir
Would you like to know why you should make water kefir too? The most important health-promoting properties of this fermented drink are as follows:
1. Water kefir has probiotic properties
Water kefir contains probiotics, as do milk kefir and yogurt. These are living microorganisms that improve metabolic functions and intestinal transit. Since it is a fermented product, it supplies many microorganisms that benefit the microbiota.
As a result, this drink also has a very positive effect on the body’s defenses and promotes intestinal health.
2. Antibacterial properties
The probiotics contained in water kefir (e.g. Lactobacillus kefiri ) could inhibit the growth of certain bacteria and thus prevent the spread of Salmonella, E. coli or Helicobacter pylory , for example . The carbohydrate kefiran contained in this drink also has antibacterial properties.
3. Water kefir helps to improve cholesterol levels
There are few studies on this subject, but various data suggest that water kefir may help regulate LDL (bad cholesterol) cholesterol levels.
5. Rehydration
This refreshing drink has isotonic properties and is therefore perfect for providing the organism with sufficient fluids without consuming unnecessary calories. This drink is also ideally suited to weight loss diets.
Recipe for water kefir
Kefir grains are soft and have a gelatin-like consistency. They look like little cauliflower florets. The tubers used for milk kefir are white, the SCOBYs for water kefir are transparent.
It is very important to know the difference in order to use the right kefir grains. Here’s how you can make water kefir:
ingredients
- 1 liter of mineral water
- 3 tablespoons of cane sugar
- 1/2 lemon (optional)
- 3 tablespoons of water kefir bulbs
Utils
- Large glass vessel with a wide opening and closure (not made of metal!)
- Wooden spoon
preparation
- Put the water in the glass jar.
- Then add the water kefir bulbs, the sugar and, if desired, the lemon juice.
- Stir everything well with the wooden spoon. You can also close the jar and shake it.
- Then let this mixture sit for two to three days at ambient temperature (between 15 and 30 degrees). During the fermentation process, the tubers feed on the sugar and produce organic acids, which creates a fermented drink.
- Then you can drink this drink and benefit from all the advantages.
More information about water kefir
- If you seal the finished drink well, it will retain its nutritional value for a year.
- Once opened, keep the drink in the refrigerator.
- Since it does not contain any dairy products, it is also suitable for people with lactose intolerance or food allergies.
As you can see, you can make water kefir very easily. Do you feel like trying this drink? If you have any questions or doubts, your doctor can certainly inform you about health benefits. In the event of possible illnesses or allergies, he can also tell you whether this fermented drink is recommended in your case.
