Milk kefir is an easy sell for anyone who loves yogurt, which I most definitely do. Kefir is tangy, about as thick (and creamy!) as a smoothie, and full of those good-for-you probiotics we hear so much about. We were making something called kefir: a fermented product that's a bit like yogurt, only much stronger, from Eastern Europe It's big in Russia and California, but not in the UK. Our kefir is pure and strong, with no sweeteners, no flavourings: we are the only people in the UK making kefir from raw goats' milk and raw kefir grains.
In #HealthHackers episode 14 you'll hear about Shann's unique backstory; her transition from US radio talk show host in San Francisco, to farmer's wife in Wales as she launched her Kefir grains own company making probiotic goat's milk kefir that was tested by a university and quickly gained a reputation for improving common skin problems among the customers who drank it.



I've never bought it Kate, but its popularity is on the rise and I know you can get it. I'd be surprised if a good health food shop didn't stock it. Interestingly, when we were up in Bangor last year, we came across a little kefir shop at the edge of town.
Kefir grains will also ferment milk substitutes such as soy milk , rice milk , nut milk and coconut milk , as well as other sugary liquids including fruit juice , coconut water , beer wort , and ginger beer However, the kefir grains may cease growing if the medium used does not contain all the growth factors required by the bacteria.

Our authentic kefir drinks, made from live kefir grains have been tried and tested by scientists and featured by Michael Mosley on the BBC's Trust Me I'm a Doctor In the summer of 2016 we supplied 280 samples of our drinks for a one month trial with 10 participants.
Kefir is made by pouring milk onto the grains, preferably raw milk as it still contains all of its powerful bacteria, or raw goats milk. The kefir grains work best with whole-fat animal milk, which is to say, whole fat milk from cows, goats, and sheep. The mothers started drinking the milk at 36 weeks pregnant (they didn't know whether they were taking the probiotic or the placebo) and continued for three months after the birth.
You can turn any milk or even plain water into kefir by adding a culture starter or kefir grains and a natural sugar to feed the probiotic organisms. I personally prefer to use whole raw milk for my kefir, which I've yet to see as an option in a store. Fortunately, KeVita makes an organic, vegan, gluten-free Sparkling Probiotic Drink with four strains of live probiotics in twelve different flavors (Mojita Lime Mint Coconut, here we come!).