What is Water Kefir?

A whole lotta water kefir grains! 

They can be clear to beige in color, depending on how you"feed" them.

What is water kefir?

Water kefir is basically a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. Water kefir is also known as tibicos, tibi, sugar kefir grains, Japanese water crystals, and many other names as it is found around the world in many different cultures. They are beautiful, clear little granules that are firm yet gel-like to the touch and propagate indefinitely. And when I say "propagate indefinitely" I also mean "and quickly". These babies are insane. I recently gave Heidi a gallon baggie FULL of kefir grains. Because I was up to 6 gallons of kefir water fermenting on my counter. And my husband was calling me the "crazy kefir lady". Yeah.
Anyways, according to Wikipedia, these little babies come from

"the leaves of the Opuntia cactus (orig. Mexico) as hard granules that can be reconstituted in a sugar-water solution as propagating tibicos"

Water kefir feeds off sugars to produce lactic acid, alcohol, and carbon dioxide gas which carbonates the drink. You can bottle water kefir (which keeps the carbonation) or not, depending on your taste preference. Any number of flavorings can be added. Many people use fresh fruit, fruit juices and concentrates, extracts, and herbs of many different combinations. It has a fermented taste to it that you have to get used to if you don't normally eat/drink fermented foods. When I drink it, it reminds me of pop (or soda, for all of you who don't live in the midwest!) and many people find it to be a great substitute! You can even make root beer or cream soda flavored water kefir, though I much prefer the fruitier ones. You can check out my picture tutorial on how to make water kefir.

Nearly a gallon of kefir grains... I had to give them all to Heidi 

because I just can't seem to throw any away!

Why drink water kefir?

Water kefir is an excellent, dairy-free probiotic. Nourished Kitchen names it as one of it's top 10 dairy-free probiotic sources. They also talk about WHY probiotics are vital to our health. Personally, I can tell a huge difference in my body since drinking water kefir. In the name of full disclosure, I'm going to share exactly how water kefir has helped us.
I've become more regular. I don't feel as bloated as I used to. I have to admit, at first it was a bit tough. The kefir kind of... cleans you out. In a good way though. No diarrhea or anything.  It also makes you crave sugar like CRAZY at first. I think that's your bad yeast dying off. It can also cause what is called a "healing crisis". You can read more about what a healing crisis is here. Just be sure to drink lots of water along with your kefir, especially at first. Other testimonials:
My husband's IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) has not given him any problems since he started drinking the kefir. He would have almost daily attacks before.
My oldest daughter, who has had problems with constipation in the past, has not had any problems since drinking it either.
My mother-in-law usually takes Nexium (a medication for frequent heartburn) daily. Since drinking water kefir, she has cut way back. She told me today that she hasn't had to take it at all in four days! She has also been amazed that a stubborn toenail fungal infection that she has had awhile is clearing up since she started drinking the kefir.

This has been with only having our kefir for a couple of months now. My mother-in-law has only been drinking it for a couple of weeks. We are loving this stuff!

This website has a list of water kefir health benefits here and here, go check it out!

And for those of you who want to have a quick comparison of kefir vs kombucha, or to see exactly what kind of probiotics are in each, Common Sense Homesteading has a great post on it!

Flavors to try

I've been experimenting with many different flavors. My favorites right now are blueberry, blueberry pomegranate, and strawberry-lemon. My husband loves orange.. my sister-in-law loves grapefruit... my mom loves cranberry pomegranate... and my second mom loves pina colada. Here are a list of flavors we've tried or are going to try:

Orange- Love this one. Very tasty and refreshing.

Strawberry- Very good, though I prefer the lime and lemon combos better.

Strawberry-lime

Strawberry-lemon

Lemon-lime

Cream soda (add vanilla extract)- You only need a tiny amount to get the right flavor.

Root beer (add root beer extract)- Again, just a couple of tiny drops or it's overpowering

Pomagranate- love this too! But the pom-blueberry is probably my favorite

Pom-blueberry

Pom-cherry

Pom-raspberry

Blueberry- This one is also really, really yummy. My little Ever loves this one the most. The blueberries pop!

Cherry

Raspberry- Make sure you squish them a little bit to release their juices. I like a raspberry-lemonade a lot.

Raspberry lime
Raspberry lemonade

Triple-berry

Mango- Very interesting flavor. I like it!

Strawberry Mango

Pineapple- Don't use too many or it burns your nose! I had this one last night and it was strong, but good!

Pina Colada  (shredded coconut, pineapple, and coconut extract)- My mom and her best friend's favorite

Mojito (mint, lime... easy on the mint if you are using extract)

Rosehips

Hibiscus

Basil

Lemon Verbena

Grape

Watermelon

Apple

Apple Cinnamon

Ginger

Coconut

Cranberry

Cran-raspberry

Cran-apple

Peach- Doesn't taste like peach exactly, but it's still good

Mint

Orange-Pineapple

Raspberry Zinger (tea)

Ginger-mango

Mother's Milk tea
Acai berry- LOVE this too!
Plum- This was really good as well!

As you can see, the sky's the limit with what flavor combinations you can try. This is just a short list. What flavors have you tried and how did you like them?

Brought to you by Britt