Yet another buzzword that has popped up in the health world lately (we love a good buzzword) is KEFIR and, when I first heard of it, I had as much idea about what it was as I did about how to pronounce it. Nowadays, I drink it every single day and have been amazed at the benefits for my grumpy little gut. So, we thought we'd bring in an expert to give you a little Kefir: 101 run down - introducing, the amazing Felicity of Imbibe Living...
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From Felicity
I’m an alchemist, innovator and creator. I’ve handcrafted a range of sparkling probiotic water kefir drinks, called Imbibe Living, that aim to put the energy and radiance into your everyday life. Everything I do at Imbibe is motivated to add more beauty, goodness and energy to your day, so you can get on with the things that most matter to you.
KEFIR: 101
When I’m looking at my day on a plate, I want to make sure that everything I’m putting into my body is adding more goodness and nourishment to support the life-force driving me to great heights. As a #girlboss with two small kids and running a fast growing business called Imbibe Living, I need to make sure I’m on top of my A-game.
That means some gentle movement everyday, quiet time, lots of good fats, meditation and heaps of rainbow meals and drinks. And of course, living probiotics. I mean, I didn’t arrive on Planet Earth to survive. I’m here to thrive! That’s why I love to super infuse my everyday with the super antioxidant powers of Matcha Maiden, combined with my secret weapon, the probiotic rich Imbibe Living Water Kefir.
What is Water Kefir?
Water Kefir is a naturally fermented probiotic drink to help overall health. There are actually two different kinds of kefir: water kefir and dairy based kefir. They are very different drinks, one uses mineral rich water and creates a low sugar, bubbly drink and the other traditionally uses cow’s milk (or you could use almond or coconut milk) to create a thick yoghurt like textured drink.
Water Kefir is fermented on water kefir grains/culture, which are little jelly like crystals that transform any liquid into a probiotic rich, low sugar, living fizzy drink! It’s the original soft drink! It’s part magic, part science and 100% alchemy. The living probiotics in every sip boost gut health, help ease digestion, give you more energy, and allow your skin to glow.
Why Probiotics Matter
Probiotics literally mean “for life”. They’re the good bacteria that you need everyday to help with overall wellness. In today’s world, environmental toxins, heavy metals, pesticides, EMF (AKA electro-magnetic fields whichs is the voltage produced by electrical devices – hello iphone!) a whole host of other stressors that affect our lives surround us.
In addition, most of us are over – worked, over stressed, over committed. Sheesh! Makes me want to take a nap just thinking about it! Even if we think we are healthy and well, we need to supply living probiotics to our bodies to help our temple thrive. Here are some ways that probiotics will help you live a more radiant life:
1. Boosted Immunity
2. Easier Digestion
3. Calming bloating
4. Re-wilding the gut with more good bacteria
5. Helping your skin naturally glow from within
6. Helping stabilize moods by
7. Helping the synthesis of necessary hormones, including serotonin
How to make antioxidant rich Matcha Maiden Living Water Kefir
Now that you know how important probiotics are, let’s make some and infuse them with the gorgeous power of Matcha Maiden. You’ll need:
1 x Imbibe Living Water Kefir Home Fermentation kit, which has everything, you need to get you started
1 litre unchlorinated water
METHOD
1. Dissolve ¼ cup sugar of your choice in a 1-litre glass jar (all found in the kit)
2. Add a fig, a date and a handful of sultanas
3. Fill up with 1 litre water
4. Stir
5. Add the bag of your Imbibe Living Water Kefir Grains
6. Put a clean muslin or chux around the opening of the jar and secure with elastic band
7. Place in a warm area, out of direct sunlight or wind and leave for around 24-48 hours, depending on the temperature.
8. After 24-48 hours, observe the progress of the ferment. It should be visibly bubbly, smell a little sour, and taste a little sour. If it still tastes really sweet, you need to leave it longer to ferment out the sugars.
9. Once it is ready, take off the muslin or chux.
10. Get your strainer out and pour the water kefir from the jar through the strainer into your 1 litre glass bottle.
11. Add 1 tsp of Matcha Maiden to the bottle with the water kefir. Seal the bottle of kefir and place in a warm place for between 12-24 hours to allow the carbonation to build.
12. Reserve the leftover culture in a separate container for use in the next fermentation, or store in the fridge with 1 cup water and 1 cup dissolved sugar. When you are ready to ferment again, simply follow the method again from the start.
13. Once it is as fizzy as you like, place in the fridge and enjoy!
14. Re-use the culture, repeating the steps above.
There is a free downloadable E Book with troubleshooting, FAQ and a video tutorial at imbibeliving.com!!!
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