I wanted to feel better!
As usual, my default position on immune system support was ‘hoping for the best’. In the last three years I had suffered the assault of West Nile Virus and two rounds of Covid 19.
‘Tired’ would be the best description of my day!
Wakeup call, anyone?
I decided to step up to the plate.
Internet ads offered me a dizzying array of costly pills and concoctions dedicated to boosting my immune system to dizzying heights, and believe me, I wanted to believe it. I am almost 74 years old!
There’s gotta be an easier way!
The only change I made was homemade yogurt and kefir.
My daughter informed me, rather smugly, “I make fermented vegetables, yogurt and kefir all the time! I go to a gathering of people that make all that stuff. It is very helpful to the immune system.”
O-kAY, but I don’t have a group of creative friends or a machine to make yogurt.
“You don’t need that”, she replied breezily. “You can easily concoct your own with nothing but a jar!”
The benefits of making your own yogurt and kefir.
Before I went to the trouble to make yogurt and kefir, which I imagined to be a laborious process, I wanted to find out how it would benefit me with some immune system support.
Yogurt
I have always bought yogurt and eaten it, but only certain brands, which are pricier, provide the benefits I was looking for. Many brands contain geletin for thickener and a lot of sugar.
On the upside, plain yogurt without additives provides nearly half of your daily calcium needs. yogurt has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, as well as aid in weight management.
If you are an older woman like me, reducing the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis is a real draw!
It’s also high in B vitamins, particularly vitamin B12 and riboflavin, both of which may protect against heart disease and certain neural tube birth defects.
Some of my older friends receive vitamin B12 shots several times per year, so this is a major plus for good yogurt.
The world’s oldest woman at 117, Maria Branyas Morera, attributed her longevity to the consumption of yogurt!
Of all her dietary habits, yogurt stood out. While many search for superfoods, Maria decided upon yogurt. She called yogurt as her “heavenly manna” and had eaten it every day for over 20 years. According to Maria, yogurt was natural, creamy, and beneficial, representing “dignity, self-esteem, and confidence”.
Lactose intolerant? According to a study by Cambridge Core:
Recent work has demonstrated that fermented dairy products and probiotics can modify the metabolic activities of colonic microbiota and may alleviate the symptoms of lactose intolerance.
Kefir
I hadn’t heard of kefir until about 15 years ago, when I saw it on a grocery shelf. I tried it. It was very tasty, composed of a fruity flavor and plenty of sugar. I loved it!
Kefir is very beneficial for immune system support, but probably not the kind full of sugar.
ACCORDING TO CLEVELAND CLINIC: Kefir contains approximately 12 active probiotic strains. When you eat probiotic and postbiotic-rich foods like kefir, it adds more good bacteria to your gut. They keep harmful bacteria in check and support gut health. One study suggests that regularly consuming kefir positively shifts the balance of organisms in the microbiome, reducing symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. Another study found that kefir relieves chronic constipation.
Fermented milk products may also help those who suffer chronic urinary tract infections, a malicious malware for many of us women. Yogurt and kefir contain ‘good’ probiotics that may keep bacteria at bay.
I’m convinced! I’m all in on making yogurt and kefir!
Do I need to buy a yogurt maker for $59 and live kefir grains for $29?
No.
I have devised a much easier way to make good yogurt and kefir.
First step
I purchased the best brand of yogurt and kefir I could buy. That meant I needed to read labels, something I’d pretty much skimmed over in the past. One of my purchases read: Pure Oranic Whole Milk Kefir, and the other one said Pure Organic Whole Milk Yogurt.
You do not need to purchase either of these as ‘whole milk’. I chose whole milk because calcium is more easily absorped with fat. But, if you cannot drink whole milk for weight or cholesterol reasons, choose low fat.
I then picked up a $2.95 gallon of milk, which I purchase weekly.
Second step
I ate the yogurt and the kefir – but not entirely. When each of the containers held about 1/4 of the original contents, I poured in the milk I bought and stirred, leaving about two inches of head room. I then placed a loose cap on top, or plastic wrap on top, secured with a rubber band, but not pulled tight. You don’t want to blow your lid off with the fermenting process – or blow your top, as the case may be.
Third step
I placed both the containers on a table outside on my patio. I live in Arizona, and right now the temperature is 106 sunny degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat is what boosts the fermenting process. If you don’t live in a climate like mine, wrap the jars in a heating pad, set on low. I leave the jars on the warm porch for about 8 hours, checking periodically. When the milk thickens, yogurt or kefir is processing!
Homemade yogurt will have a somewhat runny quality, it is not so thick as the store- bought kind. Homemade kefir will be thicker than what you buy at the store.
Both of the products need to be refrigerated when the fermenting is finished, about 6-8 hours on my patio. Check the fermenting periodically. I tend not to use recipes for anything I make, so timing is up to you. The product will begin thickening as it ferments.
Making and eating my own kefir and yogurt gave my tired immune system some support!
After my last round of Covid 19, I was always fatigued. I took plenty of supplements, but gulping them didn’t make much of a change in dragging through my day.
In the last three weeks, I noted a change for the better! I was racing through my days, instead of standing there, staring, drinking a cup of coffee and willing some go-power. I had energy for the gym. I accomplished work during the day that I had put off for months!
Now I feel smug!
