MORE On Water Kefir and Type 2 Diabetes?

I am continuing researching what I can find on WATER KEFIR and its beneficial effect on type 2 diabetes. I am doing this in two modes:

I am reading a lot
I am a water kefir user and drink it every day for the last couple of weeks

In a sense I am a human Guinea pig, however not in the sense of the mad scientist in a laboratory experiment. I am doing a lot of different things. I exercise every day, I try my best to eat right, I take a lot of supplements and recently also added a quality WHEY PROTEIN to my Regimen. The neat thing about adding water kefir is THERE ARE NO KNOWN SIDE EFFECTS. My son, Jeremy also happens to have his own BLOG on water kefir and for a while also did milk kefir. He likes the water kefir better and pretty much has it down to a science, including a video on his BLOG on how to prepare it and he is going to be selling the grains to get someone started if they want to try it. I am going to include some of Jeremy's blog posts from time to time and also other informative articles on water kefir.

In the short time I have been on it, I have noticed a distinct difference in my BG readings for the better.

Jeremy's Water Kefir Blog Link:

http://kefir101.blogspot.com/

NOW, if you are interested in MILK KEFIR, Jeremy has a blog on that also although he is NOT currently selling milk kefir grains anymore.

This is his milk kefir site:

http://zenkefir.blogspot.com/2013/04/welcome-from-milk-kefir-to-water-kefir.html




Dan

“Primum non nocerum. (First do no harm)” 
― Hippocrates

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” 
― Hippocrates


Here is a LINK I came across today concerning water kefir and type 2 diabetes. Thought you might like to read it:

http://www.benefitsofkefir.com/how-drinking-kefir-can-help-diabetics/

EXCERPTS:


How Drinking Kefir Can Help Diabetics

Kefir seems to have an answer to everything including diabetes. This is good news since according to a 2010 poll, there are already 285 million people suffering from Type 2 Diabetes, which is the most common type of this disease. I am not diabetic, but I am a kefir fan and I want to know if kefir can indeed benefit even diabetics.

I am just amazed at how many illnesses kefir can treat, and so I want to know if it can also help people suffering from diabetes. I do understand that there is no cure to diabetes. It is a chronic disease, which means once you have it, you have it for life.

The goal of a diabetic and his doctor is to manage the disease in order to avoid diabetic complications and make life beautiful again. Such complications include a host of bad to dreadful news such as hypertension, stroke, heart disease and death. I want to see if kefir can help diabetics avoid these dreaded complications, and I have a simple 2-step plan to investigate this.

One, I will try to understand what diabetes is and what diabetics need; and two, I will look into the different properties and capabilities of kefir that could address the needs of a diabetic. I am not a doctor. But although my investigation may not be as deep as a doctor’s would, it will be carefully researched, easy to understand and hopefully helpful for a person suffering from diabetes. That said, here we go.

Diabetes is a condition where there is too much sugar in your body. Sugar tastes yummy, but if you have much more than your body needs, sugar will do a lot of harm to your organs and could lead to a heart attack. Normally, our bodies burn sugar so that there won’t be an oversupply of it. Our pancreas produces a hormone whose main task is to convert sugar (glucose) into energy for our cells. The hormone is called insulin.

A person who has Type 1 Diabetes does not produce insulin, and so there is overabundance of sugar. Normally, it is the children who suffer from this type. Type 2 diabetics are those whose bodies can’t produce enough insulin or can’t properly convert them into energy.

Type 2 Diabetes typically results from bad eating habits, too much alcohol and very little exercise. This makes perfect sense. If you eat and drink too many sweets (and carbohydrates), you will have an overabundance of sugar in your body. And if you don’t exercise, the glucose won’t convert into energy.

Another type is called gestational diabetes. Only pregnant women get this since pregnancy leads to the overproduction of blood glucose. This condition could lead to Type 2.

What Type 2 diabetics need is simple: a change of lifestyle and a sufficient dose of insulin.

Diabetic patients should start to seriously watch what they eat. They should eat healthy (fewer carbs, less sugar, less alcohol) and lose weight.

And so, that is all I need say about diabetes for the moment. The data may not be as extensive as how a doctor would have discussed it, but it pretty much covers the basics relevant to our question. Now, let’s take a closer look at kefir.

Kefir is milk that has been fermented by a bacteria culture that is present in kefir grains. Kefir grains are made up of yeasts and bacteria that exist symbiotically in a community of proteins and sugars. Simply put, kefir is fermented milk with a host of probiotics (friendly, beneficial bacteria). It is also packed with enzymes, folic acid, vitamins (B and K) and minerals such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorous.

Another important content is digestible protein. The types of protein found in kefir are not meat-based and so they will neither damage the heart nor raise cholesterol levels. Instead, they will help in rebuilding cells, organs and systems.

Kefir, specifically water kefir, also has lactic acids. While milk kefir grains (the more popular type of kefir) ferment milk by feeding on lactose, water kefir grains feed on sugar. They are mixed with sugar-water solution to produce a bubbly, carbonated water kefir drink, which many consider a healthy soda pop substitute.

As water kefir grains eat the sugar in the solution, they produce carbon dioxide, alcohol and lactic acid. The production of lactic acid is the first sign of help for diabetics. Due to kefir’s capability to produce lactic acid, this beverage could prove to be very beneficial to diabetic patients, specifically in the area of reducing blood sugar levels due to its acidity. Several studies prove (and most diabetics know this) that even a little amount of acid can reduce blood glucose levels. Doctors often advise diabetic patients to consume lemon, vinegar or extra virgin oil for their acidic contents.

According to “The Diabetes Club”, people with diabetes should also consider drinking kefir and other fermented dairy products with lactic acid such as yogurt, sour milk and some cottage cheeses. Furthermore, what diabetics need that kefir can provide is the power to win over the unnecessary cravings for food. In addition to lactic acid, kefir has naturally occurring sugar contents and these can help in regulating blood sugar levels. As blood sugar levels drop, people feel an urge to eat. Kefir can eliminate those urges. This is also why kefir is considered a helpful drink for weight watchers.

So, there it is. This was not a very extensive investigation but I believe it makes a lot of sense. The web is teeming with testimonials of diabetic patients who have found a sense of balance and happiness after including kefir in their regular diet. The best thing about kefir is that is has no side effects. This means diabetics have nothing to lose and potentially with everything to gain when drinking kefir

Additional Benefits Of Eating Kefir

Here is a link to a website from a gentlemen who tells it like it is concerning (Home Made Kefir and a list of benefits) The more I read about this amazing food, the more impressed I am. I am new to "Kefir", and will soon be taking my first bite of this wonder food.

Link To Kefir benefits

Excerpt on Benefits of Eating Home Made Kefir:

Kidneys
Lactose Intolerance
Leaky Gut Syndrome
Liver
Lungs
Maintenance functions
Medicitions
Metabolism
Metastasis
Migraines
Minerals and Amino Acids
Nervous System
Osteoporosis
Pancreas
Parodontosis Cures
Pathogenic Microorganisms
Pharmaceuticals
Pneumonia
Prostate
Psoriasis and eczema
Restores Healthy Microflora
Salts
Sclerosis
Sleep Disorders
Stamina
Stress
Tuberculosis
Tumors
Ulcers
Urinary Tract Infections
Vaginitis (Inflammation of the Vagina)
Vitamins
Weight Loss
Wrinkles
Yeast Infection

Dan


God heals, and the doctor takes the fee. -
Benjamin Franklin

  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding
Proverbs 3:5

Benefits Of Consumning Kefir

I am learning a great deal about the health benefits of consuming Kefir, and have come across a web site (one of many) that gives a partial list of health benefits.

Link To Health Benefits of Kefir

(excerpt from Article)
Here are some of the known Kefir health benefits:

• Strongest natural remedy against any allergy
• Strongest natural antibiotic without side effects
• Treats liver disease
• Treats gallbladder, dissolves gall bladder stones
• Clears the body of salts, heavy metals, radionuclides, and alcoholic products
• Cleans the body of chemical antibiotics
• Treats kidney stones
• Good bacteria in kefir are able to fight off pathogenic microorganisms
• Lowers level of LDL cholesterol
• Cleans the gastrointestinal tract
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Treats gastritis
• Treats pancreatitis
• Treats ulcers
• Prevents and treats colon cancer
• Improves digestion
• Improves the body functions
• Improves the human immune system
• Cures Candida
• Cures hypertension
• Stops growth of cancer cells
• Speeds up healing process
• Treats psoriasis
• Treats eczema
• Treats inflammatory diseases
• Reduces size of tumors
• Treats heart disease
• Reverses calcination of blood vessels
• Clears the blood vessels
• Boosts the bodies energy
• Natural “feel good” food
• Treats lung infections
• Normalizes metabolism thereby can be used as for weight loss
• Cures acne
• Has anti-oxidants and anti-aging properties
• Nourishes hair
• Treats the gum disease parodontosis
• Lessens effects of medicines
• Replenishes body of good bacteria after antibiotic
• Balances the microflora of the body’s digestive system
• Regulates blood pressure
• Lowers blood sugar
• Lowers blood lipid levels or cholesterol and fatty acids
• Treats diarrhea
• Treats constipation
• Promotes bowel movement
• Anti-stress properties
• Treats sleeping disorders
• Treats depression
• Treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Improves the brains neuro functions like reflexes, memory retention, attention, the five senses
• Reduces flatulence
• Lactic acid fermentation enhances the digestibility of milk based foods. People who cannot otherwise digest milk, can enjoy the vital calcium rich Kefir.
• Treats yeast infection
• Eliminates vaginal odors
• Cures wrinkles
• Treats arthritis
• Treats colitis
• Treats gout
• Cures migranes
• Treats rheumatism
• Treats other stomach disorders
• Detoxifies the body
• Improves protein quality of milk, and enhances absorption and digestion
• Good bacteria manufacture B vitamins such as B3, B6 and folic acid.
• Aids in treating tuberculosis
• Treats stomach cramps
• Treats chronic intestine infections
• Treats liver infections
• Treats asthma
• Treats bronchitis
• Treats sclerosis
• Treats anemia
• Treats hepatitis
• Healing effects on catarrh, digestive nodes, astral nodes, bilious complaints
• Treats leaky gut syndrome
• Prevents metastasis
• Cures bad morning breath

These are but some of the known known health benefits of Kefir.

(My Input)
This is an IMPRESSIVE partial list of benefits from any one food and there are several websites and BLOGS out there spelling out the health benefits of Kefir and how to get started in using this wonder food. Here is another link to a BLOG I am following, and this BLOG will give you more detail on how to get started with Kefir and additional benefits of adding Kefir to your daily regimen.

I am following this BLOG:

Link to Using Kefir

Thanks for reading my BLOG. I pray for all my readers every night before I go to bed. May God have mercy on all of you and heal you of your diabetes. May He also teach you how to eat and exercise right and add years to your life and life to your years.

Dan

Could Kefir Be The Manna Spoken Of In The Bible Book Of Exodus

I have had a few posts on the benefits of RAW milk (vs.) store bought, pasteurized, homogenized, over processed cows milk. To take that one step further, you should consider making your own yogurt and other foods with Kefir grains. Kefir grains are used to make Kefir which is a fermented dairy product. There is a lot of information out there concerning Kefir and the benefits to your digestive track, immune system, and general well being. The word Kefir itself, comes from a Turkish word meaning "good feeling". Kefir originated in the Caucasus Mountains region.

(Location)

Link To Location of Caucasus Mountains


"The Caucasus Mountains is a mountain system in Eurasia lying between the Black and the Caspian Seas in the Caucasus region. It occupies parts of Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, drifting mainly from northwest to southeast. The Caucasus Mountains are made up of two separate ranges, the Greater Caucasus in the north and the Lesser Caucasus in the south. In addition, some sources recognize a Middle Caucasus Range. Its highest peak is Mount Elbrus, at 18,510 feet (5,642 meters), in the Greater Caucasus range.
Historically, the Caucasus Mountain Range has served as a geographic barrier at the convergence of the continents of Europe and Asia. Because the tectonic plate is geologically stable in this region, it has been hard to determine the exact course of the continental borderline, causing the border to change throughout history. While there continues to be disagreement over where the border lies in relation to the range, there is a general acceptance of assigning the Caucasus to Asia due to the strong Asian influences throughout the region."


Link to Health Benefits of Kefir

Excerpts from The Reverent Eater's Blog:

Manna from Heaven

"On Friday, I did something that I don't think I've ever done before. I took a crisp, new $20 bill and put it in an envelope and mailed it to Ohio, to a woman I've never met and to whom I've never even spoken.
 
Don't send a check, she had written. She doesn't deal with banks.
 
It sounds kind of shady, doesn't it? And it was all to acquire some of the substance shown above. Looks kind of shady, doesn't it?
 
Well, in case you're not already familiar, gentle reader, I'd like to take this opportunity to acquaint you with kefir grains. Kefir grains are used to produce kefir, a fermented dairy product, which can be made from any kind of milk.
 
Kefir is sort of like either a thick milk or a thin yogurt in consistency, with a somewhat tangy and refreshing taste, and which is filled with nurtition including more probiotic cultures than yogurt. Consumed regularly, it helps to reestablish the good flora - the good bacteria - that live in your gastrointestinal tract. The good flora then help you digest the rest of what you consume.
 
Kefir originated in the Caucasus Mountain region. It is thousands of years old. One story of its origin is that it could have been the manna described in the Biblical story of the Exodus - the white stuff that fell in the desert each day to feed the wandering Israelites. A miracle food. Another story is that the Prophet Muhammed gifted it to the shepherds on a trip through the Caucasus Mountains. In which case, it would also be a miracle food.
 
The word kefir comes from a Turkish word that means "good feeling." It provides complete proteins, minerals, and is particularly rich in the B-complex vitamins. It has been used to help treat people living with AIDS, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, ADHD, and all sorts of intestinal disorders. If allowed to ferment long enough, the grains will breakdown all of the lactose in the milk, making kefir the ideal dairy product for the lactose intolerant. People who have consumed it regularly as part of their traditional diet are reported commonly to live to be 100 or more years old.
 
You can make Kefir at home. All you need is some milk - skim or fat, raw or pasterized, cow, goat or sheep - any kind will do; a clean jar; and some kefir grains. Put the kefir grains in the jar, pour the milk over them, and let them set out on your counter, unrefrigerated, for between 24 and 48 hours. Strain it, start the next batch of milk using the grains, and voila! You can drink your first batch of kefir now or put it in the fridge to slow the fermentation and drink it later. You keep using the grains and over time they multiply. Be forewarned, next year, all my friends and relatives will be getting free kefir grains. And you, too, can become kefir grain farmers.
 
Of course, you can also buy kefir in some stores - natural food stores and health food stores, including Whole Foods, where I have gotten mine. Once you've acquired the taste, you can really use it in many ways interchangeably with milk or yogurt - in smoothies, shakes, on cereal. You can bake with it. You can even make cheese with it, which is on my list of things to do. The SuperFood fans among you should know that kefir and yogurt are the only two dairy products on The List.
 
Today, my 1/4 cup of live kefir grains was shipped by priority mail. Within the next two days, it should arrive along with one page of instructions - I don't expect to encounter any surprises - and 6 pages of kefir recipes, fun and trivia. I'm so excited, I can hardy wait. By the end of the week I should be able to report on my first"

Dan


Happiness lies, first of all, in health.
- George William Curtis
.