After a nasty bout of buggies left the youngest member of our household on antibiotics, we’ve all gotten hooked on Clover Organic Farms Kefir. Friends and family recommended we get a healthy dose of probiotics (found in yogurt) to help balance out what was being lost to the antibiotics. Clover’s Kefir has 10 live active cultures (also known as good bacteria) that researchers think might help immunity, gastrointestinal functions and, well a whole lot of other stuff. Sound a bit new-agey? Hardly. Kefir, a close relative of yogurt, has been around for more than 2000 years. Think of it as a sort of drinkable yogurt. Best bet: Pomegranate, Acai and Strawberry in morning smoothies. Available at G&G Market.
This is a great story!
I have personally not tried this brand yet but ill try to get my hands on it.
I’ve been making kefir at home for years but since I blog about kefir, I’ve been also trying out all the latest and different commercial kefir brands out there.
You get more from making your own kefir but i also encourage people to try out these commercial brands. It’s a good way to get hooked and healthy 🙂
I discovered (by accident) that you leave it out and let it get close to room temperature when you bring it home. Shake it up real good and then refrigerate. It will then be just fine. Otherwise, you’re right, it is way too thick.
Leave it out of the refrigerator for a few hours unopened. Shake it to mix it up. Then refrigerate and let it cool off. It will then be smooth.
This is NOT Kefir!!! It is yogurt in a bottle…way too sweet, and way too thick!
It tastes good if you want yogurt, but if you are expecting a liquid drink with the slightly sour taste of real Kefir, try Nancy’s.
Kefir, frozen fruit, and a little juice make fantastic homemade smoothies, rivaling anything I’ve had at expensive smoothie joints. My favorite kinds are Lifeway and the TJ’s brand, which I believe is also made by Lifeway, since I found a TJ’s label under a Lifeway label once. It’s not the same product, though. TJ’s is thinner. But I haven’t tried Clover’s pomegranate/acai/strawberry yet; thanks for the tip.
I don’t think I’d rely on kefir to fight a full-blown YI, but it works well as a preventative when taking antibiotics, which can cause them. It’s worked well for me for several years now.
I recently drank kefir for three weeks on the recommendation of my doctor to help counteract a yeast infection. Supposedly the “good yeast” in the kefir would dominate the “bad yeast” in my intestines. I chose Nancy’s, though there were other brands also available at Whole Foods. My doc said that kefir is also available at Trader Joe’s.
Did it help my yeast infection? No, though it probably is good for me anyway.
Grew up on Nancy’s Peach Keifer in the ’70’s (looks like the spelling has changed!) Still love Kefer now, as does the whole family. Unfortunately we usually just by the strawberry kind at Tj’s because it’s about half the price as Lifeways and Clover. Though the Clo goes on sale pretty often at Oliver’s. It’s a daily in our house.
This stuff is thick as mortar. Other kefirs (Lifestyle for instance) aren’t quite as sludgy, and have the same benefits. I suspect Clover Kefir (widely available by the way, not just G&G and Petaluma, you can even find it at the S-word) is still so active when they bottle it that it continues to grow and thicken in the container. Still, you can thin it with milk or orange juice and extend it. A matter of personal preference.
Love this stuff. A great mix with Grapenuts to start the day. Also available at Petaluma Market.