Kefir
Why kefir is anti-inflammatory
Kefir is anti-inflammatory, and the reason is the mix of live microbes it carries. It is milk fermented with kefir grains, small clumps of bacteria and yeasts that feed on the milk for about a day. That mix is wider than the two bacteria that make yogurt.
Those microbes reach your gut alive and shift the balance of bacteria living there, for as long as you keep drinking kefir. The effect on inflammation itself is harder to pin down. In healthy young adults drinking a glass a day for six weeks, digestive symptoms improved while their blood markers of inflammation did not move.
Fermentation also eats most of the lactose, the milk sugar many adults digest poorly, so kefir irritates the gut less than the milk it came from. The milk protein survives fermentation untouched, so kefir does not help if that is what you react to.
What is in the bottle varies more than the name suggests. Traditional kefir ferments with the full set of organisms from the grains, while many supermarket versions use a few chosen strains instead. In a small trial in men, the traditional kind brought several inflammation signals down and the commercial one did not. Flavoured bottles can carry as much sugar as a soft drink, so buy the plain ones.
Drink it cold, on its own or in a smoothie, and keep it out of hot pans, because heat kills the bacteria. Half a glass a day is a good place to start if kefir is new to you.
Kefir on the AIP diet
The Autoimmune Protocol pulls every dairy product during the elimination phase, and fermenting the milk does not exempt kefir. Milk protein comes through fermentation intact, and it is a common trigger in autoimmune conditions. Water kefir and coconut kefir are the usual stand-ins, since the grains ferment sugar water or coconut milk just as well. Dairy kefir is a reasonable thing to try first when dairy is reintroduced later.
Benefits
- Carries a wider mix of live bacteria and yeasts than yogurt does
- Fermentation removes most of the lactose, so it sits easier than milk
- Eased digestive symptoms in adults who drank a glass a day for six weeks
- Made with traditional kefir grains, it brought inflammation signals down
Watch out for
- Milk protein survives fermentation, so dairy reactions stay the same
- Flavoured bottles can hold as much sugar as a soft drink
- Many supermarket kefirs are made without the traditional grain organisms
- A full glass can loosen the stomach in the first few days
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Frequently asked
Is kefir inflammatory?
No. It is fermented milk, and the live bacteria and yeasts in it tend to settle the gut rather than irritate it. Sweetened bottles are the exception, because a flavoured kefir can carry as much sugar as a soft drink.
Is kefir better than yogurt?
In one way, yes. Kefir ferments with a wider mix of bacteria and yeasts, and with more of the lactose eaten up. They are used differently though, since kefir is a drink and yogurt is a spoonful, so what matters more is buying either one plain.
Can you drink kefir if milk upsets you?
Often, yes. The microbes eat most of the lactose while the kefir ferments, so a glass usually goes down better than milk. That only helps with lactose. If you react to the milk protein, kefir gives you the same protein.
Is kefir allowed on the AIP diet?
No. The elimination phase of the Autoimmune Protocol takes out all dairy, kefir included. Water kefir and coconut kefir do the same job without the milk, and dairy is reintroduced later, one product at a time.
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