Fruit kefir: what health benefits and virtues?
When it comes to staying healthy, there is no shortage of alternatives: food rebalancing, exercise, hydration, healthy eating, etc. A balance between all these elements can extend life expectancy and keep us active throughout our lives. One of the best foods or drinks for this is fruit kefir .
Fruit kefir is a fermented beverage that originated in the Caucasus that provides a host of benefits to those who consume it, plus it's extremely simple to prepare . If you want to know more about kefir, its benefits, its preparation and other important aspects, this article is for you.
What is kefir?
Kefir is a food made from the fermentation of various components. Originally, it was made only with milk, left to ferment for a while until you get a product similar to yogurt.
Unlike yogurt, kefir has a type of microflora called "kefir grains". Kefir grains promote its fermentation and help it release various highly nutritious properties for the human body.
Over the years and its adaptation to different cultures, kefir has diversified into several types, one of the most popular of which is fruit kefir. With fruit kefir, the fermented food is not milk, but fruit. A watery consistency is thus obtained, due to the use of water in the context of the preparation.
Do you know all the benefits and virtues of fruit kefir?
If you've heard of fruit kefir, you've probably heard of a number of irrefutable benefits for the human body. Even so, you probably don't know them all, and for this reason we show you below the most important advantages in our opinion.
A natural antioxidant
Antioxidants are currently making a lot of noise as compounds capable of delaying the aging and subsequent oxidation of cells . Although they have practically always existed in various natural foods, in recent years they have become an indispensable part of health care and aesthetic appearance.
Kefir has a high potential for preventing cellular oxidation by absorbing free radicals and compounds produced by certain yeasts, thanks to the fruits that are immersed in it.
Thus, by consuming it, the cells can remain young for much longer and therefore improve the physical appearance of the skin and contribute to the proper functioning of various organs.
Thus, thanks to the delay of aging caused by antioxidants, a significant proportion of chronic and serious diseases, including cancer, cataracts, heart problems, etc. is avoided.
As we age, we become much more prone to suffer from such diseases, but this effect can be countered by consuming fruit kefir and its antioxidants.
A drink rich in probiotics
Fruit kefir has very basic probiotic properties and probiotics, as a positive consequence, greatly help inflammation caused by water retention, organs not functioning at their best or allergies that stress the body.
So if you often find yourself feeling bloated, drinking fruit kefir may be the answer.
The probiotics in kefir allow, among other things, to greatly strengthen the immune system, regulate digestive disorders and strengthen the intestinal microbiota.
Promotes the elimination of toxins
Too often the human body is left with toxins from food or the environment, and although they usually do not cause major damage, they can affect the body's functioning over time.
It is very common that these toxins are not completely eliminated and that significant amounts remain in the body. By consuming fruit-based kefir, the body begins a detoxification process to eliminate all traces that are not good for it and undergoes a kind of renewal.
A large supply of nutrients and minerals
Nutrients and minerals are essential for the proper functioning of the body and, above all, for maintaining good health. Unfortunately, the nutrients provided by food today are not even a quarter of what they were many years ago, due to poor soil management.
To get the most out of these nutrients, kefir, through its fermentation process, releases the nutrients from the fruits it contains much more efficiently and in very favorable amounts. It also helps improve the absorption of nutrients and minerals from other foods.
How to prepare a good fruit kefir?
After talking about the benefits of kefir, you're probably wondering how to make one, and while the recipes can be virtually endless, with a wide variety of fruits, we'll help you with some basic preparation. When you feel like it, you can add or change certain fruits.
1) First, you need to prepare the fruit juice to be fermented. For this you must make a smoothie with the fruits of your choice , although we recommend that you start with very sweet and balanced fruits, such as kiwi, tangerines, pineapple, strawberries, apples, raspberries, etc. Of course, all must be cleaned before being mixed.
2) When your juice is ready, you need to pasteurize it to induce proper fermentation . Just bake it at 75 degrees centigrade for about 5 minutes. After you remove it from the heat and it has reached a cool temperature, add two or three slices of lemon.
3) Once the juice has been prepared and pasteurized , reserve 50 milliliters and add 0.125 grams of kefir . This mixture should be kept for 3 whole days.
4) After three days, complete fermentation of kefir takes place . To do this, add 40 milliliters of the previous mixture to 1 liter of juice and, of course, stir well with clean, non-metallic utensils.
5) Finally, let it sit for another 48 hours.