Water Kefir - The Vegetarian Elixir

"Oooohh so good!"  That was my daughter's comment about our kefir. 

I have and on several occasions. But, I love healthy food and beverages that I sort of force my self (and my family too, much to their dismay) to gulp down the biodegradable, invigorating and all around health boosting liquid called tea or coffee or juice and learn to like it. It's just so fortunate that my palate easily adapts and accepts what my mind commands it to do but my family hates it when I force them. 


Here's a delightfully healthy drink that's available in our menu - the water kefir. Water Kefir, aka kefir d' acqua is a drink that is made from water kefir grains (aka tibicos mushroom), is made up of good bacteria that ferments anything that it is mixed in. Our water kefir is made with muscovado sugar that tastes more like sweet wine.  Taken cold, it is a refreshing health drink that can  My daughter says it tastes like wine without the woozy feeling.  As claimed by many, there are several benefits from taking it. According to another site, water kefir is said to do the following: (the comments in parentheses are mine as I or a member of my family have experienced them)


PREVENTIVE AND CURATIVE PROPERTIES:

* HEAD:  It cures migraine and pains on the head. (I do not experience any migraine anymore.  Occasional headaches once in a while but which go away without any medication.  just rest.)

* MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM:  It combats rheumatism, arthritis and muscular pains.  (my father drinks water kefir and says the chronic pain on his back and leg has since been gone)

* RESPIRATORY SYSTEM:  It strengthens bronchial tubes and the lungs. It cures asthma, reduces phlegm and removes cough. (my daughter used to have cough every so often.  Now, it only comes back when she's not able to drink kefir regularly.  I don't get any cough anymore.)

* DIGESTIVE SYSTEM:  It improves the function of the liver, pancreas, bile ducts. It cures diarrhea, it helps in the process of digestion and helps to avoid gastritis and ulcers. (My mother-in-law says it helps her with her bowel movement.  She's no longer constipated.  I used to have upset stomach quite a lot before.  Not anymore.

* CIRCULATORY SYSTEM:  Controls cholesterol, softens hardened arteries and veins, lower sugar levels, controls arterial blood pressure; corrects hemorrhoids. (I love chicharon.  You know, those pork cracklings.  But when I have my blood pressure taken and my cholesterol level checked, they are both normal despite my age.  I'm in my mid 40's already)

* RENAL SYSTEM:  Prevents in the formation of gall stones and if they are present it dissolved it little by little. It cures different illness of the bladder, helps one to urinate regularly and well.

* NERVOUS SYSTEM:  It cures insomnia and dizziness. Removes pains produced by the nerves.

* OBESITY:  Burns fat. It keeps those who are thin in good health. For these, it is recommended that one should take 3 glasses of TIBICOS before breakfast.

*AGING:  It avoids pains associated with aging. It reduces the effect of hormonal changes.

*OTHERS: Cures herpes, cataracts in the eyes, prevents some types of cancer in the skin.

* ALCOHOL: If taken frequently, it lessens the desire to get drunk, versus to take wine.

Dukan Diet Resource - Yoggie's Yogurt Station

If you're in Manila or anywhere in the Philippines and you're into the Dukan Diet (or any other diet for that matter) chances are that you find it hard to look for food to eat. At Yoggie's we have the following:

1. Yogurt - we have low fat, non fat, sugar free, flavored, greek, etc.
2. Milk Kefir - low fat, non-fat, sugar free, flavored
3. Cheese - ricotta, cottage cheese, quark
4. salad dressing - vinnaigrette, asian,
5. Goji berries
6. Granola and granola bars

We will soon sell organic eggs again. If you have other needs, let us know and will be glad to accommodate you.

Non-fat or Sugar free Yogurt?

I get so many inquiries about yogurt- sugar-free yogurt, greek yogurt, natural yogurt, yogurt ice cream, etc. The best question I ever got so far is choosing between a non-fat yogurt and sugar free yogurt. Apparently, my client wants a balance of a healthy product and a good tasting one.

Almost always, the notion is that when it's healthy, it's not delicious. Not in the case of yogurt though. It is both healthy and delicious specially when it is flavored and when it is an all-natural product like the ones we serve at Yoggie's yogurt. However, my customer wanted to be certain she gets the most out of our products thus she asked me "If you were to choose, which one would you like? Low fat yogurt with sugar or sugar free yogurt made of whole milk?" I admit I was caught unaware. I always just take yogurt according to what comes naturally - what my palate craves for at the moment.

After about 5 seconds I began to weigh the benefits and pros and cons of the two products. Finally I chose our sugar free yogurt - either our natural or greek yogurt. Here's why:

1 Flavor - our natural yogurt is good with our without sugar. It can be made thick and creamy or thin and runny.

2. Fat is good - milk's fat is good for us. In one of the researches I read, it says that milk's fat is good cholesterol and it would be better to take our dairy as natural as it is which means whole milk.

3. Versatility - our plain natural sugar free yogurt can be flavored with natural fruits,cereals, or even natural syrups such as honey or maple syrup according to how sweet it is preferred. So, it becomes sweet with minimal or no glucose at all.

Our natural yogurt at Yoggie's Yogurt comes in plain (unflavored and unsweetened), sweetened, flavored (mango, strawberry lassi, oreo or pineapple).

Kefir and my Tooth Ache

One of the reason I find kefir to be truly amazing has something to do with teeth. You see for some time now I have lost the filling on my canine. Usually, a couple of months after this happens, my tooth would either achebul, gums get tender or the cavity would start to get bigger. None of these has happened to me since I started taking kefir.
Not just me though. It's my dad's experience that is a better testimony. Twice he had a tooth abscess so bad that it made his face bulged on one side. But at each time he would take kefir and the swelling would go away. Even the pain would go away. This has both positive and negative effects though. The positive effect is as I have described - the pain and swelling are gone. The negative effect is that he doesn't want to see a dentist!

Kefir for Your Liver

Two days ago, my friend approached me and thanked me for having introduced Kefir to him. He had a liver condition (I'm not sure what exactly) and he had been taking alcoholic drinks again for the past 3 months or so. But, it was nearly time for his quarterly check up with his physician when he ordered milk kefir. Not that I encourage him to drink. In fact I told him it's really bad for his health. But I did tell him the kefir could potentially help him recover.

According to studies, kefir actually detoxifies the human liver. Thus, it makes for an optimal functioning liver. In fact, one research suggests that liver cancer can be prevented and cured through the daily ingestion of kefir.

So, take your kefir and live a long and healthy life.

The Amazing Kefir - A Personal Testimony

After much internet research, I found that Kefir is good for those who have food allergies. My daughter has had it since her infant days when we had to change milk several times because she reacted to them. In fact, she had been admitted to the hospital for allergic reactions that resulted in difficulty of breath. You could not really control it very well with her having 36 allergens at that time. Nearly impossible or so I thought.

It was after I had read so many books and researches that I found a way to manage this condition and bring her allergens down to 6. It was down to that number alright but her reactions were still the same her airways would narrow and she would have upper respiratory tract infection. Much to our disappointment, she is allergic to shellfish and crustaceans among others.

During a recent trip to Singapore though we noticed that she had no reaction whatsoever. This was despite her daily consumption of crabs and shrimps for the duration of our stay. She was so happy that she said she wished the allergies would never be back again. I asked if she had taken her allergy medicines and she promptly answered she didn't take anything but the kefir that I asked her to drink. She had taken kefir constantly for a month prior to our trip. That to me is amazing. You should have seen her reaction to her allergens before to truly appreciate what I mean. Being a nurse, I know that an allergic reaction could be life threatening.

Kefir Protects Against Radiation?

Well, what do you know? just when there's a radiation scare, I find a study that Milk Kefir actually protects against the effects of this cell damaging event(?) done by a group of Japanese researchers. This means that Kefir indeed is good for everyone specially during these times.

You can find it at http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jrr/44/2/111/_pdf entitled "The Protective Effect of Fermented Milk Kefir on Radiation-induced Apoptosis in Colonic Crypt Cells of Rats".

If you need to buy some, get them fresh from us - Yoggie's Yogurt. We deliver.