Why Kefir is the must have pantry staple for your family

One thing that I always make sure I have in the fridge is a bottle of Kefir. Why? It’s such an amazing ingredient, with heaps of health benefits.

Not only is it packed full of gut friendly bacteria and probiotics, but it’s one of those super versatile ingredients which you can add to a plethora of recipes and your fussy little ones won’t be able to tell that they’re actually eating something super healthy.

I often add to ice-cream, cookies, raspberry bread, muffins and salad dressings.

The cookies are a massive hit with the kids and a great addition to the lunchbox as are the muffins and raspberry bread.

So why Kefir, over yoghurt? Studies have shown that Kefir is a more powerful probiotic than yoghurt as it contains microorganisms which contain up to 61 strains of bacteria and yeasts, making for a very rich and diverse probiotic source.

Not only that the probiotics in Kefir have proven to protect against infections as it contains the probiotic Lactobacillus kefiri, unique to the ingredient.

Studies show that this probiotic can inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria including Samonella and E Coli which is the perfect way to protect your mini-me’s from getting sick.

Kefiran is also present in Kefir which has antibacterial properties.

For me, as I am inching closer to my 50s, it’s more important than ever to improve my bone health and lower the risk of osteoporosis.

Kefir is a fantastic way to add calcium to your diet and is a great source of vitamin K2 which has been shown to reduce risk of bone fractures.

Recent studies link Kefir to increased calcium absorption in bone cells, leading to improved bone density.

As for my husband, he has a history of cancer in the family and probiotics in fermented products such as kefir have shown to reduce tumour growth.

Studies have shown that kefir has reduced the number of cancer cells by 56 per cent, so adding it to our family meals is an absolute health plus for us.

My recommended go-to brand for Kefir is Table of Plenty. It is slow fermented and has 10 culture strains and over 90 billion live cultures in every serve. It’s also got a really fresh taste which works well in my recipes.