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Kefir for Breakfast ~ My Favorite Four
Have Your Probiotics for Breakfast
Your Body and Food. You can't win together if you don't work together.
I learned a long time ago that if I wanted to feel good, I had to have kefir every day. It seems to work best for me to have kefir in the morning, but sometimes I have it other times too. I've kind of played around with different ways to have it and found these four breakfasts give me lots of energy. Each one has different components I use to give me the nutrients I need. I have many reasons I always consume kefir.
- Kefir helps my blood pressure stay in the normal range1,2
- Kefir helps my blood sugar stay regulated3
- Kefir helps detox4 me, and keeps my hormones in balance
- Kefir helps my digestion stay at peak performance and keeps my immune system running strong5
- Kefir gives me a crazy amount of nutrients and probiotics - 50+ probiotics - that's over 40 times the amount found in yogurt6
- Kefir keeps my skin looking great7
I did an experiment and tried going without kefir for two months but cut it short when I started gaining weight, got indigestion,8 and experienced a host of other problems. Check out my article to learn more. I Stopped Eating Cultured Foods ~ Here’s What Happened! Kefir has many transient bacteria strains which means they are strains that aren't permanent guests in your body, so having kefir regularly is a must for me.
These four recipes are the ones I use most, but this is always subject to change as the different seasons come about. Here are the reasons, recipes, and methods I use to make kefir not only taste good, but also supply my body with super nutrients to keep me running strong! Kefir is breakfast for champions!
My 4 Favorite Kefir Breakfast Recipes
I love lemons, but I really love lemon curd! Its usually full of sugar, but I devised another way to make lemon curd so I could have it on a regular basis. It takes about eleven minutes to make and I keep a jar in my fridge at all times. Lemons are superfoods and my microbes love the pectin, a form of soluble fiber in lemons. Lemons are loaded with vitamin C which is pretty impressive. The juice and zest of one lemon provides 187% of the daily value, making it a super infection fighter and immune booster. It helps with inflammation relief and is a natural diuretic. Lemons are very low in calories and you want to consume the zest of lemons anytime you can. The skins have up to ten times more nutrients than the juice! They can pack a wallop. You will love this recipe! It's so easy and yummy - you just scoop some curd into your glass of kefir, stir a little, and oh my, it's so good and easy!
Blueberry Cherry Collagen Smoothie Bowl
I love this fast breakfast recipe for many reasons. Adding berries to kefir means you're getting lots of antioxidants and polyphenols which help fight chronic disease and they give me tons of energy! They're higher in fiber compared to other fruits, and they're rich in vitamin C. Berries may also help regulate your blood sugar and insulin levels.
Human studies suggest that eating berries may protect cells from high blood sugar levels, help increase insulin sensitivity, and reduce blood sugar and insulin response to high-carb meals 9,10
Berries have huge anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is your body's response to infection or injury. However, certain lifestyle choices such as unhealthy food choices and lack of exercise can also cause inflammation. Inflammation is believed to be a contributing factor in diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Berries can help you reduce inflammation and give you sustained energy throughout the day. This meal is so easy to make and rich in so many things your body needs. It takes less than 5 minutes to make, and it will make you feel fantastic!
Collagen is something I have almost every day. Collagen is found almost everywhere in the body, but it is most abundant in the skin, bones, tendons, and ligaments. It also helps to hold our tissues together and gives strength to our skeleton. It also makes your kefir creamy and yummy and helps so many things. You might want to take a look at this article. Are You Getting Enough of This Powerful Protein?
This is one of my favorite breakfasts. It only has three ingredients and is loaded with 70% of the vitamin C you need in a day. You can add all kinds of toppings to make it extra special, and it's a snap to make. Mangos and kefir go extremely well together, and it makes a great summer bowl if you are looking for something light and refreshing that reminds you of a tropical island.
Mangos contain digestive enzymes called amylases. Amylases help break down large food particles into smaller ones that are easier to absorb.
Mangos contain mangiferin, which may reduce inflammation of the heart.
Mangos have a low glycemic level, making them a good snack for diabetics.
Enjoy this wonderful probiotic breakfast as often as you can. It can change your health and give you one of the yummiest breakfasts around!
Dates are packed with vitamins and minerals, but one of the most interesting things about dates is the presence of organic sulfur in them. This is a really hard element to find in a food source. Sulfur is incredibly important and is the third most abundant mineral in the body. Sulfur is essential for life and makes up vital amino acids used to create protein for cells, hormones, enzymes, and antibodies. It's necessary for insulin production and sulfur detoxifies at the cellular level. It also relieves pain and makes for beautiful skin and hair.
I add a scoop of vanilla protein powder for extra protein. I need more protein the older I get, and it makes a huge difference for me when I get enough protein. It helps me to build and retain muscle which keeps me young and aids with better hormones, too.
Walnuts are a great source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid that is important for reducing inflammation. In fact, it is the only nut significantly high in these omega-3 fatty acids.
Californians love Date Milkshakes, and they are served all over this state! For a twist, you can add 1/2 cup of kefir ice cream for an even more "milkshake" flavor.
Here is another addition to the four recipes that I have been having for the last year. I've been singing the praises of red phenol powders and L. reuteri yogurt, but never did I expect to see such changes in my energy and physical being as I have from these few additions to my smoothie. This is one of my morning smoothies that is also enjoyed by my daughter and husband. I always double (or triple) my smoothie to share with them, and we drink it together. The benefits are huge and it's making them feel better, or they wouldn't do it. I can talk till I'm blue in the face, but if they don't feel changes it doesn't happen. L reuteri is a powerful yogurt; and when you combine it with kefir, you get so many health benefits.
Listen To My Podcast
I learned a long time ago that if I wanted to feel good, I had to have kefir every day. It seems to work best for me to have kefir in the morning, but sometimes I have it at other times too. I've kind of played around with different ways to have it and found these breakfasts give me lots of energy. Tune in to learn more.
References I talked about:
Listen To My Podcast
Nine times out of ten, I have a kefir smoothie every morning. A cup of coffee and a smoothie has been the norm for me for over twenty years. It's super fast and it tastes really good, but since last March I've changed it up a lot with spectacular benefits. I'm kind of shocked at how much this has changed me and how much I am learning about microbes. Check out my smoothie and add species to your gut that you may be missing. See for yourself what a difference it can make.
References:
- Y. Hata et al., “A Placebo-Controlled Study of the Effect of Sour Milk on Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Subjects,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 64, no. 5 (November 1996): 767–71: ajcn.nutrition.org/content/64/5/767.full.pdf
- J.Y. Dong et al., “Effect of Probiotic Fermented Milk on Blood Pressure: A Meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials,” British Journal of Nutrition 110, no. 7 (October 2013): 1188-1194: abstract at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23823502
- A. Everard et al., “Cross-Talk Between Akkermansia muciniphila and Intestinal Epithelium Controls Diet-Induced Obesity,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110, no. 22 (May 28, 2013): 9066–71: www.pnas.org/content/110/22/9066.full
- Rodrigues, K. L., Caputo, L. R. G., Carvalho, J. C. T., Evangelista, J., & Schneedorf, J. M. (2005). Antimicrobial and healing activity of kefir and kefiran extract. International journal of antimicrobial agents, 25(5), 404-408
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4052788/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4626640/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15848295
- Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues by Martin J. Blaser
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19930765
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21929838
- Shawn Talbott, The Cortisol Connection: Why Stress Makes You Fat and Ruins Your health — and What You Can Do About It (Berkley, CA;Hunter House, 2007), 23-27.
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