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Yogurt Versus Kefir – Which Is Better?
Yogurt and Kefir
Which Is Better?
So, what is the difference between kefir and yogurt? Which is better? Kefir has many more probiotic strains, including good yeasts and many beneficial bacteria, but yogurt has its benefits, too. I read once that yogurt is like wine and kefir is more like champagne. It has more pizzazz! Yogurt felt like the first learning step in my cultured food life. I loved frozen yogurt as a child and my dad took me to the health food store many times to get a scoop of it. It was here that I discovered how cool health food stores were with their unique and healthy foods. I loved eating yogurt and breaking the curd with my spoon as I scooped it out of little containers. Little did I know it was just the beginning for me. Then I met kefir when I needed it the most. Kefir has more strains of beneficial bacteria and good yeasts, over fifty in homemade kefir, while yogurt has specific strains that you need such as bifidobacterium, L. reuteri, and L. gasseri.
Kefir bacteria act like a SWAT team, attaching themselves to the colon and then pushing away other harmful substances. L reuteri yogurt can do this, too, in the upper gastrointestinal area, and so each unique fermented food can do different things with their unique strains.
Carb Count On Yogurt and Kefir
The true carbohydrate count for kefir and yogurt is actually different from what is stated on the packages of most products. When labeling a food product, the government makes manufacturers count the carbohydrates of food "by difference." That means they measure everything else including water, fats, and proteins. Then, "by difference" they assume everything else is carbohydrate. This process works differently with fermented foods, but there is no way to compensate consistently for what bacteria can do, so they don’t account for this. When you make yogurt and kefir, the milk is inoculated with the lactic acid bacteria. These bacteria use up almost all the milk sugar, called "lactose," and convert it into lactic acid. It is this lactic acid which curdles the milk and gives the taste to the product. It tastes sour and tart because the sugars are gone. Since these bacteria have "eaten" most of the milk sugar by the time you buy it (or make it yourself), the nutritional analysis is not really accurate and by the time you eat it, there is very little carbohydrate left. It is the lactic acid which is counted as carbohydrate. Therefore, you can eat up to a half cup of plain yogurt, or kefir, and only count four grams of carbohydrates. Kefir has about one or two grams less than yogurt.
Kefir
Kefir was the first cultured food I made. It brought wellness to my life and to my whole family. I am so thankful for the pain that sent me looking for answers to the wellness I was seeking. Kefir has the highest number of probiotics of any cultured food - over 50 bacteria and good yeasts. It's been so life changing and I can't say enough about it.
Probiotic Yeasts in Kefir
The other great thing about kefir is the amount of good probiotic yeasts. There is not much said about probiotic yeasts but they are extremely important. They are the good yeasts that put the fizz in kefir. They dominate, kill, and control pathogens in the gut. They are the SWAT team I was telling you about. They clean house and strengthen the gut, making it harder for pathogens to dominate and parasites to exist. So, drink your kefir and have your yogurt too. These will strengthen your whole immune system.
Check out the types of bacteria and good yeasts in kefir:
Click to view the types
Here are some of the things that kefir may do for you. I have personally experienced these and witnessed these from the countless emails and those who post on my Lives Touched Page.
Kefir can help in the following ways:
- Lower blood pressure in 1 out of 3 people
- May help lower cholesterol
- Has a calming effect on the central nervous system
- Detox and remove harmful substances
- Reduces inflammation
- May lower blood sugar
- May help with acid reflux
- Feeds Bifidobacteria
Yogurts
Yogurts
We have recently introduced some new yogurts that have kind of rocked my world. I have always been a kefir girl; but since there are specific strains of bacteria that aren't in kefir, these special cultures filled the gap, and what a difference they have made. Making your own yogurt is far superior to store bought yogurts that often sit on store shelves and diminsh bacterial counts. In addition, they can be full of additives, fillers, and stabilizers. Making your own will insure that you get high CFU counts and the specific strains you're looking for without all the extra sugars and additives that your body doesn't need.
Three Yogurts
We're going to talk about three different yogurts that do different things.
Yogurt Plus
Yogurt Plus contains the all-important Bifidobacteria. It is one of the most important bacteria you have. It is the one your mother gave you at birth. Bifidobacteria become the predominant (95%) microorganism in the intestine within a week after birth. Yogurt Plus also contains Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii - subsp. bulgaricus bacteria, in perfect symbiosis. Studies have shown that Streptococcus thermophilus and Bifidobacterium longum work on anxiety- and depression-like behaviors. It decreased the level of harmful bacteria, increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and reduced the level of tumor necrosis factor-α in the hippocampus
Check out some of the health benefits of Yogurt Plus:
- Bifidobacteria feed all the other bacteria in your gut.
- It may help with food allergies by restoring missing bacteria
- It may help with anxiety and depression
- It may help decrease obesity and increase insulin sensitivity
- It may help with irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease
Click for the info and research
You can make Yogurt Plus in all kinds of ways with different kinds of milk and even cultured sour cream.
L. Reuteri Yogurt
L. reuteri has some powerful health benefits. Most people are missing L. reuteri which is a very important bacteria. If you have had even one antibiotic it is gone. Everybody, including animals, should have specific strains of L. reuteri. Since it is very hard to acquire in supplement form and it lives in the upper gastrointestinal area, making this cultured yogurt is the best way to get more L. reuteri. It can make a huge difference in your life and I highly recommend it. Here are some things that only L. reuteri can do. I've had so many people contact me that have finally rid themselves of SIBO, are having deep sleep, profound feelings of wellness, increased muscle growth, and much more.
Check out the benefits of L. reuteri
- Creates oxytocin, the "Love Hormone"
- It may help eliminate SIBO, IBS
- It may help control candida
- It may improve the skin
- It may help increases muscle growth and bone density
- It may help with slenderness and increased Insulin Sensitivity
- It may help with H. pylori
- It may help restore deep restful sleep
L. Gasseri Yogurt
L. Gasseri is a very important microbe that lives in the genital, urinary, and digestive systems of the body. It also has the special ability to live in the upper gastrointestinal area similar to Lactobacillus reuteri. L. gasseri is also believed to offer other specific health benefits. It has been helping those with SIBO. In fact, we have developed a special SIBO yogurt that is made with L. reuteri and L. gasseri yogurt which seems to be quite effective.
Check out the benefits of L. gasseri
- It may help with SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth)
- It may help with the prevention of bacterial vaginosis
- It may help with peptic ulcers
- It may help with IBS and inflammatory bowel disease
- It may help with body weight and reducing fat accumulation.
Purchase Starters for Yogurt and Kefir
Listen To My Podcast
So, what is the difference between kefir and yogurt? Which is better? Join me as we explore all the benefits of yogurt and kefir, which ones I like the best, and why. Tune in to learn more.
Listen To My Podcast
Find out why having kefir and yogurt has helped people around the globe live longer, and healthier. Learn about yogurts made famous in different parts of the world, and the centenarians who lived long lives consuming kefir.
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