Water Kefir Grains

What are some other names for Water Kefir?

Tibicos, tibi,& water kefir grains, sugar kefir grains, Japanese water crystals and California bees, and in older literature asbébées, African bees, ale nuts, Australian bees, balm of Gilead, beer seeds, beer plant, bees, ginger bees, Japanese beer seeds and vinegar bees. source: Wikipedia

What is Water Kefir?

Water kefir is a probiotic rich beverage made with water, sugar, bacteria and flavouring.

What Is The Difference Between milk Kefir and Water Kefir?

Aside from the obvious, they are pretty similar. Even though you need milk kefir grains to culture milk, and water kefir grains to culture sugar water, the resultant beverage has a similar probiotic mix. They both have many strains of bacteria and yeast that exist in a perfect balance.

Can I Use Milk Kefir Grains to Make Water Kefir?

No. While you may find on the internet that some people claim to ferment all kinds of things with milk kefir grains or tibicos grains, the bottom line is … these probiotic culture starters have evolved to eat a specific kind of sugar and to survive in a specific kind of medium. Milk kefir grains thrive on lactose and other components of milk. While you may get a probiotic beverage once or twice, eventually it will be evident that the bacteria and yeast are out of balance. The grains will stop growing, perhaps even die, and the beverage will show signs of being off.

Does Water Kefir Have The Same Benefits As Milk Kefir?

Yes… with the exception that milk kefir has some benefits imparted to it by the milk itself… protein, calcium etc. Tibicos bacteria tend to be less in number than in home made milk kefir so it can be tolerated better in people who are sensitive. So as far as probiotics go, water kefir is just as beneficial and may be tolerated better by some people.

What Are The Side Effects of Water Kefir?

Kefir is not a drug, so we really dislike the term “side effects” applied to it. Sometimes when you start adding back the good bacteria you can have a “war” of sorts in your belly. This struggle happens as the good bacteria fight to get the upper hand and the bad bacteria start to die off. The most common complaints are flatulence (gas), and be warned… it can get pretty smelly. Constipation and belly pain or discomfort, and heartburn are common complaints. We can not stress enough that you must persist! What’s a little gas in the short term for all of the long term benefits of a healthy gut?