If you’ve been following my vlogs for the past few months you have likely noticed that I’ve been adding kefir to my post-workout shakes, oatmeal, and just recently protein pancakes.
You may have been wondering what the heck kefir is and why is Scott consuming it every day?
The #1 reason is digestive health, which is a rapidly growing area of study that has really caught the attention of many physique coaches.
For the past couple years I’ve been hearing some of my trusted colleagues using the phrase,
“You are what you absorb”
What they mean by this is that just because you consume 150 grams of protein doesn’t mean that your body is absorbing all of it.
This really piqued my interest. Could it be possible that I’m not absorbing all the nutrients and vitamins from the foods I’m eating. Could this be holding back my gains and robbing my body of valuable energy?
POOP ALERT!
It’s time to get a little personal with this VERY important topic.
I typically take several dumps a day. For as long as I can remember during the past 15 years my poop has always been loose. Certainly nothing that I would ever think of complaining about. I was happy that I never had to deal with constipation or struggling on the toilet.
But the reason for my concern is that my poop was so loose that often times my meal would go through me in an hour.
I’m sure that you’ve glanced down into the toilet bowl looking for corn in your poop on more than one occasion. It’s normal for it to pass through our system and come out looking the same as it went in.
From time to time you may also notice some other foods pass through your body without being fully digested. But those experiences should be few and far between, which is why I began to get a bit worried when I was noticing on a near daily basis that other foods, such as spinach, blueberries, and other veggies were passing right through me shortly after I consumed them.
I couldn’t possibly be absorbing all of the nutrients from the food I’m eating if it’s passing through me that quick.
Probiotics and Digestive Enzymes
The marketing hype around probiotics and digestive enzymes has skyrocketed ever since the body of research on gut health began to grow. And I must admit that it was becoming very appealing to me, but I struggled with the high price tag on them.
Plus there seemed to be an ongoing battle between supplement companies in regards to quality. Each one saying that other companies didn’t have enough digestive enzymes in the supplement to make a difference. There seemed to be some deception going on.
My Introduction To Kefir
Just as I was about to place an order for some very expensive digestive enzymes, my workout partner Paul mentioned that he had some extra Kefir grains and was wondering if I’d like to start making homemade kefir to add to my shakes.
He shared a bunch of research on kefir and talked about all the health benefits associated with kefir. It blew my mind and sounded almost too good to be true.
Depending on the source, homemade Kefir can contain up to 42 different strains of beneficial bacteria and yeasts. Just 500ml contain 5 trillion healthy bacteria.
That’s a huge deal in comparison to most yogurts on the market which only have 1 to 5 strains and 1.5 trillion healthy bacteria.
The big and most important difference between yogurt and kefir is that the healthy bacteria in yogurt passes through your system, whereas the healthy bacteria in kefir takes up residence along the wall of your intestines.
It’s important to note that we are talking about homemade kefir here. Commercially made kefir isn’t fermented long enough and the pasteurization process after fermentation can kill the probiotic microbes.
Benefits Of Kefir
The tryptophan and magnesium in kefir contribute to a healthy nervous system. This is especially important for those of us who include some lifts in the lower rep range. The relaxing effect of tryptophan has been known to improve sleep and reduce anxiety.
The phosphorus in kefir helps you utilize protein, carbs, and fat better.
Kefir helps create a healthy lining in the colon and intestines while the micro flora boosts our immune systems.
Kefir is also rich in vitamin A, B2, B12, D, K, and calcium. All of which have many health benefits associated with them.
How My Body Responded
After the first day consuming kefir my bowel movements were of a healthy and regular consistency and have been that way every day during the past few months that it’s been a part of my diet. My meals no longer go right through me.
I can’t say that I notice an improvement in my sleep, stress, recovery, or energy. Probably because they were good to begin with.
I am however, excited to see if it has an impact on my muscle building efforts. Will it be a little easier to build muscle as a result of utilizing protein, carbs, and fats better? We’ll have to wait and see.
How To Make Kefir
See exactly how I make homemade kefir at that 8:17 mark of this video…
Where To Get Kefir
Do a Google search for kefir grains in your local area. I live in a suburb of Windsor Ontario, so I typed “Kefir grains Windsor Ontario” in the Google search. This provided me with a variety of places I could get myself some kefir grains.
There are many local kefir Facebook groups as well. Because kefir grains multiply there are always people giving away their extra kefir grains in my local Kefir Grains In Windsor Facebook group.
Adding Kefir To Your Diet
Initially you should consume 1 tablespoon of kefir every day to see how your body responds. After a week or two you can increase your intake to 1/4 cup. From there you can bump it up to 1 or 2 cups each day.
Some people enjoy the taste of kefir on it’s own. In this case you can drink it straight up.
For the most part I enjoy adding kefir to my pre and post workout smoothies. I also enjoy adding it to my oatmeal and berries.
There were a couple times that I added it to my protein pancakes, but discovered that the healthy bacteria gets killed off when heated through the baking process.
In Closing
Gut health is a very important topic that I recommend you pay close attention to. I’m certain we will continue seeing more research in this area to help gain a better understanding of how we can improve our digestive health and live our life to the fullest.
Adding kefir to your diet is a cost effective and tasty way to help improve the absorption of nutrients from the food you eat while boosting your immune system and providing you with a vast array of health benefits.
Sculpt a Masterpiece,
Scott Tousignant