The Mayo Clinic published an article highlighting the potential benefits of water kefir consumption for patients in the ICU.

The study evaluated the gut microbiomes of patients in the ICU who were given tests at varying points in time.

As you can see in the chart below, the consumption of water kefir increased the measured levels of certain types of microbial species seen in patients’ gut microbiomes, on average.

The Mayo website quotes one researcher in this area, who notes, “While prior research on select probiotic supplements has not successfully shown to improve gut microbial diversity, fermented foods offer a promising alternative.”

The authors found no severe negative effects that they could attribute to the water kefir consumption among patients.

That said, for some types of microbial species, there was no observed difference in the relative prevalence of microbes across time periods.

In the end, while consuming water kefir might be helpful for ICU patients, more work remains to be done in this area.

A link to the study with original charts and tables can be found here.

And now, a FREE and EASY recipe for a water kefir recipe that uses fresh ginger and turmeric!

Ginger Turmeric Water Kefir Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 800 mL cultured water kefir

• 1 lemon, juiced

• 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger root

• 1 Tbsp peeled and freshly grated turmeric root, or 1 tsp ground turmeric

Instructions:

1. Add lemon juice, grated turmeric and ginger to the kefir, and mix well.

2. Pour the kefir into pressure resistant bottles and close tightly.

3. Let it sit at room temperature for 24-48 hours to ferment a second time. After 24 hours, remove the lid and taste. For a stronger flavor, let sit for another 12-24 hours.

4. Refrigerate and enjoy!

This probiotic drink contains up to 20 times more Gut-health-boosting bacteria than yogurt.

Yes, You heard this right…
Kefir generally has more probiotics than yogurt, and the probiotics in kefir are more diverse, including up to 61 strains of bacteria and yeasts. Yogurt typically contains only a few strains of bacteria.

These natural probiotics readily colonize your gut, while lab-cultured pill bacteria often don't survive digestion and a long time on the shelf.

Water kefir also has prebiotics, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals that are lacking in supplements.

​So, ditch the pills and experience the incredible benefits of home-brewed water kefir yourself!

You can learn how to make Water & Milk Kefir here