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The problem with kefir is it has so many health benefits and this prompts profiteers to try and cash in with inferior products that are not kefir, they are money makers. Then other people; even sincere ones, put out misinformation that ends up leading novices to ferment a result that is not the proper kefir; leaving the novice without the "as advertised" kefir benefit plus a bloated gassy stomach and worse.

Life-Way, Helios makes a product that is not made from a kefir grain but from 10 strains of kefir bacteria and they have no kefir yeasts in them. They can't produce the optimal benefits real kefir can because they are not real kefir. Real kefir is made from the kefir grain which has around 30 kefir strains plus kefir yeasts. When they are made from the kefir grain they are a team that can do things together that directly effect the gut and they can only do that because the are a symbiotic community that can do things together that they can't do separately and 10 lab isolated kefir strains don't have that capacity. Then there are package starter kefir powders that also are inferior to the kefir grains and they don't allow the benefits of real kefir; but, regular people not versed in kefir knowledge don't know this and they are disappointed because these inferior products do not being the benefits of real kefir which these people read about and expected of products called kefir but are not.

Life-Way, Helios also contain the prebiotics FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides) and or Inulin (not to be confused with insulin) some of these prebiotics are found in small amounts in garlic and artichokes; however, humans have never had them in their natural diets in the amounts that are added to the kefir It turns out because of this as much as 30% of us are allergic to these prebiotics and the result is some very nasty stomach problems. The other thing about them is the nature of prebiotics themselves. Prebiotics feed both the good and the bad bacteria in the gut and that is great if your flora make up in the gut is positive; but if the gut is out of balance and the bad bacteria are prevalent these prebiotic will feed the prevalent bacteria which is not a good thing

Another big problem is the misinformation about brewing with milk kefir grains provided by web sites. I suggest you read a few because some steer you wrong, many are actually very good; ,if you read a few you will come across a good one and then you will be able understand the right way to do things.

Watch out on eBay! Anybody can sell milk kefir on eBay and anybody does. Some sellers with good feedback have been giving out bad information for years discouraging many people from using kefir because their directions have been so far off that their kefir result must not come close to what the claims have promised. People may want a lactose free kefir and they understand that needs a longer fermentation but they are never given the information to do that. Sellers have wrong ratios for brewing. One seller claims his heaping teaspoon can ferment 2 to 3 cups which is 16 to 24 ounces; well, a teaspoon is a sixth of an ounce. I don't know how much a heaping teaspoon is but I know 3 teaspoons equal a tablespoon and 2 tablespoons equal an ounce.

The smallest grain of kefir will ferment a million gallons of milk; but, the proper ratio to ferment milk kefir optimally is 7 to 14 parts milk to 1 part kefir by volume, you could go as high as ratio 20 to 1 if you want to but don't go higher than that. That means that a heaping teaspoon will ferment 7 to 14 heaping teaspoons which I know is not 2 to 3 cups of milk; yet, this seller has been saying this for years.

This same seller suggest in his listing that you should rinse your grains in water after each cycle and he suggest you store your kefir grains in water.... If you rinse the grains it will take longer for the next fermentation to get going because it has to produce all the stuf you rinsed off with water once again in order to get ready for the next reaction. Further; when you rinse your grains you also rinse off defensive bacteria from the outer shell of the grains, without these defensive bacteria foreign bacteria can gain a foothold on the grain. Do not wash your grains with water and don't even wash them in milk. Don't store you grains in water.. Why would you do that anyway... give me a reason.

He has other misinformation; this same seller in this same listing, He suggests that the fermentation is over when you see the "separation" I don't understand what he means. Does he mean when kefiran is emitted from the center of the grain, this is an important segment of the fermentation, he never mentions kefiran at all in his directions. Do I want to stop the processes just as it is producing one of the most important reactions in the fermentation? The process of fermentation with kefir grains will go from one reaction to the next. You can stop it anytime you choose but it is good to be aware of all the processes so you can make an intelligent choice as to when to stop the fermentation before it is complete.

When you put your kefir grains in milk a reaction will begin. Here is what has to happen. If a proper ratio of milk to kefir grains at a proper environment temperature in a proper glass jar is happening the grains will begin to acidify the milk. Now, if the acidified milk is stirred and properly distributed amongst the milk the next reaction will be allowed to start properly. That will be the strains of Lactobacillus breaking down the lactose. At this point in the reaction the kefir grains are swelled and large; mixing or stirring the milk and grains is hard to do and my large plastic stirrer can stand straight up on its own.

I have to repeat this because it is so important.

There may be rivers on the sides of the jar and you may harvest the mix straining the grains from what was once just plain milk but if you want full benefit from a full fermentation the reaction is not over. The kefir yeasts have not fully come into the reaction their time happens after the Lactobacillus have done their thing. After all the lactose is digested by the lactobacillus strains the kefir grains will go back to their normal size, there will be no more "separation" because the kefir curds are very weak and they mix back into solution very easily

Now the yeast can get into full swing and then the acetobacters. This reaction may take 48 hours to fully take place and you should be aware that this is the complete fermentation and if you stop the fermentation when it "separates" you will not have a lactose free mixture and you will not have the benefits of the kefir yeasts. You will have a kefir lite and that is ok, it will taste better also, it will taste less tart; but, if I want something that tastes better and didn't have the full benefits of real milk kefir brewed with real milk kefir grains I would buy a yogurt smoothie.

Real correctly and fully fermented kefir is the best thing you can do for yourself and your loved one. It is crazy to do a colon cleanse when you have kefir, your colon will always be clean. It is crazy to take a dangerous acid reflux pill with all its possible side effects when you can drink kefir. If you drink a quart of kefir in 3 segments after each meal you will produce 2 or 3 easy beautiful bowel moments a day with no trouble. Your digestive system will be as pure as a baby's as digestion will happen so fast that, if you don't eat meat, this fast digestion will not allow the time for any putrefication. Your skin will improve and you will revert to a natural weight. Your immune system will thrive and you will just enjoy optimal health... when you ferment your own milk kefir and do it correctly... happy brewing.