A book trailer for Ani’s Raw Food Essentials for a naturally effervescent probiotic drink called Water Kefir from page 56.
This healthy drink is simple to make using water kefir grains that you can purchase online. I include resources in my book, and recommend going straight to the source for the living grains. Avoid the processed, dried, packaged grains because they are not as vital as the living grains. Plus, the dry grains only brew maybe three batches before you have to go and buy more dried grains again.
It takes just 48 hours to brew Water Kefir, and it’s full of friendly bacteria for building healthy intestinal flora. It helps me with digestion, assimilation of nutrients, and elimination. I enjoy Water Kefir with and after meals to help with digestion. I drink a cup on an empty stomach before bed to balance my intestinal flora.
In this video, I use a variation of the recipe in my book.
Water Kefir
Note: avoid metal. Metal damages probiotics and water kefir grains. Use only plastic spoons, measuring cups, and glass jars.
- 4 cups filtered water
- 1/3 cup organic cane juice crystals (sugar)
- 1 Tablespoon turbinado (brown)
- 2 pieces ginger
- 3 slices dried pear (unsulphured)
- 1/4 cup water kefir grains
Place water into a glass jar. Add sugars, ginger, pear, and stir. Add grains. Close lid, and store in cabinet for 48 hours to brew.
Pour brew through a plastic sieve to catch the grains. Remove ginger and pear. Store brew in glass bottles at room temperature to increase vitamin B levels. Or, store in fridge to chill.
Start your next batch immediately.
The water kefir doesn’t need to breath when it is fermenting (like how kombucha is made)?
For those that are allergic to grains containing gluten, is kefir water ok to make/drink? I have gluten-allergies and have been wondering about this for a while.
High 5 for water kefir! I make it every morning and it’s the first thing I drink. It feels like it’s been really helpful with digestion.
Genny, it is gluten-free. Although the bacteria cultures are called “grains”, they are actually not grains at all 🙂
Ani, you haven’t had any issues by preventing the kefir from breathing? Everything I have read says to ensure the grains can breathe for proper growth and the possible explosion issue if it gets too fizzy.
Ani:
I wonder if you would allow us to post a bit of information about you and your new book on our blog? Please take a look at our blog, thought2form – living creatively, and let us know. If so, we may also ask your permission to post the video which is displayed on your home page, as well. Thank you.
http://thought2form.blogspot.com/2010/06/di-rosa-museum-napa-ca.html
Excellent Ani !
I love kefir ! I make it here in Belgium as well, but I do not use sugar : I use a dried up fig and a few slices of citrus for the acidity, it creates a lovely lemonade in just 24 hrs !
I’ve seen other alternatives where you can use tea as your “water” for fermentation.
Thank you for sharing with us 🙂
[…] – Raw goddess Ani Phyo talks about kefir [EN] : http://aniphyo.com/blog/archives/1272 – Kéfir de fruit à l’eau [FR] : […]
where is the best place to buy the kefir?
I just got some milk kefir grains and i was wondering what i need to do to convert them to water kefir. thanks
does it really taste good
Does anyone know where I can buy the water grains she is talking about in the recipe? a website?
Is it ok to use distilled water rather than filtered water for this recipe?
LOVE IT!!!!
I have made milk kefir for years but as I go more and more raw….this is great!!! And we have also made Kombucha for years and ready for a change!!!
PLEASE make more DVD’s!! I use them in teaching and LOVE THEM!!! This teaching segment is excellent!!!
I love this stuff. I like adding Piloncillo or Jaggery- the kefir grains love this type of sugar and I also add raisins and dried jujube fruit- this is the best combination for me. I read the reason for the fruit aside from the extra sugar is that it absorbs the little bit of alcohol it produces. You should buy live grains as they will double in a week and you can give to friends and relatives. I have water Kefir, milk kefir and Kombucha- cannot live without them. If you live in L.A. and are looking for these let me know, we can do a trade for raw milk or raw sugar
Hi Ani,
I don’t use sugar when I make my Apple-Kefir, I only use coldpressed unfiltered fresh applejuice and water kefir grains, thats it. Very simple.
I did use sugar in the applejuice at first, because everybody tells you the kefir needs sugar, but it takes longer to ferment.
Love waves from Denmark.
I love this recipe the only one step I did different was after the kefir was ready 48hrs. later I added organic black cherry juice to it 🙂 delicious flavor like a wine.
3 cups kefir
1 cup organic black cherry juice
*stir and put back in glass jar let it ferment one more day in cabinet then refrigerate and enjoy:)
<3 Dymphna from California.
[…] learned about water kefir from Ani Phyo. You can view how to make water kefir at Ani’s website. She calls it a naturally effervescent probiotic drink. Probiotics are full of friendly […]
I am so excited to try this!
One website for getting the grains:
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/water-kefir-grains.html
I really like the idea of using fresh apple juice… Isabella Sofia Pedersen can you
let me know if your grains are lasting for you or if they
need to be replaced every so often?
On the cultures for health, they mentioned the grains may get starved after a while if you don’t use sugar?
Kris@yourtruenature.com
what ani started above about dry grains is inaccurate. dry grains reconstitute just fine with proper care, then continue to function indefinitely as live grains. it takes more work to rehydrate, though, and your first few batches may not come out right while the grains wake up. what she may be referring to are the dry culture packets, which are not grains but dehydrated portions of cultured product that can only reculture a few times before “dying”.