Kefir Time

When do you prefer to drink your kefir?

Evening

I for one have found a time of day that I find to be the best for kefir consumption.  For me, that time is in the evening and just before bed.  Why?  Well I really didnt intend for it to be that way, it just sort of happened.  Here's why...The first time I consumed a full cup of kefir I found myself extremely tired shortly after.  It was at a time that I had a very late and erratic sleeping schedule.  I felt a strong urge to brush my teeth and take a nap.  I found myself in a very deep and restful sleep within 30 minutes after consumption.  I hadn't felt that relaxed in a while.  I had the most vivid dreams as well.

A few more instances of drinking kefir too early in the day made me rethink when I consumed it.  I found myself more relaxed and easily drifted away from reality after drinking more than 6 oz at a time.  I also like to be in a relaxed state when I consume kefir, so that my digestive system is calm and ready to accommodate the new company. 

I finally purchased a 1/2 gallon air lock fermentation jar.  After I let my kefir ferment for a day or two with the grains, I pour the kefir into the air lock jar and add either nutmeg or Cinnamon.  After consuming about half of the batch from the previous day, the new kefir as added as well and mixed together.  This is more the traditional manner of consumption, allowing for additional fermentation to take place.  It has a better taste and is more effervescent.  It's very relaxing and seems to put me into a deep sleep, so unless I have the day off, the kefir is my late night indulgence.

WARNING...If your like me and like an effervescent kefir, be careful drinking large amounts of liquid whey followed by strong curd without diluting it in some milk first.  It can be pretty rough on your throat afterward if you drink too much.  I made this mistake recently while on vacation.  I had too much kefir and didnt want to waste it, it fermented for a long time.  I tried to drink it all, about 4-6 glasses.  I got through all of the liquid whey and most of the curd.  The 4-5 Ph level can be rough.  Best to mix it with some milk.  Also, don't drink that much kefir at one time, and especially after coming off of a water fast.  Don't do it!

In fact, I wouldn't drink kefir right after a water fast unless it's diluted with something like milk.  Your digestive system has been off, so take it easy.  I am beginning to really appreciate "juice fasting" much more now as it's healthier for you and allows you to still live a normal life while doing it.  You don't need as much rest nor recovery period.

Off Days

The exception
As I stated earlier, on Non-Work days, when you don't have to worry about being overly relaxed, or on work days when you want to relax, any time of day is perfect for kefir.  I usually start every day with a little water and 16 oz of tea.  I prefer to drink white tea most days but will also do various green or even infusions some days to avoid the caffeine.  I only drink loose leaf unless I don't have access to my teavanna tea maker.  When I brew my tea, I brew each batch 5 times.  This allows for 2-4 days of tea from one batch.  My morning starts like this...Some water, then 16 oz of freshly brewed tea (some days I will have 32 oz).  My tea is brewed in the following time intervals (5min, 7min, 9min, 11min, 15min).

On off days, when I will be around the house I consume kefir next.  You should never mix any dairy products with real tea as it binds the beneficial active ingredients rendering them useless to the body.  Instead, if you must add something to your tea, use a little citrus (lemon, lime, orange).  This is especially important if you need iron, as it prevents the tea from leaching iron from your body.  So...Once the tea has been consumed and some time has passed, I will have about 6 oz of fermented kefir.

I shake the air locked fermentation jar that the kefir and nutmeg/cinnamon has been in to thoroughly mix and pour into a cup.  I then add either a dash or two or nutmeg or additional cinnamon rotating every two days.  Then I am usually working on my computer for a while and sip on the 6 oz of kefir for about 30+ minutes or until it is gone.  So for my morning so far, I have some some plain water, 2-4 cups of fresh white tea (Preferred) and about 6 oz of kefir.  The kefir I consume is usually 2-3 days old and slightly effervescent at this point.

A good method to creating a highly nutritious kefir is to do the following. 
1-Start with 2 cups of milk every day (this will be added to your kefir grains)
2-Every day you will take half of the secondary fermented kefir under airlock and remove it from the jar (To be consumed sometime during the day)
3-After removing half of the kefir, the newest batch it strained from the grains and mixed with a specified root, flower, herb ect. to undergo secondary fermentation
4-Each day, you consume 2 cups, leaving 1 cup of 48 hour kefir to be mixed with 2 cups of fresh 24 hour kefir

Do this at least 5 days a week.  I recommend abstaining from kefir 1-2 days per week.  On fasting days, completely avoid kefir.  On days when kefir isn't consumed, limit the amount of milk added, or refrigerate if on a longer juice fast until you are finished.  After the fast has been properly broken, you may slowly consume small quantities of the kefir (Now fermented from 2-7 days).  Don't overdo any one sitting of it.  Drink only 2-4 oz at a time.  Slowly your body will readjust and be happy to receive the live bacteria after taking a nice break from digestion.