Which Brand of Milk Kefir Sold in the Supermarkets is the Best?
I have known kefir since ca. 2015, but started using it in 2018 when I got my first starter culture. I have used it even more regularly since 2020, and introduced it to those around me, and I aspire to widen this circle.
With the vast experience I have gained on this drink, I can humbly regard myself as a kefir expert, but I continue researching further from the experiences of others. That said, I can answer the above question on the best supermarket-brand of kefir… and the honest answer is NONE! I will prove it with diagrams and charts:
- Kefir requires love and attention, like a pet. It needs the addition of fresh milk every 2 or 3 days for the bacteria culture to remain alive. The kefir in the supermarket shelves remains there for days and days on end, waiting to be picked by a willing buyer. If it is genuine kefir with live cultures, they are dead within a week or so.
- Most processed milk products from commercial producers are pasteurized or sterilized before they are shipped away for a longer shelf life. I would guess that they do the same to kefir. Pasteurization kills off all bacteria and fungi, meaning the store bought kefir is useless in terms of probiotic value.
- Kefir is a combination of complex bacteria and fungi that are alive, and survive on whole fat milk to reproduce and deliver their benefits. These bacterias are so powerful that they can digest metallic objects and plastics. The only viable media for hosting kefir is glass bottles or jars, or the traditional calabashes (clay pots too perhaps). The packaging of the kefir is in plastic bottles- which is a clear red flag. Either the producers are ignorant, or they are selling normal yoghurt in the name of kefir. Resist!
The only guarantee of powerful kefir is the homemade one, and fed with fresh whole fat milk. If you can use fresh goat milk, you have the best kefir in the whole flat world.