Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I just tried Kefir fir the first time. The bottle says 15 billion per serving.

I normally use chobani greek yogurt. (I don't have a tub in front of me, but I don't remember if it ever mentioned counts).

So, what has more probiotic power? (Kefir vs. Greek Yogurt)???

Thanks, Mike

edited Apr 10 2012 at 13:34

tdgor
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asked Apr 9 2012 at 19:36

CaveMan_Mike
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Nance · Accepted Answer · 2012-04-09 19:44:08Z UTC

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In general, kefir--either dairy or water--has many more species of beneficial flora than yogurt. The marketing of "16 million" doesn't touch on how many species. I've read that good yogurt will have 2-5 species (with large total counts) while kefir may have dozens.

Kefir and kombucha are more powerful--so much so that it's advisable to start with very small daily doses while such caution is frequently not necessary with yogurt.

answered Apr 9 2012 at 19:44

Nance
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Yay Nance for the win! The bacterial/yeast species are much more abundant in kefir. – gydle Apr 9 2012 at 19:49

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Also, the bacteria in kefir is more likely to colonize the gut bacteria, vs yogurt, while helpful, doesn't change the gut as much. – AmandaLP Apr 9 2012 at 20:02

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And homemade beats store-bought kefir, as far as I can tell – Sigrid Apr 9 2012 at 21:32

Eugenia · Answer 2 · 2012-04-09 22:40:37Z UTC

Real kefir (not store-bought, which doesn't contain yeasts) is a super-food, with up to 40 different strains of yeasts & bacteria. Consider that I'm Greek, but I root for Kefir.

I read somewhere that a cup of yogurt contains up to 1 trillion bacteria, and kefir up to 5 trillion, I don't know if these numbers are correct though.

Matt B · Answer 3 · 2012-04-09 19:39:00Z UTC

I don't think it truly matters - I think you're reading into the marketing hype. 14 megapixels! 18 megapixels! It's a good idea to diversify your probioitc sources, so the best move would be to enjoy some of each, and also try some kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, etc..

Jules K · Answer 4 · 2012-04-09 20:06:47Z UTC

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Greek yogurt has most of the whey strained off, and I believe that's where a lot of the bacteria reside (I'm not 100% on this, but fairly certain). Kefir FTW!

answered Apr 9 2012 at 20:06

Jules K
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desi · Answer 5 · 2012-04-10 05:21:31Z UTC

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Depending on how long the product has been sitting on the shelf also reflects the probiotic strength,so if you have fresher yogurt and not so fresh kefir,I'd go with the yogurt.But in general kefir has more strains.I make both at home and from experience know that some organic yogurts are dead,because the don't work as a starter.So,I guess it depends on the brand

answered Apr 10 2012 at 5:21

desi
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As a Kefir at home maker, how much of a hassle is it if you don't want to make a committement to care for it every single day? – CaveMan_Mike Apr 10 2012 at 10:50

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It's not bad as it only takes a few minutes a day. Plus you can always stick it in the fridge if you don't want to worry about it. – txrandom Apr 10 2012 at 13:23

sounds like a chia-pet! About the fridge thing: does that put it in a state of suspended animation, so to speak? If that's true, maybe I will give it a try. (I am scared, however, about culturing the wrong (or harmful) bacteria and getting sick. – CaveMan_Mike Apr 10 2012 at 17:35

It is a hassle,as you have to take care of it and not let it sit on the counter for days.I've thrown out a lot of milk because of that.As for harmful bacteria,don't worry,the smell is a pretty good indicator.Use raw milk to be sure. – desi Apr 10 2012 at 20:45

Terry J. Crebs · Answer 6 · 2013-04-09 17:17:28Z UTC

I'm Greek too, and make my Home-made Greek yogurt (Yiayia's recipe), kefir (milk and water), sauerkraut, and many cheeses. Recently (5-Mar-2013) I had Warren Analytical Labratories of Greeley, Colorado, USA assay some of my ferments for "Lactic Acid Bacteria MB 075 (Spiral)", here are the results:

1) Milk Kefir -- 2.6 Billion Colony Forming Units per milliliter (CFU/ml); 2) Water Kefir -- 1.2 Billion CFU/ml; 3) Greek Yogurt -- 60 Million CFU/gram (note for water, 1 milliliter = 1 gram); 4) Cabbage Sauerkraut -- 5.3 Million CFU/gram; and, 5) Health-Food-Store-bought Greek yogurt -- 1.1 Million CFU/gram.

I make my ferments for less than $8 per gallon, and believe highly-processed store-bought probiotic ferments and pills are outragelessly expensive. Learn to ferment real delicious food and live healthy like Mediterranean people often do.

Mat · Answer 7 · 2012-04-09 19:46:55Z UTC

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I take a supplement once a day with 50BILLION.. I don't remember the exact types but I could look it up.

answered Apr 9 2012 at 19:46

Mat
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50 Billion is a good amount to shoot for when looking at probiotics. CP-1 has 50 billion per pill which if you are taking 15 billion and not getting the results you are looking for 50 billion may be the way to go. CP-1 customprobiotics.com/… – Cal May 3 2012 at 21:49

Warbler · Answer 8 · 2013-04-15 00:02:32Z UTC

Kefir grains grow into a cauliflower like glob. I bought mine on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p3984.m570.l1311.R11.TR11.TRC1&_nkw=kefir+culture&_sacat=0&_from=R40

These folks have a useful screen container to grow it in: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/milk-kefir-starter-kit.html

You can use milk or water, though I prefer raw goat milk. Let the milk reach room temperature (unless you're getting it straight from the goat), add the grains or clump. It should ferment at room temperature for about 30 hrs to be most beneficial. (See Restoring Your Digestive Health by Jordan S. Rubin, NMD and Joseph Brasco, MD).

After that time (actually I taste test mine), I remove the clump, freeze with a little goat milk in a plastic container for next time and refrigerate the kefir.

Just yesterday I took the store bought stuff (which just tastes like runny yogurt) and put some clumps in it for about 48 hrs. It improved the flavor and now tastes like actual kefir.

It does continue to grow in the refrigerator, but at a much slower rate.

Carrie · Answer 9 · 2012-10-28 18:20:16Z UTC

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its all marketing anyway. . however the kefir yogurt tastes better to me than greek yogurt.

answered Oct 28 at 18:20

Carrie
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Janknitz · Answer 10 · 2012-10-29 04:08:55Z UTC

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I recently heard a lecture by Sandor Katz who has written two books on fermentation. ALL of the yogurt cultures commonly available In the US are primarily from two major strains. Kefir has many more.

answered Oct 29 at 4:08

Janknitz
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Nirinjan · Answer 11 · 2013-04-15 04:37:28Z UTC

Yes, kefir will have more types of bacteria and yeast over yogurt type ferments. Plus making fresh kefir seems to be more active and very easy to make.

You can get fresh kefir starter here: store.organic-cultures.com or dried kefir starter at www.cultures for health.com

The dried starter will take a few rounds to become active over the fresh grains

Happy culturing,

Nirinjan

Probiotic Counts: Kefir vs. Greek Yogurt?

11 Answers