Have You Tried : Kefir?

      What is kefir? It is a fermented milk product, very similar to a drinkable cup of yogurt. Many Clean Eaters use the plain kefir as a base for creamy salad dressings and sauces, but I had yet to try it. This afternoon while at the grocery store, I noticed that Lifeway kefir ( the "main" brand of kefir distributed in the United States ) was on sale - and there was a .50 off coupon stuck to the lid. The couponer in me was pleased, and as I've wanted to try kefir for quite some time, picked up a bottle. I was a little chicken to try the plain kefir first, so I opted to buy the strawberry flavored variety. 
     I was expecting something thicker, with perhaps an "off" milk taste. I mean, c'mon - fermented milk? But honestly, it is like a yogurt smoothie - rich and creamy. It also has a slight "foamy" quality that was actually pleasant in the mouth. I discovered while researching kefir that it is actually a slightly effervescent beverage - that was the foamy and thick quality I detected.

INGREDIENTS: Pasteurized Cultured Lowfat Milk, Nonfat Milk, Organic Cane Juice, Strawberry Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavors, Red Beet Juice For Color, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3, 
CONTAINS MILK, GLUTEN FREE

NUTRITIONAL FACTS
SERVING SIZE 1 CUP (240mL) 

Calories Fat Cal Total Fat Sat Fat Trans Fat Cholesterol Sodium Total Carb Sugars Protein

140 20 2g 1.5g 0g 10mg 125mg 20g 20g 11g

Vitamin A 10%, 
Vitamin C 4%, 
Calcium 30%, 
Iron 0%,
Vitamin D 25%




     I enjoyed the strawberry kefir I drank very much, and will probably have a serving once or twice a week as part of one of my mini "in between meals." If you were reading carefully above, you noticed a cup of kefir has 20g of sugar. That is a lot of sugar for a cup of anything. I'll keep that in mind; too much of this stuff per day would definitely be a Clean Eating no-no. I need to find out how much sugar is in the plain kind of kefir...


Edited to add: Plain kefir has 12g of sugar. better...



Sign up for a $1 off 2 coupon here : Lifeway.net