January: Diet and Superfood

Our superfood for January is kefir. It's a naturally fizzy, tangy liquid that's similar to drinkable yogurt and, just like yogurt, it contains "good" probiotic bacteria and yeast. You can eat or drink it, and it's available from grocery stores in natural or fruit flavours and in full-fat, partly-skimmed or non-fat varieties.

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Kefir can be made from any kind of milk (cow, goat, sheep, coconut, rice, soy). Throughout the liquid, you can see gelatinous white or yellow “grains” that look like tiny bits of coral or cauliflower. These "grains" are formed when "good" bacteria and yeast bind to milk proteins.

Including kefir in your diet results in these fantastic health benefits:

Excellent source of calcium – for bones
Source of magnesium, riboflavin, folate and vitamin B12 – for overall health
Source of "good" probiotic bacteria and yeast – for intestinal tract
Source of kefiran – wards off infections and viruses

With its probiotic bacteria, kefir is very good for your intestinal tract. This is especially true if you suffer from gastrointestinal upsets like irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diarrhea or lactose intolerance.