Milk Kefir: An Easy Way to Reintroduce Dairy after a decade of veganism
What Is Milk Kefir?
Milk kefir is a fermented milk drink made by combining milk with kefir grains—living cultures of bacteria and yeasts that ferment the milk. During fermentation, the microorganisms consume much of the lactose, producing a tangy, slightly thickened drink with a distinctive fermented flavour.
After being vegan for more than 10 years, I decided to become vegetarian, with milk and eggs as the only animal products I chose to add back into my diet. One of my main reasons was bone health. I wanted an easier way to obtain nutrients associated with bone health, including calcium and vitamin D when the milk is fortified. Fermenting the milk also made it much easier for me to digest after so many years without dairy because fermentation reduces some of the lactose.
Uses and Benefits of milk kefir
- Bone health: Provides calcium and protein, with fortified milk also providing vitamin D.
- Easier digestion: Fermentation substantially reduces lactose compared with ordinary milk, making kefir easier for some people to tolerate.
- Live cultures: Milk kefir contains a diverse community of live microorganisms produced by the kefir grains.
- Nutrient-rich: Provides protein, calcium and other nutrients naturally present in milk.
- Convenient: It can be consumed on its own or incorporated into smoothies, breakfast foods and other recipes.
- A practical transition from veganism: For me, kefir provided a relatively gentle way to reintroduce dairy while maintaining a predominantly plant-based vegetarian diet.
My Milk Kefir Recipe with full cream powdered milk
Full-cream powdered milk. I use full-cream powdered milk rather than fresh milk because it allows me to prepare exactly the quantity I need without worrying about fresh milk becoming too old.
My kefir grains-to-milk ratio is approximately
- 1 part kefir grains to 15.5 parts liquid milk.
For one person, I found that my ideal daily quantity was:
- 32 g kefir grains (1 part)
- 500 g prepared liquid milk (15.5 parts)
To make the 500 g of liquid milk, I use:
- 440 g chlorine-free water (88%)
- 60 g full-cream powdered milk (12%)
I mix the water and milk powder thoroughly, add the kefir grains, and allow the mixture to ferment in a glass jar on my countertop for approximately 24 hours. To keep out ants, I place the jar inside a moat made of a bowl of water. I place the lid loosely ontop to protect the kefir from dust or flies while allowing air bubbles to safely escape without breaking the glass.
After fermentation, I separate the kefir grains from the finished kefir and use the fermented milk as my daily serving.
Every day, I consume the small excess of kefir grains as a consequence of ongoing fermentation related growth of the grains. This small amount of grains go well in cereal or smoothies.
This approach gives me a convenient, consistent quantity of fermented milk while allowing me to control exactly how much milk I prepare.
