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Saturday 30 March 2013

IBS? Do Try Kefir

Many many people have IBS but still there is no definitive cure. If you suffer from it, you will be familiar with the unpleasant symptoms such as bloating and cramping after meals. I have it myself and used to get very bad tummy pains after breakfast. I also have seborrheic dermatitis which has gradually got worse. I searched for a possible link between these two conditions and found out about Leaky Gut Syndrome, supposedly where the gut has increased permeability and lets toxins escape into the body causing ill health. This is a controversial theory and conventional medicine does not recognise the condition. However the treatment suggested will probably benefit people with IBS. If you have Leaky Gut Syndrome/IBS, it is recommended you increase your intake of probiotics and decrease intake of sugar which kills good bacteria- hard I know. This is because there are theories that suggest people with IBS have a shortage of good bacteria in the gut. As around 70% of your immune systems lives in your gut, I think it make sense to try to do all you can to treat it. Probiotics are found in fermented foods. Yoghurt is good but Kefir is even better. It is a much more sour version of yoghurt and contains loads more beneficial bacteria. You can make your own by ordering kefir grains in the post, pouring milk over it and leave it to culture overnight. Your kefir grains will grow and grow and soon you'll be able to make batches very quickly. I've been drinking kefir for a couple of months now and still been having a few sugar binges and I can tell you that kefir has made a HUGE difference to my symptoms. I no longer get painful cramps in the mornings and my seborrheic dermatitis was relieved for a bit but has unfortunately worsened again due to sugar binges. The taste can take a bit of getting used to but you shouldn't find it too hard to bear if you like natural yoghurt. You can use kefir to make delicious fruit or veg smoothies too. You can use it to soak porridge overnight, over cereal instead of milk and I hear you can even cook with it. My favourite way to drink kefir is plain but I do like to make a delicious peanut butter, banana and maple syrup smoothie with it occasionally. I can give you kefir grains for free if you are interested and live in the UK. Just leave a comment and I can email you privately to get address details :)

3 comments:

  1. awesome post
    adorable blog!!!
    have a nice day!


    Angela Donava

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  2. Hi! Thanks! Would you consider trying kefir?

    ReplyDelete