Blueberry lime Kefir smoothie. Yum! It’s naturally sweet and a little tart, a perfect snack for those summer afternoons or breakfast for those busy mornings!

I first learnt about Kefir when I was learning about health foods and all the many ways to use raw milk in the kitchen. Learning about better practices in the kitchen to make health giving foods for my family was a priority for me. Here’s a good post with the video tutorial I used when I was first getting started.

A little history about Kefir

Kefir originates from the Caucasus Mountains that sit between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in West Asia. What’s incredibly interesting is that nobody knows where the first Kefir grains came from. These are living organisms found in the nature and are a mixture of beneficial bacteria and yeast to make a starter culture for the fermentation process to begin.

In this region of the Caucasus Mountains, Kefir was made in sacks and hung from the doors. People passing in and out would knock these sacks to keep the Kefir grains and milk mixed. The locals of the region kept this drink a secret and regarded as part of the family’s wealth, passing it down from one generation to another.

In the 1930s the Russian people began consuming Kefir on a large scale after the grains were sourced earlier on from the people of the Caucasus Mountains. Today, Kefir consumption is a popular drink in Russia and usually drank plain.

Why is Kefir so healthy?

Kefir is a drinkable yogurt in consistency but much more sour in taste. This extra sourness is a clue to the reason why it’s so incredibly nutritious.

In any fermented food there are beneficial bacteria and/or yeasts that help us digest food, absorb nutrients as well as boost our immune system. Our digestive system, or gut, is comprised of many bacteria, some bad and others good. It’s important to have a good ration of good to bad bacteria in the gut to have overall wellness.

Kefir is packed with vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin K and the B vitamins. While yogurt only contains 2 to 7 different strains of bacteria, Kefir contains between 10 and 34 strains as well as yeasts! The more different strains of bacteria in any fermented food the better because different species have different jobs.

Kefir is not  only loaded with probiotics, it’s so easy to make and much easier than yogurt. All you need are some Kefir grains and milk, preferably raw milk. There’s no need to heat the milk or incubate the mixutre. Simply add your grains to 2 cups of milk in a clean jar and leave it overnight to ferment. The next day, strain your mixture through a fine mesh strainer (not metallic!), store your grains in another jar with some milk in the fridge until you’re ready to make another batch.

Blueberry Lime Kefir Smoothie

This smoothie takes about 5 minutes to make and is very refreshing. Blueberries are a super food. They are loaded with antioxidants, vitamin K and vitamin C as well as anti-inflammatory. Blueberries help maintain good heart health, brain health and eyesight. They are low in sugar and also aid in digestion.

I buy frozen blueberries weekly and use them for smoothies like this recipe or in baking. We also like to eat them as a snack.

You can use fresh or frozen blueberries but know that frozen blueberries will give you a thicker milkshake like consistency that’s really nice. If you have fresh blueberries you could pop them in the freezer for a few hours beforehand.

Ingredients:

• 2 small bananas
• 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
• the juice of 1 lime
• 1 cup of raw milk kefir

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend on high for 3-5 minutes until smooth
2. Serve immediately
3. Enjoy!

Note: If it’s still a little sour add some honey (preferably local and raw) to taste.