On page 252 of his "Low Carb Life" book (which I think is great), Jonny says this about kefir and yogurt:

"...for 1/2 cup of yogurt, kefir, or buttermilk, you need to count only 2 grams of effective carbohydrate!"

The explanation: "Dr. Jack Goldberg of GO-Diet fame points out, when you ferment milk you inoculate it with lactic acid bacteria, which then 'eats up' almost all of the milk sugar (lactose) and converts it into lactic acid..."

Teelbee, I wouldn't know how to tell whether my body was using all the carbs anyway or not. What are the signs?

For now, I'm going with the kefir--up to a cup a day, when I want it.

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

For me, the answer is in my blood glucose levels. Yogurt tests out about the same on me as plain whole milk does.

Kefir has less of an impact than yogurt. When I strain my kefir, getting rid of a portion of the whey, it's even better on my BGL. I do regular kefir about 4 oz at a time. (once or twice a day). FWIW.

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Maggie--do you check your own glucose levels in order to manage a condition like diabetes? I can't remember at the moment what I've read about your program.

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Barb, in my case, I decided to count yogurt carbs at full face value because my weightloss was stalled after I started eating full-fat yogurt. I concluded I was consuming more carbs than I was counting and yogurt seemed like the likely cause. Of course, I cannot rule out that the stall was due to the higher fat content of the yogurt. It would be impossible to know for sure.

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~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

I was pre-diabetic when I started, Barb. My main goal was to normalize my blood glucose levels, which I did rather easily. I've maintained them just fine (good A1c's) but certain things are suspect to me and I'll often test before adding a new food - especially frankenfoods.

I was suspicious of the extremely reduced carb count for yogurt, especially since the only "evidence" for this is one person's (Dr. Goldberg) pronouncement with no good explanation of why - other than a reasonable hypothesis - and no published research which could be peer reviewed and tested. The theory is reasonable, certainly some lactose is converted to lactic acid. For me, however, it's not enough to make any fermented milk products ok except in small amounts. The closer I take them to cheese (with more and more of the whey removed) the easier they are on my BGL's.

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Thanks, Maggie. Most of us veterans live by the mantra YMMV.

Another reason I like using kefir: I don't like the taste of it so well that it might become habitual, like those flavored yogurts I used to eat every day. A little goes a long way, and that's all the dairy I need.

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Ahhh, I'm just the opposite. I LOVE my kefir! I love the taste, the texture, the fizziness. It's one of those things that "calls to me" such that it was almost a problem when I first started brewing. LOL!

I solved it by slowing down my brewing schedule (my family spends a lot of time in the fridge which doesn't hurt it, but slows down the process) AND I buy those little paper cups that are used in the bathroom. They're 3 oz. If I feel like it, I can pour myself several 2oz "shots" throughout the day, whenever it's "calling" me. It's enough to satisfy and fits in nicely to my way of eating.

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Ok, so what exactly is kefir............. and what does it taste like........and where do you get it........and what do you do with it........and, well you get the picture, it's not something that I have ever had any experience with. In fact, until I started reading about it on the boards here, I had never even heard of it. I admit that I am a flavored yogurt fan, and eat a container of artificially sweetned yogurt every morning for breakfast. I count the full value in my Fitday count ........... which is one reason that I have carb counts between 50 and 75 most days. The yogurt and the all-bran cereal that I stir into it gives me a carb count of 19 for breakfast. I guess it works for me. I ate the same thing most of the time I was in OWL.

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Judy
highest = 180, goal = 138-140
Every single time I put food in my mouth, it matters. No more Fooling myself!

How to describe kefir? Kind of like a beer milk-shake? Well, that sounds terrible, and that's far from the truth. Before I started brewing my own, I got some kefir from a local health food store. Here's the site of the brand I found:

http://www.heliosnutrition.com/

I was immediately hooked. Then, I found, through Dom's Kefir In-site ( http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/Makekefir.html ) that it was easier to make than yogurt - very unfussy - and got a line on some grains (no, it has nothing to do with grain. the "grains" are actually a colony of the microbes and the "home" they build for themselves) and got into kefir brewing. The cheese I make from goat's milk kefir is killer.

HTH

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Judy, FYI here's a picture of a big batch of kefir "grains" I took a couple of years ago. Actually I don't wash the grains any more, so they retain their nice gooey coat of extra yummie microbes (are we gagging you yet :eyes: ) but you can see what they look like....

Like Maggie, I love LOOOVE kefir, the fizzier and stronger the better, and there's nothing better IMO to use for sour cream/cream cheese, etc....

PS critters usually love it, too.....well, not cats so much I hear.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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BC
LC Since 1998
Highest Weight 172
Current 104-108

Oh my goodness, it looks and sounds like buttermilk.......... Don't bother trying to share it with me. My dad used to drink buttermilk all the time. Once he poured me a big glass and I (unknowingly) grabbed it up and took a big slug. Let me tell you, there was buttermilk all over the table. I cannot handle that stuff. And, I never let him forget that he "tricked" me. He swears that it was a mistake. I'm thinking that I'll let you guys keep this stuff.

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Judy
highest = 180, goal = 138-140
Every single time I put food in my mouth, it matters. No more Fooling myself!

Roflmao!

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BC
LC Since 1998
Highest Weight 172
Current 104-108

I've never liked buttermilk, and this doesn't remind me of it. But I don't care to drink kefir straight. I'm sure there's a difference between the commercial version I've bought--Helios--and homemade. The Helios doesn't seem at all "fizzy."

I'll send out for grains if this ever really catches on with me!

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

I do think for some it's an acquired taste--whereas Maggie and I were hooked immediately. While kefir doesn't taste quite like buttermilk, it is definitely "tangy" rather than sweet. Barb, you are correct that the commercial varieties aren't fizzy, either. Commercial kefir doesn't have the wider variety of friendly buggies that home made has either, but it's still a very good product if using the plain variety.

I love it "straight up" but it's quite good with DaVinci and/or berries for flavoring, too.

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BC
LC Since 1998
Highest Weight 172
Current 104-108

My favorite ways so far:

1--Pour it over frozen berries and stir. It freezes instantly, and you've got berry nice "ice cream."

2--Whir it up with a scoop of peanut butter whey protein and maybe some flaxseed. Makes a nice thick shake. I suppose you could freeze this to mush and have peanut butter "ice cream."

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal