Milk Kefir

Not many things can truly epitomize the definition of the term ‘Natural Omniculture’ more than the microbial powerhouse that is milk kefir. This ancient and culturally ubiquitous ferment beautifully demonstrates the power of nature and the essence of culture in all of it’s expressions. Finally growing in popularity in the modern western world, though it’s often found with the misunderstood health products on bougie grocery store shelves as a prebiotic, many people from around the world and throughout time have used some form of this miraculous ferment as an essential element of the household. Contemporary science has just begun to scratch the surface of this microbial oddity with promising health benefits and functions, but it’s quickly becoming clear that the uses and advantages of milk kefir are seemingly endless. As we cultivate these microbes to help us in every day life we begin to realize the amazing potential and capability of using the wisdom of culture married with the power of nature.

Despite microbes being deeply intertwined with our world and how we live in it many people still find these ferments hard to understand and even harder to employ. The reality is that these tiny diligent little organisms are quite simple to work with and appreciate. Milk kefir is a wonderful example of this fact, it is simply put a cooperative group of microbes that like to eat milk and we can benefit greatly using the byproducts of this process. Kefir, unlike some other more simple ferments, is referred to as a SCOBY, which stands for Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast. Fascinatingly we cannot recreate this harmonious pairing of microbes. Biologist and scientific badass Lynn Margulis once stated, “Kefir can no more be made by the ‘right mix’ of chemicals or microbes than can oak trees or elephants”. So nature has the recipe and she’s not sharing it, but she lets us utilize the power of it for the low price of some milk and a jar. What’s even more interesting is that these little boogers do not have “programmed death” like most plants, animals, and organism have; if their conditions are maintained they can essentially live forever. So now we have a symbiotic colony of microbes digesting milk that can live indefinitely that we can’t artificially recreate, but what do we do with them and how can they help us?

So now we have a symbiotic colony of microbes digesting milk that can live indefinitely that we can’t artificially recreate, but what do we do with them and how can they help us?

For those willing to live with microbes rather than fear them, a huge array of powers and possibilities lay before them. The most common advocation for milk kefir normally falls into the health and nutrition category with little notice to any of it’s many functional uses. First, lets address the personal health benefits everyone gets so excited about. Scientific studies suggest that the byproduct of these kefir grains metabolizing milk (or more specifically the lactose found in animal milk) produces a whole bunch of goodies that are beneficial for our health. This includes a myriad of acids, peptides, vitamins, minerals, a tiny amount of alcohol and more. Milk kefir has been linked to increased gut and microbiota health which is pretty important these days considering what’s in most of our foods. The microbes break down the lactose so even certain people with lactose intolerance can indulge in a milk product without painful consequences. There have been studies that show a connection to brain health and mood improvement, reduction of cholesterol, immune system regulation, and more. So it is safe to say that these hard working bacteria and yeasts have a lot of promise and potential but to be perfectly clear we still don’t know that much about them. When commissioning ChatGPT to do some in-depth research on the subject it concluded, “overall, the scientific evidence for milk kefir is still limited because most studies are small, short-term, or low-quality, and many of the more dramatic health claims come from animal or laboratory research rather than robust human trials.” Indeed, it is a common misconception that we have it all figured out when it comes to scientific studies and to microbiology. Lynn Margulis points out that even in the milk kefir microbiome “fewer than half the microbes involved are known or named”. This humbling understanding leads us to our current production and commercialization of these mysterious microbes.

So it is safe to say that these hard working bacteria and yeasts have a lot of promise and potential but to be perfectly clear we still don’t know that much about them.

As stated earlier, it is more common these days to find health drinks and prebiotic products on shelves that claim the power of milk kefir but they may not be what they seem. Microbes can be very difficult to study and even harder to predict in cultivation, this is likely due to the fact that microbes have been evolving on this planet for around 3.7 billion years and our primitive, albeit ambitious, attempt to harness them with mastery is nothing shy of hubris. Granted, we have to start somewhere. But there is an underlying lesson always tapping us on the shoulder, one we seem unwilling to hear. It’s like a kid tugging on a parent’s leg at a party, quietly ignored. Because we cannot fully understand or cultivate the imperceptible processes happening inside milk kefir, we often shortchange it. We sell it with a dismissive wave at its perceived inadequacies. The Journal of Dairy Science concluded, “several processes have been developed to produce a kefir-like beverage in which no grains are used… the quality of these kefir products is significantly different from that of kefir fermented with grains”. Here lies the culture of culture, these SCOBYs traditionally were passed around and shared within communities with reverence for perpetuation of a lifestyle. A culture of people who used the already proven power of this natural force to cook, ferment,

compost, and live healthy lives.

Here lies the culture of culture, these SCOBYs traditionally were passed around and shared within communities with reverence for perpetuation of a lifestyle. A culture of people who used the already proven power of this natural force to cook, ferment, compost, and live healthy lives.

Beyond the benefit of having an eternal living culture in your house as a health supplement, most don’t realize the diversity of functionality these brew bugs can demonstrate. The basic byproducts of the fermentation process, which is usually about a day depending on the environment and health of the culture, are whey and curd. Whey is an acidic and probiotic-rich liquid that is jammed packed with enzymes and lactic-acid bacteria making it a superfood with a lot of uses. We already know it’s healthy for us but it’s also very beneficial for other animals as well, such as an additive to dog or chicken food. It can also be an amazing addition to the garden as an inoculant, fertilizer, and even a pesticide. It can be used to increase soil life and overall health, used as a foliar spray to help fend off pathogens and pests, an inoculant or fertilizer to increase plant vitality, it can be used to kickstart or boost composting, and the list goes on. We so often overlook our hardest working partners in the garden and in the ground. Modern practices wage war on this workforce, one you never have to pay, never have to call out, and which produces the healthiest and most resilient ecosystems the world has ever known. If that wasn’t enough, the whey is famously used in the kitchen in culinary creations the world over from marinades to soups, sauces to cheese making, this microbial liquid reaches deep into our culinary history and deeper still into our soils.

We so often overlook our hardest working partners in the garden and in the ground. Modern practices wage war on this workforce, one you never have to pay, never have to call out, and which produces the healthiest and most resilient ecosystems the world has ever known.

The other byproduct is curd, a white creamy coagulation of proteins. As many know curd is famous for making some delicious cheeses but it can also be a tangy stand in for yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk. But wait, there’s more! Smoothies and even some desserts are fan favorites and just like the whey it’s also an additive to your animal food that they’ll appreciate. Some have found beauty benefits from it by adding it to a facial mask or homemade skin products. Regardless of its employment it’s still jammed packed with protein, fat, and microbes so definitely not a bad thing to have around. By now you may have the “Little Miss Muffet” story rolling around in your head wondering, maybe this is what she was trying to teach us? Well I don’t think milk kefir has been tested as a spider deterrent to help our arachnophobic Muffet or maybe  even as spider food, but it should be because it’s obvious that the uses and limits of this timeless power have just begun to surface.

To reflect and boil this down to a simple understanding, milk kefir is a collaboration of microbes that only nature can produce which digs deep into our history from around the world and has the potential for amazing health benefits and functional uses that has the ability to reshape the planet. This all makes for a great promotional flyer or a grocery store display but lets connect the end of this line back to where it started and where it will always end, with the people. The full circle of the empowerment of nature is beautifully personified with milk kefir to underpinned the overarching wisdom of all these natural technologies: they are ordinary but powerful, cheap but efficient, ubiquitous but special, a part of our past and a necessity for our future, and absolutely available to everyone. Keep the culture alive and share it!

The full circle of the empowerment of nature is beautifully personified with milk kefir to underpinned the overarching wisdom of all these natural technologies: they are ordinary but powerful, cheap but efficient, ubiquitous but special, a part of our past and a necessity for our future, and absolutely available to everyone. Keep the culture alive and share it!

References

Human Clinical Trials

1. Bourrie, B. C. T., et al. (2025).

   
   

   Microbiota remodeling, enterotype shifts, and functional enhancement following kefir consumption: A controlled human trial.

   
   

   PubMed ID: 40469719

2. Kim, D. H., et al. (2024).

   
   

   Daily consumption of lactose-free kefir: Impacts on digestive symptoms, lipid profiles, metabolomics, and psychological outcomes.

   
   

   PubMed ID: 41314291

3. Bourrie, B. C. T., et al. (2023).

   
   

   Effect of kefir on glucose homeostasis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

   
   

   PubMed ID: 37102491

In Vitro & Mechanistic Studies

4. Farnworth, E. R. (2005).

   
   

   Biological activity of the nonmicrobial fraction of kefir: Antagonism against intestinal pathogens.

   
   

   Journal of Dairy Research

Animal Studies

5. Xu, Y., et al. (2023).

   
   

   Kefir supplementation improves antioxidant status, short-chain fatty acid production, and metabolic markers in mice.

   
   

   PubMed ID: 37389589