I will be honest here. Ever since I traveled from Spain to Germany, my diet has been less than perfect. I usually managed to eat a reasonable breakfast of fruit with quinoa, but finding fresh salads or making them for lunch was a challenge. That meant adding some of the foods that are not good for us endo girls. Things like cheese and meat. I can’t say that the brief period of doing this has affected my root canal dramatically, but it has made a big dent in my digestion and how I’ve been feeling. I have felt tired and exhausted and somewhat bloated.
However, instead of trying to cut back on these foods that I knew were the reason for everything… I decided to explore a different way of thinking: giving the body the tools it needs to be able to break these foods down. more easily!
I had thought about trying this idea before, but to be honest I was a bit hesitant due to the “base” of the product. See, kefir is usually made with milk. In case you’re not familiar with what kefir is, it’s a cultured product, essentially containing “live” bacteria. Just like real yogurt or probiotics, but much more powerful. The cultivated part is what is so beneficial to the body. Essentially, it gives our digestive system a boost by giving it the good bacteria it needs to break down food more easily. These beneficial bacteria also have a massive secondary function, which many of us may not be aware of: they also break down and eat the toxins in our bodies 🙂 This includes all those toxins from pesticide-infused fruits and vegetables, environmental toxins, and any organisms in our intestines. One of the most important things in digestion is to restore a good balance. Personally, I think endo girls don’t have this balance right. Many of us seem to suffer from digestive problems along with root canals. Hey, I’m sure you were told that a root canal was just an irritable bowel condition. What happens is that when this balance does not exist, the intestinal bacteria cannot “eat” the negative toxins and break them down. With kefir and fermented foods you will get much more powerful strands of these bacteria and they are young and “hungry”.
So, I did it! I bought some milk-based kefir and decided to give it a try. The main reason I decided I would have to buy Milk Kefir was really because it was convenient and easy to get in a store. If I had the option, I probably would have made my own version with coconut milk (the same bacteria strands are used). I’m in Germany and the health stores here seem to have it. I can’t say I’ve ever seen it in New Zealand or Australia… but maybe I didn’t really know about them then.
Tastes a bit like buttermilk. It’s quite tart and a bit lumpy (not in a bad way, though). I decided to add it to my fruit salad in the morning or add some honey to it and drink it. He only had a quarter cup at a time. He was quite nervous and was really hoping that he would literally be running to the bathroom with a chronic case of diarrhea! – this is usually the reaction I would get from Milk. My stomach made these growling sounds as if this was exactly what I was going to do. I waited anxiously to see what would happen. Nothing… no negative “run to the bathroom” response. Instead, a few hours after eating it, I went to the bathroom and well…let’s just say it was a very satisfying and “release” feeling. I felt that more came out and that I was in much better “shape” than I had been in weeks. I also didn’t have to work as hard and didn’t experience any of the usual bloating and other nasty side effects (farts!) that poor digestion often brings.
For two days I felt fabulous! My stomach was nice and flat and everything was working like it should!
So I decided to make my own kefir. I got some real fresh milk and added it to about a quarter of the bottle of kefir. I have put it in a dark cupboard with the lid resting on top. I hope it starts to ferment and grow its own bacteria from the milk. The idea here is that we simply provide the bacteria in the kefir with more “food”, which is the actual milk. After a few days it should have the same sour smell it had when I bought the product, therefore you need to make my own. It should be kept in a warm place: bacteria like it hot.
I am so excited about making my own kefir and how well it reacted to my body. I think the bacteria probably help break down the lactose protein that makes us react badly to milk. I don’t know, but I know I didn’t have the usual reaction I have to dairy!
Have you tried kefir? Do you do yours? Please share your knowledge!
