Everything You NEED To Know About Water Kefir & How To Make It | Boost Your Gut Health

Water kefir is a fantastic probiotic drink that is not only great for your gut, but is also incredibly easy to make from home!
This video will cover everything you need to know before you start making your own water kefir, tips, tricks, the health benefits and exactly how to make it. Enjoy!
00:00 Intro
01:25 What is water kefir?
02:05 Water kefir probiotics
03:24 Water kefir and gut health
04:24 Water kefir health benefits
06:09 Common questions about water kefir
06:40 How to make water kefir
09:00 water kefir 3 top tips you need to know
11:19 Outro
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Interesting research on water kefir:
link.springer.com/article/10....
www.frontiersin.org/articles/...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16280...
www.frontiersin.org/articles/...
www.sciencedirect.com/science...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33693...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32503...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

[@SuzyQ310]

You can also use 1/4 cup milk kefir whey which has been separated and filtered from milk kefir as your starter culture. Works great.

[@harrythorncoaching]

Didn't know this! Thanks, will definitely give this a go

[@fergusthorn7218]

Thanks do you have any recommendations for brands to buy from?

[@scribeinfo1824]

You mean to use both water and milk kefir at same time in same thing?

[@harrythorncoaching]

@@scribeinfo1824 what do you mean?

[@harrythorncoaching]

@@fergusthorn7218 freshly fermented is good! But they are all quite similar

[@Dieje]

Thank you. Good video

[@harrythorncoaching]

You're welcome!

[@GirlLearnsWellness]

I love making water kefir! The benefits are unreal 🦋

[@harrythorncoaching]

Fantastic! Glad to hear it

[@pokerchannel6991]

what I plan to do is allow the first firmentation a shorter amount of time (let it go 1.5 to 2 days). Then, allow for a longer second ferm. This way, I can skew towards a higher carbonation. I think that is a tweak I am going to do. There are two things I find important: 1. Very very low alcohol content (I am very sensitive to alchol); 2. High carbonation.

[@ev868]

Great video!! For a good source of minerals, try throwing in 5-10 raisins (remove them after 3 days) or 1 date (remove or change after 5 days). I get amazing carbonation when I use either (I heard figs work really well).

[@harrythorncoaching]

On it!

[@mattbjorklund9748]

Thank you!! This is the first video I've found that actually explains what water kefir is, how to make it, and what the health benefits are.

[@harrythorncoaching]

Fantastic, glad u enjoyed

[@rapidJesse]

Loved this video, and I'd love more videos on water kefir/fermented drinks. There is a serious lack of content and resources in regard to this lovely magic beverage IMO.

[@harrythorncoaching]

Fantastic!

[@sengasengana]

You have to add dried fruit. The waterkefir needs them as a nitrogen source. It works so much better and the grains grow like crazy.

[@harrythorncoaching]

I've had loads of success without. You certainly don't need to use dried fruit, but it seems to be useful

[@sengasengana]

@@harrythorncoaching Oh, I'm sorry if I sounded unkind, I really didn't mean to. Adding dried fruit and lemon slices is the German method. Maybe European, I don't even know. Even our wikipedias contain different recipes. If you try it, just make sure that the fruit is unsulphured and contains no other ingredients. You can add fresh fruit, too. In Germany, we only put the kefir grains in sugar and water without fruit if we want to pause the fermentation. We usually don't do a second fermentation because the one with fruit is so powerful.

[@harrythorncoaching]

@@sengasengana fantastic, will do !

[@gregcooksley7000]

Excellent video thank you. Does the sugar get broken down completely? Asking from a glucose intolerant or insulin perspective. Basically, is water kefir safe for those folk with insulin resistance or diabetes to drink?

[@harrythorncoaching]

It is very low sugar, particularly if you let it ferment 48hr+ although it would be hard to say for sure that it is entirely free of sugar as it will vary!

[@DanteVelasquez]

Its great to see fitness coaches talking about probiotics. I have been brewing my own Kombucha and Kefir for years. Have you ever or do you make rejuvelac?

[@harrythorncoaching]

Glad to hear it. No I'm not familiar with that, will look into it!

[@DanteVelasquez]

@@harrythorncoaching Rejuvelac is made from sprouted grains, most commonly wheat berries. It contains a diverse probiotic profile and is extremely healthy. I make Kefir, Kombucha, and Rejuvelac and drink them daily to have the most varied and well rounded probiotics. I also use them when fermenting vegetables and other things to speed up the process and add their benefits. I recommend Rejuvelac to people very highly :-)

[@harrythorncoaching]

@@DanteVelasquez interesting, I will definitely give it a go

[@smidgekat5296]

I had a period of making this several years ago and went off the boil as it over-took my kitchen. I'm about to embark on it again and appreciate the straight forward explanation of how to use it as I had forgotten. I would love to hear more about the Korean Chung 🙂🙏

[@harrythorncoaching]

Fantastic! Will do

[@smidgekat5296]

@@harrythorncoaching fabulous!! Thank you! 🙂

[@AddBetweenTheLines]

Campden tab can get the chlorine out of the water without harming the natural yeast and bacteria. You can get them from online or brewing supplies stores. Which is inexpensive compared to using mineral or bottled

[@harrythorncoaching]

Cheers!

[@SolarMumuns]

Campden tablets will kill the yeast/bacteria. They are used for sterilisation before and at the end of brewing

[@torg5511]

Good video! Water kefir really helped my gut health once I started making it myself. I filter about a half gallon of tap water that sits for the three days between batches and presumably declorinates in that time. The grains are very healthy and growing. The recommendation that came with the grains was to add 1/8 tsp baking soda to every second or third batch, but the grains didn't do well and diminished over time. I now use about 1/2 a tsp with every batch and get more grains every time. Probably varies with the local water quality, so if you're not getting more grains every time, try varying the amount of sodium bicarbonate used in the batch.

[@harrythorncoaching]

Cheers! Yes water quality is such a key player, it varies for everyone

[@kimclasing5664]

Can you please tell me your recipe? And you add baking soda?

[@torg5511]

In a quart jar 1/4 cup kefir grains, 1/4 cup water kefir, separately mix 1/4 cup white sugar, 1 tablespoon molasses, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, enough water to dissolve the sugar and molasses - I use a two cup measuring cup with about 1 3/4 cup declorinated water. Once the sugar and molasses are dissolved pour into quart jar and fill up with water. Let it sit in the dark at room temperature for about three days. If you go shorter the kefir is sweeter, longer and it becomes drier and a little sour.

[@mahmoudm.s.dwaikat1482]

Do you need to have some of the K grains inside the bottle of second ferment? or just its water?

[@harrythorncoaching]

put only water kefir in the second ferment. Use a sieve to stop the grains from going in the bottle. Save the grains for your next batch

[@emmaniki]

Have you ever experienced mushy/applesauce-y texture in your grains when dehydrating them? Also, I added grape juice into my second fermentation, and it started tasting like alcohol, as if it had over fermented, but it wasn't bubbly yet. Any tips? Thanks for the video!

[@harrythorncoaching]

Yes that can happen, it shouldn't be a problem though! Just make sure not to overfeed them! And yes potentially some weird fermentation might have occured with the grape one, although no bubbles would suggest no fermentation... Maybe just bad flavor? It happens

[@emmaniki]

@@harrythorncoachingOk, Thanks so much!

[@rotopercutorash]

In romania we use this thing to sour our soups. We call it Bors

[@harrythorncoaching]

Interesting!

[@rotopercutorash]

Indeed. It's a traditional recipe prob thousands of years old. Never tried it sweetened but will surely try it

[@dogcenter2690]

I'm new to fermenting. I wonder- what is the difference between water kefir and ginger bug? Also- is there a problem in mixing microbiology" by placing jars of different ferments next to each other? Thanks

[@harrythorncoaching]

The main difference will be in the variety/amount of bacterias, yeasts & enzymes. For the best of both, why not just make drinks using both! And no, it should be fine to store them next to each other

[@anishglx]

Can't these water grains made at home.?

[@shuffln2k280]

Could you use clear whey to make this, to add protein insted of juice?

[@harrythorncoaching]

That's a very interesting question. Let me find out for you

[@shuffln2k280]

@@harrythorncoaching awesome 👌

[@aether9061]

Can i use Celtic salt?

[@harrythorncoaching]

If you would like!

[@maherhilat1537]

Could we use milk kefir grains instead of water kefir grains?

[@harrythorncoaching]

No it wouldn't work!

[@terril2643]

I have started water kefir in the past. I've made milk kefir for years. My issue is once again looking at my latest bottles of water kefir and opening the top🙄😂 Really. Have you ever used the plastic tops on bottles vs the rubber cork?

[@harrythorncoaching]

I use swing top pressure safe bottles. Never had an issue

[@gif24gt60]

Ur skin is glowing. It must be the kefir.

[@harrythorncoaching]

Haha I hope so

[@drac124]

Or pregnancy 🤣

[@harrythorncoaching]

@@drac124 🤣🤣

[@wellbornjuryguinto8789]

is that lemon peel??

[@harrythorncoaching]

Yes it can help prevent the build up of bad bacteria

[@ilmapranaityte8203]

Does it need a lid on top?

[@harrythorncoaching]

I would definitely recommend it

[@taniamocholi]

Where do you get the kefir grains from?

[@harrythorncoaching]

I got them from freshlyfermented.com

[@loww__official2487]

Does it have k2? Water kefir

[@harrythorncoaching]

I believe so

[@beaubonta7146]

Does the sugar breakdown in fermentation?

[@harrythorncoaching]

It does!

[@szszszsz95395]

6:45

[@harrythorncoaching]

Time-stamping for me are you

[@derekfrost8991]

I used dried fruit in the beginning instead of kefir grains and I like mine boozy.. 😂

[@harrythorncoaching]

🤣