GAPS Diet

UC&Me- you need to make your own from real kefir cultures (not the "starter" packages). The store bought stuff is full of additives and not nearly as beneficial.

And I agree wholeheartedly with soystud- raw milk (from a reputable dairy!) is best. You'll need to do your own research to determine what's right for you but in my eyes, it's a hell of a lot safer than pasteurized when you get it from a good diary. You can read more about the difference here:

www.realmilk.com

I buy mine our local grocery is really good about carrying those kinds I things- in the milk section.
I have also found a little higher quality product at the organic food store here.
It still has a very sour yogurt after taste to me. Someone told me they have chocolate flavored, but I think they lied cuz I cant find it and I have searched high and low!!
I've never made my own but after this discussion I'm going to investigate a little more.
I do good with misty dairy- except mozzerella cheese, not pretty!

UC&Me- Yes, I still do take a probiotic but if I couldn't afford it or something I would be very confident getting my probiotics solely from homemade kefir and other probiotic rich foods. Homemade kefir can contain up to 60 different strains of probiotic making it extremely diverse. It colonizes in the gut and encourages a rich environment to develop. It's also packed with vitamins, minerals and other therapeutic properties like kefiran which has been shown to have medicinal qualities. Also, because it's food rather than a powdered supplement it is a lot more bioavailable- meaning that it's in a form that the body will readily accept and know what to do with it.

Nursemb23- I do encourage you to make your own if you have interest! Homemade kefir is an entirely different animal compared to the store bought stuff. Plus, the store stuff has lots of additives- if there's a chocolate version it's sure to have sugar and that will hurt your gut. When you make kefir the traditional way with living cultures (called "kefir grains" even though they're not truly grains) you get an entirely different product with amazing healing benefits. You should give it a try- it's very easy!

Maria2007- If you want to learn to make kefir I have a fun and easy video tutorial on YouTube. I made it because it's really hard to explain to people and when I was learning to make it I just couldn't picture it as I'm a visual person. It will tell you everything you need to know to get started.

I want to remain respectful of forum rules so I will not post the Kefir Video Tutorial here but if anyone has interest please email me at [email protected] and I will send you the link.

P.S. I believe I wrote this in other posts but I want to be clear- if you're trying out homemade kefir for the first time- GO SLOWLY. It's potent stuff (especially when you double ferment) and some people can only handle a teaspoon a day to start. Watch for "die-off" reactions or return of symptoms and back off until you're able to tolerate more. I handled it very easily but everyone is different. Take your time with this stuff!

Crohnsbabe, don't worry about the TOS - I think it can be interpreted in many ways. Dissemination of valuable information should never be suppressed. Here's the kefir making tutorial she was talking about:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlZrlm9tsrw

A couple things to note:
-Store bought kefir is just as bad as store bought milk, you won't be getting any benefit out of it since the milk is pasteurized and then cultured with powder, not grains. Unless you are buying from a state that legalizes the sale of raw milk kefir in stores like California, it's always better to make your own with milk kefir grains. You can buy the grains from kefir lady, she's awesome and will answer anything you can throw at her about the grains.
-For the list of the bacteria strains in kefir, please refer to this page. Simply put ounce for ounce, there's no bigger source for probiotic cultures. It is very strong stuff and you should begin slowly like crohnsbabe said.
-Kefir is, by far, the easiest thing to make and I'm a pretty lazy guy. You just put the grains in milk and set it sit for 24 hours - that's it. Just follow the tutorial for the mechanics of it.

Crohnsbabe, you are really a babe. Are you single by any chance? ;)

Anyhow, one thing to note about water kefir is that the bacteria will ferment the food source (dextrose in most cases), into fructose (forgot to mention this for second fermenting with fruits). As we all know, fructose intolerance is fairly common among the population, more so in IBD patients.

Personally, I can't tolerate fructose just yet but water kefir might be a legit option for people with dairy intolerance.

I also find it quite interesting that the author of this doesn't know the difference between paleo and clean eating...two completely different mindsets.
The other thing is- depending on who you talk to, the diet "rules" for both vary drastically!
In the meantime, I too will continue to eat what doesn't destroy my stomach regardless of if it's on the naughty list of clean eaters or Paleolithic crusaders...eat drink and be merry!!