Visitor Questions

Kefir is the closest substitute to yogurt that we could recommend. Kefir is a fermented dairy product made by adding bacterial cultures to milk, which causes the transformation of the milk’s sugar, lactose, into lactic acid. This process gives kefir its tangy flavor and thicker consistency. Kefir is basically a drinkable yogurt. Like other dairy products, kefir is very nutritious. Similar to cow’s milk, one cup of plain, nonfat kefir is 90 calories and provides 11 grams of high-quality protein, along with 30 percent of the daily value for calcium. Most kefir products will also contain similar amounts of added vitamin D to help aid calcium absorption.

The most important nutritional difference between yogurt and kefir is the amount and variety of gut-friendly probiotics. Most yogurt and kefir products don’t quantify the amount of probiotic bacteria per serving; however, in some cases kefir products will contain additional probiotics compared to yogurt and do appear to offer a wider variety of probiotics that aren’t found in some traditional yogurts. Ideally, ingesting a wide range of probiotics will provide the body with a diverse group of healthy bacteria. These healthy bacteria not only play a role in gastrointestinal health, but are also key players in bolstering our immune health.

Like its nutritional cousin yogurt, kefir is low in lactose, which means it’s generally a safer dairy option for people with lactose intolerance. You should be aware that flavored varieties are delicious, but contain added sugar and thus extra calories. We would recommend plain kefir, which you can enjoy in a glass, added to smoothies, or as a substitute for buttermilk in recipes.

If your husband doesn’t like the taste of yogurt or kefir, you could consider adding them to smoothies and he would never know he was ingesting these beneficial foods.