Gut Healing Golden Kefir

Gut Healing Golden Kefir

The following recipe may look like a smoothie recipe, but it isn’t, it’s enhanced flavored kefir. The combination of ingredients is very healing to the gut and provides both physical and mental energy. The Larch Tree fiber has unique properties in that it serves as prebiotic for probiotic bacteria and antibacterial for more pathogenic strains (it is mentioned in both Chapter 2 and Chapter 5 of The Gut Health Protocol).

This can  be drank either straight (with a little stevia to sweeten), or can be used over rice chex cereal for an extra serving of Resistant Starch.   If you are in the “kill” phase of the Protocol you should skip the cereal, but Larch Tree fiber is unique and can be used during any phase of the Protocol.

If the final product is too thick, you can add a tablespoon or two of club soda or water to thin it.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ quarts of homemade kefir (fermented for 2 days) (recipe)
• 1 cup of strawberries, frozen or fresh
• 2-4 TBSP of MCT oil (start small, work up)
• 2 -4 tsp of turmeric (start small, work up)
• 5 – 7 scoops of Larch Tree (Arabinogalactan) fiber (5 scoops = 7.5 grams total)  (start small, work up)
• 1 TBSP of Glycine (see this post)
• 1-2 pinches of freshly ground black pepper  (a pinch is 1/16th of a tsp)
• optional – 1 cup of blueberries, fresh or frozen
• stevia

Instructions

• Add everything to your blender except the stevia and blend until smooth and even. On a Vitamix start on speed 1, slowly raise to 10, blend for 30 seconds.
• Add stevia at the table as everyone prefers a different amount. I tend to use more than my wife so it works best if we don’t pre-sweeten it. If you well into recovery, and need the calories, you can use a little maple syrup instead of stevia.
• This may be refrigerated for at least 3 weeks, it will last a lot longer than milk (mine would be consumed long before that), shake before using. It may produce a little gas in the bottle so open slowly, especially after shaking.

Gut Health Benefits

• Kefir – See Chapter 1, Section 1 of the Gut Health Protocol. Far to many benefits to include here. Here are my instructions and resources for making your own homemade kefir.
• Strawberries – Vitamin C, antioxidants like lutein and zeathancins. Vitamin C is required for collagen production, which can help heal the lining of the small intestine.
• MCT Oil – MCT stands for Medium Chain Triglycerides, it is rocket fuel for your brain and metabolism. I mail order mine from Amazon, but health food stores often have it as well. What’s great about it for us is that absorbed more easily than other fats, meaning that it much less likely to cause fat malabsorption issues such as diarrhea, gas and bloating. MCT are utilized by the body differently than other fats, they don’t need to go through the digestion process and are taken up directly by the liver to be used as both quick and long term energy. [i] MCT oil can also help protect the lining of the intestine from the toxins released by pathogenic bacteria and yeast (a major cause of permeable gut). — PubMed #12560783 [ii]. Unlike vegetable oils, MCT oil does “not suppress the activity of mucosal microvillus membrane enzymes in rat small intestine” — PubMed #2398418 [iii].  “Moreover, DAO activity and leptin concentration in the small intestine were significantly greater in rats given MCTs than rats given corn oil or normal rats…MCTs enhance cell proliferation of the intestinal epithelium and mucous secretion from goblet cells in the small intestine. These effects may protect the gut in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease or enterogenous infection.” – PubMed #19214664 [v]
• Turmeric – See Chapter 2. Turmeric is excellent for helping to heal inflammation. It also promotes the growth of probiotic bacteria while helping to control pathogenic strains. This is a function of the plant in nature and several strains of lactic acid bacteria can be found on turmeric plant rhizomes. This is the turmeric that I use, but any good powdered organic turmeric will do. Extensive research within the past two decades has shown that curcumin mediates its anti-inflammatory effects through the downregulation of inflammatory transcription factors”  — PubMed #19110321 [vi]  The book has a lot more studies, turmeric / curcumin actually provides a lot of health benefits.
• Larch Tree Arabinogalactan fiber – See Chapter 2 & 5 for more information. I use this one, ordered on Amazon, but Vitacost also has it. This is a secret weapon in the fight against gut pathogens and also helps with both constipation and diarrhea! The arabinogalactan fiber is a unique fiber in that it feeds probiotic bacteria while at the same time harming pathogenic strains. It does this by increasing “the production of short-chain fatty acids, principally butyrate and propionate, and has been shown to decrease the generation and absorption of ammonia” — PubMed #10231609 [iv]
• Black Pepper – helps the absorption and utilization of curcumin in the body (curcumin is found in turmeric). I use fresh fine ground, but use what you’ve got. This amount of black pepper will not noticeably change the flavor of the drink, just don’t tell your children if you think they might balk at it.
• Blueberries – A well-known superfood. Contains a lot of natural Vitamin C, a wide assortment of vitamins and minerals, several different antioxidants, phytonutrients, fiber, etc.

[i] http://bit.ly/1zifheR

[ii] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12560783

[iii] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2398418

[iv] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10231609

[v] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19214664

[vi] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19110321