Body Ecology Kefir Starter | Nutritious Probiotic Drink | Supports Optimal Digestive Health | Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian | 6 Packets

I would like to compare Body Ecology's starter to Omega Nutrition's starter and these store bought Kefirs: Helios, Nancy's, and Lifeway's Organic line. The Omega Nutrition starter makes Kefir that is thick, creamy, and cultures well, but lacks the level of tartness and "zing" I'm used to. The store boughts are all good; thick, tart, and have a "zing" resembling mild carbonation, but they are expensive, and in plastic bottles which leach toxins. The exception is Nancy's which is in a paperboard carton, but this leaches a noticeable aftertaste. Body Ecology's starter is my favorite of all, it has all the good qualities, and eliminates the bad ones. My only complaint is the price. Also, I'm not comparing any of these to living grains. What I prefer about the starter kits is the guaranteed/measured strains and potency of flora and healthy yeasts. Over time, live grains can fluctuate/lose their flora strains and potency levels.

For what it is, this product is wonderful. I make kefir soda with it. I was trying this product for the first time and my husband had a horrible ear infection and had to be put on antibiotics. He was sick as a dog from those things. I gave him some soda and in 20 min. he was a different man. He swears by this stuff. It repeatedly makes a huge difference in my families health. Frankly, I can't be a slave to real kefir grains. It's like having another pet in the house - you gotta feed it, keep up with it, etc.. Just don't need more work in my life. So for me this is perfect, if I kill it or forget...open a new packet start over. No worries, no going...ugh, it's thursday..gotta mess with the grains.

I’m not a big fan of dairy, but I am a fan of fermented foods and probiotics. I much prefer getting my probiotics from food than from pills (although I do take pills from time to time). I only drink a couple swallows per day, so I make less than the package insert says, so I use proportionally less of the culture. I culture further batches from the previous batch, so you can make this last a long time. Now, everyone’s body is different, but I will state that once I started taking a bit of this kefir, I had significantly less flatulence. Make of that what you will. YMMV.

The first batch was prepared in a clean, glass, 2-quart container with a rubber lid. One packet of starter was added to one quart of organic whole milk. The packet was dissolved in the milk, the container was sealed, and the mixture was left to ferment at room temperature (approximately 70 degrees Fahrenheit) for 24 hrs. The first batch failed to ferment. Little change was observed upon inspection, save for a slight yeasty odor and a negligibly tangy taste. A second packet of starter was added to the first batch, more milk was added to compensate for the 'taste test,' and the container was sealed once more. The second batch was successfully cultured in less than 24 hrs. It was bright white, almost yogurt consistency (a few more hours and I would have had a container of cheese), flavorful and produced a sparkling sensation on the tongue. A little more than a cup of this batch was remaindered and added to a new, clean, 2-quart container filled with milk. Hopefully the third batch will work as well as the second. Tip: the first batch was 'agitated.' That is, I repeatedly rotated and shook the container to keep the solution 'mixed.' This may not be wise or necessary. The second batch was left alone, was not disturbed in any way, and worked beautifully.

A friend recommended this product. It seemed expensive until we read the instructions and learned that we could save some of the kefir to start the next batch of kefir. This can be repeated up to 7 times before needing to open a fresh packet of starter. Currently, we have started our 5th generation from just one packet. This makes it very economical. The excellent instructions make it very easy to make kefir. 1. Heat the milk using a Yogourmet Thermometer. 2. Add the Kefir Starter. 3. Stir. 4. Let sit for 16-22 hours. 5. Stir and refrigerate. That easy! It probably takes all of 5-10 minutes to make a fresh batch. We also use the NuWave Induction Cooktop, setting the temperature to 120 degrees. It also has 8 different probiotic cultures, the most I have seen in any product. The kefir has a wonderful taste and texture.

Great stuff actually tastes quite good in a fruit smoothie, or mixed with berries. I sealed it up in a 2quart ball jar. 1 packet only makes 1 qt. I was confused about sealing it up air tight but that's what directions said. .....BEWARE after its done fermenting OPEN THE JAR b4 U shake it. I just shook it up and when I finally opened jar it sounded like I opened a champagne bottle. It turned out nice. Also says to store unused packets in freezer to ensure freshness. I use raw milk the hardest part is warming milk to 92 perfect without overheating a killing good flora. Also not suppose to agitate during fermentation process.18-24hrs at 70-75. I keep house freezing cold at nght so I wrapped in a scarf and found warmis closet

It must be great with milk but I am dairy intolerant and "kefirize" coconut water instead. The directions are a bit quaint, but clear. My kefir comes out really well and is a refreshing and healthy drink on a hot day. I have also tried to make sortof coconut kefir "cheese" with occasional success, but often not. I am satisfied but have never tried other kefir culture to compare it to. Note: I have found I can use the kefir I make for a 2nd batch and MAYBE a 3rd... before it loses power. but it cannot sit too long. I mix about 1 part coconut kefir from fridge with 4 or 5 parts fresh coconut water and leave it out in warm room temperature 1-1 1/2 days...depends on the weather, stage of fermentation etc. Enjoy.

I had been looking forward to trying this kefir starter for quite some time, but I did not I didn't see anywhere in the description that this starter does not produce kefir grains. I have the Body Ecology Diet book, and enjoy it, but she doesn't state in there, either, that this starter doesn't produce grains. It's in the fine print in the instructions inside the box, so I didn't find out until I got it. To be fair, I should have read the reviews first, and I would have found out that little bit of information, but I was buying the product on recommendation from the book and thought I wouldn't need to read the reviews. Silly me! A brief application of logic might also have revealed to me that, if it produced grains, it shouldn't require six packets of starter to make 42 gallons. Caveat emptor, 20x20 hindsight, and all that. :) I've only just attempted to make the first packet, which resulted in a separated culture (I think where I left it to ferment got too warm), so now I'm draining the curds to make cheese, and will attempt another ferment with the whey. I'm just hoping it works. I'm not unhappy that I have whey (especially since I made it with raw milk), but I was hoping for it to work the first time. It appears to me to be more like a yogurt starter, because most of the steps are the same, and it requires the same amount of precision -- but, like kefir from kefir grains, it's supposed to yield a thinner product than yogurt. It has other good probiotic strains than just kefir, too, which sort of makes it unique to plain kefir grains hydrated in store-bought pasteurized milk. I think, however, that it would definitely be more economical to buy real kefir grains and hydrate them in raw milk (maybe mixed with a little yogurt?) to get the same probiotic benefits as this starter, for a much greater yield. Kefir grains require daily attention (unless you're storing them in the fridge) but are MUCH easier and less finicky to maintain. You don't have to heat the milk, and you can ferment it on your countertop in almost any weather. I'm sure this is a great product, and I'll use it up if I can, but I would have preferred kefir grains, and a warning from the outset that this does NOT produce them. (I DO recommend this starter to those who wish to ferment anything other than cow or goat milk (like coconut or almond milk), because those types do not nourish the kefir grains like animal milk does. You can use regular grains to ferment almond, coconut, or other milks, but you still have to store them in cow or goat milk to get them back into shape.)