Kefir Kommunity

Laughing it up with comedian RD David Grotto

LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:44:00 GMT

It’s not often that you find a highly respected registered dietitian who’s bold enough to ask “Did someone step on a duck?” when blogging about beans…and get away with it.

David Grotto, RD, is just that man.

The author of 101 Foods That Can Save Your Life, blogger for WebMD and longtime national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (recently renamed The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics), Grotto is a Vince Vaughn lookalike from the Chicago suburbs who can spout off random-yet-useful factoids like, “A handful of tart cherries before bed can help you sleep better,” at the drop of a hat. When we caught word over Twitter that he was a fan of kefir, we just knew we had to interview him for our blog. Here’s what he had to say:

Lifeway: So, why do you like kefir so much?

David Grotto: “The thing I like most about kefir, as opposed to yogurt, is it offers the ultimate in convenience. It’s portable, easy to use: You just drink it, with no need to dirty – and then wash – a spoon afterwards. Not to sound lazy or anything. It’s nutrition and convenience rolled into one.”

Lifeway:What's your all-time favorite kefir flavor and why?

DG: “I’m “old school” – none of those newfangled flavors for me. I like to keep it traditional, like they used to serve in the old country. It’s Birthday Cake for me.”

Lifeway:Everyone seems to pronounce kefir differently – “KEE-fuhr,” “Keh-FEER.” How do YOU pronounce it?

DG: “I pronounce it ‘Key furtghddf.’ The last six consonants are silent.”

Lifeway: You’ve got three teenage daughters – that sounds crazy! Do they like kefir?

DG: “Indeed they do! They’re 17, 15 and 13 and two of them are lacto ovo vegetarians, which means they don’t eat meat but they do eat dairy and eggs. These girls are finicky, but my wife and I aren’t running a restaurant so we need foods that appeal to all three of them. Kefir works well within their dietary laws, plus it tastes delicious. They love the sweet tang. I feel assured not only as a dietitian, but as a dad, that I’m doing the best for my girls’ overall health, bones, immune health. We get a triple bang for the buck.”

Lifeway: What’s one of their favorite ways to enjoy it?

DG: “I’ll use it as a base for smoothies. They’re usually so busy, they don’t even have time to nuke something in the microwave. They need something quick. So I’ll whip up a blender-full of smoothies. We’ll throw in some soy or whey protein, nut butter – maybe pistachio or almond, some fruit juice, and whatever fresh fruit is lying around. Maybe bananas or peaches. I also use it to cook oatmeal, swapping out half of the liquid ingredients for kefir. It gives it a nice, creamy consistency. We also use it in baked goods: My wife made a rum cake for Christmas and used kefir, and it was very moist and tasty with a nice tang.”

Lifeway:What do you think of those Activia commercials featuring Jamie Lee Curtis?

DG: “I don’t watch them. Now if they featured Tony Curtis, that would be a different story.”

Follow David on Twitter @DavidGrotto

Kefir FAQ Update

LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:19:00 GMT

We're the first to admit that, unless you grew up drinking it, kefir can be a mysterious food! While almost everyone who tries it likes it, we get a lot of questions regarding some of kefir's quirks. We do have a pretty thorough FAQ that we recommend checking out, but we thought we'd take a minute to address a seasonal FAQ here.

I've been buying your kefir for months, and now all of the sudden it's lumpy. What gives?

We get this question a lot in the winter months, and there are a few reasons why your kefir has lumps. For one, winter milk tends to be thicker than summer milk. Believe it or not, the Midwest has some really hot summer months! Our cows are drinking more water then, so their milk is a little thinner. When it's cold out, though, a higher concentration of protein solids makes the milk thicker, resulting in a thicker kefir.

Additionally, our milk is non-homogenized and we don't add any chemical stabilizers to it, so some of those lumps might be bits of fat and cream from the milk that have stuck together as result of the culturing process.

So what if you don't like lumps? No worries! You should always give kefir a good shake before you drink it. In the wintertime, leave it out on your counter for a few minutes until it loses the chill from your refrigerator. Once it's warmed up a bit, shake it up and it should smooth out for you.

Remember, kefir has a long shelf life - up until the expiration date printed on the bottle, so lumps don't mean it's gone bad. It's just a quirk associated with producing an all-natural product!

Do you have questions about kefir that aren't in our FAQ? We'd love to hear them and possibly blog about them in the future!

What's up with Celiac Disease?

LifeWayKefir LifeWayKefir — Wed, 25 May 2011 01:47:00 GMT

Set foot in any grocery store these days and you’re likely to find a host of specialty foods with the words “gluten-free” splashed across the label. “Going gluten-free” has become the trendy thing to do, spurred on by celebrity followers like Gwyneth Paltrow, The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz and former Spice Girl Victoria “Posh” Beckham. But what exactly does it mean? Considering May is Celiac Awareness Month, take a few minutes to find out.