{"id":3026,"date":"2016-07-10T16:47:33","date_gmt":"2016-07-10T13:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/?p=3026"},"modified":"2019-11-05T13:35:30","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T11:35:30","slug":"obsessed-with-cleanliness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/?p=3026","title":{"rendered":"Obsessed With Cleanliness"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_2998\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2998\" style=\"width: 716px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/lion-photo-1450121913655-8da88d9bd945.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2998 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/lion-photo-1450121913655-8da88d9bd945.jpg\" alt=\"KeFIR, a lion of a drink\" width=\"716\" height=\"537\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/lion-photo-1450121913655-8da88d9bd945.jpg 716w, https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/lion-photo-1450121913655-8da88d9bd945-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2998\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@joel_herzog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">KeFIR, A Lion of a Drink \u200e- Is Bacteria a Dirty Word?<\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">You there, yes, I know that you staunchly support the five second rule. \u200eSurely you have no problem with your children reaching down to \u200ereclaim their fallen treasures every now and again\u2026 Our children, \u200ehowever, spent their days in a kibbutz children\u2019s house. Even if we had \u200ebelonged to the other camp (cleanliness is godliness), practicality \u200etrumped. The \u201cmetaplot\u201d (the daycare teachers) had their hands full: \u200epacifiers, bottles, and anything in \u201cmouth\u2019s way\u201d was fair game. After \u200eall: \u201cwhat is yours is mine and what is mine is yours\u201d. Such was the \u200eway of the kibbutz. The tykes grew up in a multisensory environment. \u200eInside and out, it was flooded with fascinating stimuli, a truly \u201chands \u200eon\u201d environment. Between the \u201cjunk yard\u201d playground, the farmyard \u200eanimals and the foraging, it was a wonderful culture to sprout \u200emicroorganisms. A cleanroom it was not.\u200e<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">Today\u2019s modern world is polished, sterile, pasteurized and \u200ehomogeneous. Pocket hand sanitizer gel has become a must for the \u200ecommon germophobe.\u200e<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Recent groundbreaking research has put the human microbiome in \u200ethe spotlight. Of particular interest are the probiotics or the \u201cgood\u201d \u200ebacteria that make their home within our bodies, particularly our \u200edigestive system. Just as each of us have our unique DNA code, so do \u200ewe boast a unique microbiome ecosystem. Within each of \u200eour bodies are to be found in the neighborhood of three trillion little \u200ebacteria, the \u201ccleanup crew\u201d of our bodies in general, most notably of \u200eour digestive system.\u200e<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"embedly-card\" data-card-controls=\"0\" data-card-align=\"center\" data-card-chrome=\"0\" data-card-theme=\"light\" data-card-key=\"575300cb785d44e9aa4226b4382f4a7b\">\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/5DTrENdWvvM\">The Invisible Universe Of The Human Microbiome<\/a><\/h4>\n<p>The next time you look in a mirror, think about this: In many ways you're more microbe than human. There are 10 times more cells from microorganisms like bacteria and fungi in and on our bodies than there are human cells. But these tiny compatriots are invisible to the naked eye.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/cdn.embedly.com\/widgets\/platform.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In nature these urchins greet the newborn with fanfare, crowding tight \u200ein the birth canal, eager to smother butterfly kisses. The precious babe \u200eis born warm, wet and slimy. The enchantment continues as the baby \u200esuckles more of nature\u2019s magical protection.\u200e<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">Is Clean Natural?<\/h2>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">Once upon a time there was a natural world, wild and dirty, inhabited \u200eby plenty of microbial pathogens and toxins. We may have eradicated \u200eepidemics and trumped disease but in the heat of our zealous purge, \u200efriendly fire dealt a heavy blow to the grand support team of friendly \u200ebacteria.\u200e<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Many are the ways that our friends get caught in the crossfire. It \u200ebegins with elective C-sections and breast milk substitutes weakening \u200ethe infant\u2019s natural defenses and continues in a passionate clean up: \u200edisinfection,\u200e\u200f \u200fcrop dusting, pasteurization and sterilization. Of course \u200eour love of pills n\u2019 potions, particularly antibiotics, weakens our urchin \u200eteam as well. Let\u2019s not forget our heavily processed and empty foods \u200ewhich also provide little or no team support.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">While the genes which we inherited from our parents are fixed \u200e\u200e(sometimes we have the power to turn on or off an inherited trait), <strong>we \u200ehave the ability to completely makeover over our microbiome \u200eecosystem and transform both its quality and composition!<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">A Quick Fix<\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">By merely changing our eating habits, cleaning up our act, removing \u200eprocessed foods, sugars and other unhealthy foods and adding healthy \u200ewhole plant based foods we can create rapid change within our urchin \u200ecommunity. Even removing stress and adding physical activity to our \u200eroutine will ignite change.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Regular probiotic supplementation will enrichen our microbiome \u200eecosystem.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">There is yet another way, delightful and delectable, a long forgotten \u200ekitchen skill. Add fermented food and drink such as sauerkraut and \u200eother pickled foods, kimchi, kombucha and kefir to your diet.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/kfir-grains.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2999 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/kfir-grains.jpg\" alt=\"kfir grains\" width=\"718\" height=\"404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/kfir-grains.jpg 718w, https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/kfir-grains-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">Kefir, What is it?<\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Kefir, a lion of a drink, is a probiotic drink which is formed by \u200efermenting \u201ckefir grains\u201d. \u201cKefir grains\u201d are not grains at all but a \u200egelatinous culture of healthy bacteria and yeast. The shape of these \u200ecultures resembles grains, thus the name \u201ckefir grains\u201d.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">There are two versions of kefir, one which is milk based and the other \u200ewhich is water based. Each has its own unique culture of \u201ckefir grains\u201d. \u200eThe word kefir comes from the Turkish word \u201ckeif\u201d and translates \u200eloosely to \u201cfeeling good\u201d. The milk based kefir originated from the \u200eCaucasus Mountains in Turkey while the water based kefir is thought \u200eto have originated from the sweet water of the Mexican Opuntia \u200ecactus.\u200e<br \/>\nWater based kefir has a refreshing taste; it is light, fizzy and fun to \u200edrink. The longer the fermentation process, the fizzier the drink will \u200ebe. A longer fermentation will also produce a minuscule amount of \u200ealcohol. The finished product has a taste reminiscent of a tropical \u200esoda. \u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Regular consumption of kefir will not only provide a supply of friendly \u200ebacteria (probiotics) but also enzymes, minerals, amino acids, folic \u200eacid and type B vitamins. \u200e<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">I am a devoted fan of simple and easy recipes and usually steer clear \u200efrom complicated multistep ones. Moreover, <strong>I\u2019m afraid that I am a \u200emurderess in the home.<\/strong> I can\u2019t seem to keep my houseplants and \u200eother organisms alive. After taking a sourdough bread workshop, I \u200ehappily brought home my personal starter and stuck it in the \u200erefrigerator. By the time I got around to making bread, I found my \u200estarter in the back of my fridge starving, stinky and in a sorry unusable \u200estate. So much for sourdough bread! \u200e<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">To my delight I can attest to the fact\u00a0that the \u201ckefir grains\u201d are particularly \u200erobust and seem to be flourishing even in my refrigerator! There is no \u200edoubt in my mind that if they can thrive in my care then surely they \u200ewill in yours\u2026\u200e<\/h3>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">Adopt Your Grains<\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In order to prepare kefir you must have a kefir donor. While \u201ckefir \u200egrains\u201d can be purchased online, usually the grains are \u201cadopted\u201d \u200efrom a friend or an acquaintance. They truly flourish and from batch \u200eto batch they double in quantity! Anyone in need of a donner is more \u200ethan welcome to mine. There are websites that sell \u201ckefir grains\u201d \u200eeither live or dried.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">I will assume that you received live \u201ckefir grains\u201d. They look like clear \u200eor semi clear crystals and can be in many shapes and sizes (but \u200egenerally small). You will notice that they are pliable and slippery.\u200e<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">Pick A Way, Any Way<\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In order to preserve the \u201ckefir grains\u2019\u201d health and growth there must \u200ebe a steady supply of sugar and minerals.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Any number of sugars or combination of them can be used. One could \u200euse white sugar, whole cane sugar, maple syrup, coconut sugar and \u200eothers. I was taught that kefir does better with white sugar but I have \u200ebeen using whole cane sugar and the results have been great. Honey \u200ecannot be used as it is a natural antibiotic.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Minerals can be provided through dried fruit (raisins and\/or figs are \u200ebest but I used fresh apricot and I have not heard any complaints!) and \u200elemon (organic is best if not then peel the lemon). Likewise, minerals \u200ecan be enhanced by adding a few drops of liquid (trace) minerals or by \u200eadding a clean eggshell to the fermentation process.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">A fizzier and sharper kefir will be made using a second fermentation \u200eprocess.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">After researching and experimentation I discovered that there are a \u200enumber of ways to prepare kefir.\u200e<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">Water Based Kefir from A to Z<\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/kefir.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3006 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/kefir.jpg\" alt=\"kefir\" width=\"716\" height=\"403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/kefir.jpg 716w, https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/kefir-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Note: in all preparations avoid using metal utensils (don\u2019t kill your \u200ebabies)!\u200e<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Step 1 First Alternative<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u200e2 T sugar (sweetener)\u200e<br \/>\n\u200e\u00bc c rinsed \u201ckefir grains\u201d\u200e<br \/>\n\u200e2 figs (dried \u2013 without sulfur or fresh)\u200e<br \/>\n\u200e\u00bd organic lemon with peel (otherwise nonorganic without peel)\u200e<br \/>\n\u200e1 l water (unchlorinated, no reverse osmotic\u200e water or distilled water)\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Step 1 Second Alternative<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u200e4 T sugar (sweetener)\u200e<br \/>\n\u200e\u00bc c rinsed \u201ckefir grains\u201d\u200e<br \/>\nA few drops of liquid (trace) minerals or a clean eggshell<br \/>\n\u200e1 l water (unchlorinated, no reverse osmotic\u200e water or distilled water)\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Utensils:<\/strong>\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Large glass jar<br \/>\nPlastic strainer<br \/>\nPlastic spoon<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>The Process:<\/strong>\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Strain and rinse the \u201ckefir grains\u201d.\u200e<br \/>\nDissolve the sugar (sweetener) in warm water in the glass jar.\u200e<br \/>\nAdd strained \u201ckefir grains\u201d.\u200e<br \/>\nAdd the fruit or eggshell or liquid (trace) minerals.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Step 2 First Alternative<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Cover the jar and let sit in a warm place (about 25 degrees Celsius) \u200ewithout direct sunlight for 24 hours.\u200e<br \/>\nStrain the liquid. Dump the fruit or eggshell. Strain and rinse the \u201ckefir \u200egrains\u201d. \u201cKefir grains\u201d should be refrigerated in a jar with water. For \u200eevery \u00bc cup of grains add 2 T of sugar.\u200e<br \/>\nReturn the strained kefir to the large jar for another 24 hours. After a \u200etotal of 48 hours the kefir is ready: store in refrigerator.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Step 2 Second Alternative<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Cover the jar and let sit in a warm place (about 25 degrees Celsius) \u200ewithout direct sunlight for 48 hours.\u200e<br \/>\nStrain the liquid. Dump the fruit or eggshell. Strain and rinse the \u201ckefir \u200egrains\u201d. \u201cKefir grains\u201d should be refrigerated in a jar with water. For \u200eevery \u00bc cup of grains add 2 T of sugar.\u200e<br \/>\nAfter a total of 48 hours the kefir is ready: store in refrigerator.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Optional Step 3 Flavoring<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">At the end of the fermentation process flavorings can be added to the \u200ekefir. For each liter of kefir one cup of fresh fruit juice or fruit pieces \u200ecan be added as well as other flavors. Personally I prefer a \u200ecombination of lemon juice and ginger. It reminds me of the ginger ale \u200ethat I so loved to drink in my youth.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Optional Step 4 Second Fermentation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/my-kefir.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3011 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/my-kefir.jpg\" alt=\"my kefir\" width=\"716\" height=\"404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/my-kefir.jpg 716w, https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/my-kefir-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The flavored kefir can be fermented a second time around with the \u200ejuice, fruit and other flavorings. Simply let it sit again for a period of \u200e\u200e24-48 hours before refrigerating. Flip top bottles are great. Leave \u200eempty space for air (about \u00bc of the bottle). Open the flip top once or \u200etwice a day to burp the kefir, release pressure and prevent \u200eunnecessary explosions!\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u200e\u201cKefir grains\u201d have a good life. They thrive and the community will \u200egrow exponentially if you give them half a chance. Next time around \u200eyou will be able to prepare twice as much kefir or share \u201ckefir grains\u201d \u200ewith a friend. You can add a bit of grains to your morning smoothie or \u200eeven munch on them as is. They can be frozen or dehydrated for \u200efuture use.\u200e<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The kefir grains need to be fed every two weeks if they are just lying \u200earound in your refrigerator.\u200e<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: center;\">L'Chaim &#8211;\u00a0\u200f\u00c0 la tienne\u200f!\u200f<\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">If you have not yet read about the rocky part of my journey, you can <a href=\"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/?p=2136\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">read it here<\/a>.\u200e<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\"><em>I would like to thank you for your patience in reading this post to its end.\u200e<\/em><\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><em>If you liked what you read and you are not on my mailing list, you can\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/?page_id=358\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sign up \u200ehere<\/a>.\u200e You will be among the first to receive my e-book: 16 Wayz to Navigate Your Health.<\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><em>Finally I would like to request that you please share my powerful animated\u00a0message<\/em>!<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"embedly-card\" data-card-controls=\"0\" data-card-align=\"center\" data-card-chrome=\"0\" data-card-theme=\"light\" data-card-key=\"575300cb785d44e9aa4226b4382f4a7b\">\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/IeO6BfGaP68\">You Tell Your Future &#8211; The Power is Ours!<\/a><\/h4>\n<p>Imagine you had a looking glass where for a very short window of time you could observe, live the \u200efinal moment, day, year or years of your life. The picture that you see is clear. Startled, you clearly \u200edo not like what you see. A wave of sadness and fright paralyzes you.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/cdn.embedly.com\/widgets\/platform.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"embedly-card\"><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">Join me: CHOOSE abundant whole health!<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/power2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2332 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/power2.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\" srcset=\"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/power2.jpg 716w, http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/power2-300x168.jpg 300w\" alt=\"power2\" width=\"716\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\r\n<script>(function(d, s, id) {\r\n  var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\r\n  if (d.getElementById(id)) return;\r\n  js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\r\n  js.src = \"\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\";\r\n  fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\r\n}(document, \"script\", \"facebook-jssdk\"));<\/script>\r\n<fb:like href=\"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/?p=3026\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" layout=\"standard\" send=\"1\" width=\"\"  colorscheme=\"light\" show_faces=\"1\"  style=\"background:#FFFFFF;padding-top:0px;\r\npadding-right:0px;\r\npadding-bottom:0px;\r\npadding-left:0px;\r\nmargin-top:0px;\r\nmargin-right:0px;\r\nmargin-bottom:0px;\r\nmargin-left:0px;\r\n\"><\/fb:like>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KeFIR, A Lion of a Drink \u200e- Is Bacteria a Dirty Word? You there, yes, I know that you staunchly support the five second rule. \u200eSurely you have no problem with your children reaching down to \u200ereclaim their fallen treasures every now and again\u2026 Our children, \u200ehowever, spent their days<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-en-blog","category-nutrition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3026"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5498,"href":"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3026\/revisions\/5498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}