The Dark Side of Water Kefir – Water Kefir Side Effects
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Sometimes my ferments don’t go over too well with the kids. They’re just not into the tangy, sour flavors of a good kraut or relish. Getting them to get plain asparagus is tough enough, let alone trying to get them to eat lacto-fermented asparagus. But there is one lacto-fermented beverage I’ve tried that has consistently been a hit with kids and adults alike – root beer water kefir.
Quick and Easy Root Beer Water Kefir
I haven’t tackled brewing with actual roots yet, although I did track down some of the needed ingredients. For now, I’ve just been using root beer extract.
To make root beer water kefir, follow the basic instructions for water kefir. To one quart of finished water kefir, add one teaspoon of root beer extract combined with one tablespoon of sugar dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water.
Bottle and let sit on counter for a day or so to increase carbonation, and then refrigerate. We prefer it cold or served over ice. We have an ice shaver, and the boys used it quite a bit when they were younger. It’s an economical way to make a fun treat, and doesn’t take up much room in the cupboard.
If you’d like to try brewing your own water kefir, I recommend Kombucha Kamp for fresh water kefir grains. Their cultures ship fresh, not dried.
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Problems with Water Kefir
While I’m talking about water kefir, I’d also like to mention one health “problem” that I have run into from drinking water kefir. I haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere else. I probably should have thought of it sooner myself, but it never occurred to me until it happened.
Most of the recipes I’ve seen for water kefir suggest putting a piece of clean eggshell in during your ferment, to make sure you have enough minerals for your kefir grains to eat. I usually put in an entire egg shell.
Welllll…like I said, given that I get quite a bit of hard water buildup on my faucets, I should have known better. I really didn’t need to add the eggshells in my water kefir. My well water has plenty of calcium and minerals already. When it was warm outside (there were three days this season that were warm – seriously), I started slugging down water kefir. The effects were very obvious. Instead of my usual 4-5 number on the Bristol Stool Chart, I moved into the 2-3 range. Too much calcium causes constipation.
So just be warned – if you have hard water, you probably don’t need to add extra minerals to your brew. Also, if I drink larger quantities of water kefir, it tends to unsettle my stomach (possibly because of the excess calcium?). For me, kombucha has the opposite effect. Around here, we regularly use kombucha to settle an unsettled stomach after eating out, or when someone is just feeling “a little off”.
Water kefir and kombucha drinkers, what effects have you noticed since you started drinking your brews? Has anyone else run into this? Let me know.
More Home Fermenting Posts
You may also enjoy:
- How to Brew and Flavor Water Kefir “Soda Pop”
- How to Homebrew Kombucha – Save Money and Enjoy a Healthy Drink
Originally posted in 2011, updated in 2017.
Can you use any brand of root beer concentrate or extract ?
Anything suitable for soda making should work for water kefir, too.
I googled stomachache from water kefir and came upon this discussion. Since a few others did the same, I thought I would add my experience. I am very health conscious, vegetarian, have taken probiotics for years, and love the taste of the water-based kefirs made locally. I normally drank it once in a while, but recently started drinking it daily, and have had ongoing sharp pain/cramping in my stomach. Seems that it isn’t a good match for certain people? Will try not drinking it for a while…
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hi, I have had kefir water (not fruit added) bottled in my fridge for 12 months. I opened on today and it is fizzy and tastes like a cider . Would this Still be ok?. How long does bottle kefir last for please.? Thanks Cate
I know a gal who routinely ferments fruit kefirs for a year as part of her local food efforts. I’d sample in small amounts just to make sure it doesn’t upset your belly, but it should be fine if it does not taste spoiled.
Does water kefir, have a negative effect on arthritis?
Maybe. Each person is different.
The article “Best Beverages for Arthritis” notes: “Consider exploring a fermented beverage like kefir as an alternative. It too is full of probiotics that can decrease inflammation in your body. Make sure you’re choosing a low- or no-sugar yogurt or kefir.”
Arthritis is an auto-immune condition, which means that odds are the gut is not functioning as well as it could be. In general, fermented foods are helpful for most people – but that can also be high in histamines. If you have a histamine intolerance, kefir is probably not a best choice for you.
The article “Histamine Intolerance: A Surprising Cause Of Inflammation” discusses high histamine foods, histamine triggering foods, low histamine foods, and how to help your body heal from histamine intolerance.
I have quite a problem separating the water kefir crystals out from the tiny pieces of crushed fruit including tiny tiny fig seeds. It is time consuming. Has anyone else had this problem and are there any suggestions for keeping the crystals separate from the fruit mixture? I have seen a suggestion of keeping the crystals in a muslin bag but I don’t know how that would go?
You could hold off on adding the figs or other fruit until the second ferment, after the water kefir crystals have already been strained out.
Fairly new to water kefir. 1st- cultures have multiplied x6 since purchasing- can I freeze or dehydrated them? It’s just me drinking the kefir. I often feel a slight “buzz” after drinking & some bloating/gas. I don’t drink alcohol so maybe i’m a light weight. Haha
I haven’t flavored it yet, actually enjoy it plain. Thanks for sharing all your insights.
Yes, you can store your excess kefir grains. Dehydrate them at low temp (95F) in dehydrator or at room temp, then freeze in an airtight container.
I have been drinking Kefir water for about a year. It has normalized my restroom and was my salvation from chronic constipation. However now I have developed indigestion that is getting worse. I am not bloated nor do I have gas, I just have this sweet taste/feeling in the back of my throat when I eat. I also do small burps after eating within 45 minutes. Has anyone else had this experience?
When I started with my first batch of water kefir a couple weeks ago, I noticed I got a pleasant buzz. I drink about 2-3 cups per day. Now I seem to get an intense headache that is more like a high blood pressure headache, as opposed to a tension headache. I don’t believe I have ever had a migraine so I can’t say if it mimics that. I used to be able to drink alcohol without issue (I stopped drinking alcoholic beverages a few years ago.) I can eat sauerkraut, fermented vegetables and vegan yoghurt without issue. I have been vegan for years so I don’t have any dairy/meat/fish. I am curious if others have had the same headache reaction just to water kefir. Thankfully, it has had only positive effects on my bowels.
I should add that my intention is not to have a ‘buzz’, lol, but I am more concerned now that it has turned into headaches. I have to take a few rounds of antibiotics due to dental implant work (over the course of the year) so I am trying to offset their effects. I am worried about the alcohol content for me, and also for my young adult children who are driving.
The recipe I am following for water kefir is:
1 gallon of reverse osmosis water;
3 cups grains;
1 cup sugar (mostly cane, with 2 tbsp. coconut sugar) and;
either of the following organic dried fruits: 2 figs, or 4 dates, or 4 apricots;
2 slices of organic lemon;
pinch of baking soda;
4 drops of trace minerals.
The first two batches I made were with half the sugar and 48 hour first ferment (the first two times) but now am doing 6 day first ferment (I tried 48 hours initially so maybe I need to go back to that) and then strained and bottled (flip-top) for 24 hours or so, and then refrigerated.
Does kefir water affect your cholesterol levels mine have not been good since I started about 9months ago
I haven’t been able to find any definitive studies on water kefir. The milk kefir studies seem to indicate that milk kefir has no effect or lowers cholesterol.
“Kefir consumption does not alter plasma lipid levels or cholesterol fractional synthesis rates relative to milk in hyperlipidemic men: a randomized controlled trial”
“Kefir drink causes a significant yet similar improvement in serum lipid profile, compared with low-fat milk, in a dairy-rich diet in overweight or obese premenopausal women: A randomized controlled trial”
That said, every person is different. If you think it may be causing a problem for you, stop drinking it for a while and see if your numbers change.
I was hoping you could help me. I followed this recipe and my kefir won’t fizz! Normally I get great carbonation from fruit. But with the root beer extract & sugar I have gotten nothing! I plan to try again to see if it’s an a fluke but do you have any suggestions?
I never found our root beer kefir to be as fizzy as the fruit kefirs. You could try more sugar and slightly warmer fermentation temps to give it more to feed the yeast and more favorable fermentation conditions.