Milk Kefir, Granola and Berries – Probiotic Breakfast for Energy & Health

​A large percentage of your immune systems is housed in your gut. For a healthy gut, consuming probiotics such as milk kefir, which are full of  beneficial bacteria will help our digestive tract with digesting food. It also helps to absorb vitamins, and support our immune system. This will give one a fighting chance during cold and flu season.
 
Start your day healthy with an easy and slimming breakfast so delicious, it could be eaten as a dessert, yet beneficial for an active lifestyle and brain function!
 
This breakfast of champions will help one feel full and satisfied longer for many hours, without the insulin spikes often followed by sugary breakfasts nor the trigger of hunger pains related to processed breakfasts such as muffins and sugar-laden cereals.
 
A bowl of milk kefir, granola and berries also helps to keep one alert and energised for hours. Each component helps provide protein, and nutrients, helps fight inflammation, and lower cholesterol levels.
 
Milk Kefir is a fermented probiotic drink made from diary of any kind. The live cultures stimulate your immune system, aid in digestion, and improves bone health among other things. To learn more and how to make your own Milk Kefir, click here.
 
The berries are not a decorative token. Besides taste, they are high in antioxidants; and natural plant sugars for improved blood sugar and insulin response.
 
The fiber in both the granola and berries helps to slow down food movement through your digestive tract leading to reduced hunger and increased feelings of fullness. Avoid granola with high sugars/sweeteners and oils.
 
There really isn’t a recipe here to follow. It is simply an ensemble of ingredients that play well together. Milk Kefir is basically a blank canvas you can colour anything with! You could also use yogurt which is slightly thicker. However, milk kefir has more probiotics and protein.

You can also put it all in a jar as a packed lunch for work or school.
 
Ingredients
 
1 cup milk kefir (more or less)
½ cup of low sugar granola or muesli (more or less)
Handful of berries
 
Optional:
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Maple syrup, honey, or sweetener of your choice
Fresh fruits, or dried fruits such as goji berries or raisins, coconut flakes, seeds and nuts
 
Method
 
Combine milk kefir, granola (or muesli) and as many berries as you desire into a cereal size bowl. Enjoy!
 
For a transportable packed lunch:
 
Either the night before or in the morning before work/school, layer all ingredients into a non-corrosive (such as glass) 2 cups or more size container, with an airtight lid (I don’t use any kind of plastic but you can).  Don’t forget your spoon!
 
Tip #1: For take-outs, you can also bring the ingredients separately in containers or bags to be combined on-site.
 
Tip #2: Adding a piece of washed organic orange or other citrus peel to your homemade milk kefir and fermenting it a second time will increase the vitamins due to prebiotics in the fruit. It will also help to mellow the tang of the milk kefir, besides offering a zesty deliciousness to the drink. Note: the white part of a citrus peel called the pith will make the milk kefir bitter if left for too long. Make sure the pith is not attached to the peel when adding to other ingredients if you do not prefer a bitter taste.

Side note: You can purchase milk kefir in stores, but make sure it is not filled with added sugars and fillers. Homemade kefir is better and easy to make. You can order milk kefir grains here: 
http://www.homemadewithrachel.ca/store/p30/Live_Organic_Milk_Kefir_Grains.html
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