May
There it was, sitting on my kitchen counter. I almost felt like I was doing something illegal. When you have been told all your life that this could lead to serious trouble, of course you may be a little concerned. I mopped the sweat from my brow and drew the shades a little tighter. A knock at the front door just about made me jump out of my skin. Already? How did they know? A nervous laugh ensued when I opened the door as it was only my family coming over to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. Whew!
I finally got up the courage to tell my kids about the quart jar with a napkin rubber-banded around the top, filled with fermenting liquid. It was this little science experiment that had me so worried. All kidding aside, I was on a quest to make milk kefir. It is made by using milk kefir grains and putting them in milk. After sitting at room temperature for around a day, the milk ferments and you end up with a successfully cultured milk.
FITTING THE PIECES TOGETHER
I have been on a journey for some time to better understand my body and do what I can to give it the best chance possible to live as healthy as it can. I have grown a vegetable garden for years and know the importance of locally grown produce and meats. But I had a health scare at the age of fifty with 90% blockage in my “widow maker” artery in my heart. That, along with my two sons experiencing serious digestive issues (ulcerative colitis and ulcerative proctitis), has gotten me wondering…why have the wheels fallen off the proverbial cart with our health? Why are we seeing health issues that seem to defy logic?
This pursuit has brought me better understanding in a lot of areas of nutrition, and the puzzle pieces are starting to fit together a little better for me. I am not saying that what I have learned is a solution for everyone, but it has brought me to a place that makes a whole lot more sense.
The science of it is super fascinating, especially when I see it align with the Word of God. When I constantly look at the “design” of these systems (human body), it gives me a greater appreciation for the Designer.
WANTED: MORE 'ARMED' GOOD GUYS
One area that has really captured my attention is gut bacteria. The issues with both of my sons’ health involve inflammation of the large intestine. Part of the standard treatment for these issues involve taking antibiotic drugs that wipe out ALL of your bacteria. Good and bad. It is like carpet-bombing your bacteria, hoping that you hit all the bad targets. The problem is that you hit all the good targets as well. They don’t have laser guided antibiotics that can pinpoint and eliminate just the bad bacteria.
Conversely, if you have a room crowded with armed good guys, it would be very difficult to have any bad guys enter and do a lot of damage. So, if you disarm the good guys and take away 95% of them, it would be a lot easier for a bad guy to enter and do a lot of harm.
The whole process reminds me of this scripture.
“When a corrupting spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn’t find anyone, it says, ‘I’ll go back to my old haunt.’ On return, it finds the person swept and dusted, but vacant. It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits dirtier than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse than if he’d never gotten cleaned up in the first place.”
- Luke 11:25(MSG)
THE IMPORTANCE OF BACTERIA
Our body’s collective bacteria genes of 10,000+ species outnumber our human genes 150 to 1. This makes their impact profound. In fact, many scientists and clinicians are beginning to wonder if we are really just “bug vehicles.” This makes one wonder, “Who inhabits who?”
Evidence abounds in the world of bugs. Besides digestive functions, a favorable gut bacteria has been shown to manufacture vitamins, play a role in cancer; affect pathogen inhibition; modulate cardiovascular disease risk; affect mood and behavior; assist with detoxification, digestive health, estrogen metabolism and weight; modulate diabetes; support skin health; decrease food sensitivities; and impact risk of autism, fatty liver disease, autoimmunity, and more. As you can see, you lose these powerful health benefits when your body is void of good bacteria.
WHY KEFIR?
The whole reason for the kefir is to begin the process of restoration. To bring the body back to its original state. The milk kefir contains around 35-56 different strains of good bacteria and yeasts that has been propagated and passed down for many generations. You cannot manufacture kefir grains from scratch.
Ever since I had my blocked artery a few years ago, I have been taking medications, but I am not interested in staying on them. While some medicine may be fine for acute issues, having to constantly live on it is not natural. I am interested in finding the root cause and repairing the damage. When that is done, the rest will take care of itself. I believe my research and usage of kefir is one important step.
God designed us, our food, and everything that we need, to sustain life. Was His design flawed so that we need to go in and fix it? When we stray from the original design of God’s intent, we find ourselves lost and open to a myriad of problems. We tinker with and process our foods, we are enlightened into new views about relationships, and good and bad become just another perspective in our new enlightened society. Why would we need God when we have become so smart? What we have really done is stray from God’s great design, and we have made gods of ourselves. We have set our fate adrift on the wind of man.
I try to see the beauty of God’s great design in the world around me. I trust that He is smarter than me. I see my life operate better when it is in alignment with Him. When I drift away and find myself in trouble, I start looking for the lighthouse of where He wants me to be.
My journey to restoration is still in its first chapter. The work being done in my body largely goes unnoticed and behind the closed doors of my flesh. I know that feeding my body life enhances my quality of life and my overall health will improve. My wife, on the other hand has found dramatic improvements with her mood from the milk kefir. Since 90% of serotonin is produced in the digestive tract, this could be the next big anti-depressant.
I find that fermented foods have put me back on the path of life. When I see science align with what we know to be true with God’s Word, it is just another confirmation of the awesomeness of the great God we serve!
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I am a father of four and husband to an awesome wife. I have been called to work in the Information Technology department for Living Word Christian Center and cfaith in Minneapolis, MN since 2001, and I oversee them both. My goal is to use technology to make real connections between people.
