Kefir salsa

Kefir salsa makes for the richness of an avocado and tomatoes with the sour of a probiotic; add one of your favourite-chilis.

This is a perfectly versatile condiment that will enrich any one of many different meals in your home; and it's so easy to make.

It's important to make time for a probiotic in your kitchen; and kefir happens to be our choice. It takes only five minutes to prepare once you have the granules.

The result is a lush, creamy sauce that you could pour over a pasta, use on the base of pizza or slosh over new potatoes. It is so versatile. You might enjoy a teaspoon on a sandwich; or to spice up a lima or broad-bean dish.

And of course there are so many variations. You could add a tablespoon of olive oil or use a herb like sweet basil instead of the cilantro; or even a green such as rocket.

You could also make this with creamy Jersey milk instead of kefir of course.

I do not advocate following recipes slavishly; personalise it and make it your own. That's the fun of cooking.

Kefir

Should you be a little macabre and read lists like the trends of the ten most common causes of death^[1], you might be alarmed by the way the neurodegenerative diseases have doubled in the last twenty years.

I cannot think of any worse way of dying than suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The colon is now being called the "second brain" by researchers.

Astonishingly an enormous number of important chemicals like dopamine and serotonin that we once thought were only secreted by cranial nuclei are actually also produced in the bowels; either by the lining itself or the friendly hoard of microbes that live there.

The only problem is that this microbiome as it is called is being severely depleted by the modern industrial diet. Two things are important; the actually numbers of bugs and their diversity. Astonishingly in the healthy gut there should be over 2kg of these friendly bacteria, viruses and yeast cells.

Taking a probiotic supplement is the expensive and non-sensible way to do it; they never contain more than 10 different microbes and often only one or two.

Traditionally all societies used to make a probiotic of one sort or another; that could be sauerkraut, kimchi or many of the fermented foods. Kefir just happens to be the easiest in my opinion. Only five minutes of my time, twice a week is all that is needed to provide for the intestine.

How to make kefir is child's-play. The benefits are staggering. 

Pancreatitis

Another of those killer diseases in Fatty Pancreas. Lipid droplets are deposited in the organ, replacing the cells that produce insulin and digestive enzymes; first comes incredible pain and then the cancer. Getting back to home cooking like this kefir salsa is the only way to limit those seed oils that are highly inflammatory; and are in so many grocery store dishes.

• Foods for a healthy pancreas
  

Avocados

I'm sure I do not have to tell you that avocados and the olive are the sources of the "fruit fats" that all nutritionists wholeheartedly agree are supremely good for us. They will argue long into the night about canola, butter and coconut but over these two gems this is a universal accord; eat them regularly.

Some don't like the sliminess of an avocado but in your kefir salsa you can enjoy all the benefits of this rich, spicy sauce.

Tomatoes

Ever since I read that those enjoying a tomato a day, raw or cooked, suffer from half as many prostate tumours, we have looked for many different ways to enjoy them; this kefir salsa is just one of them.

It's from a phytochemical called a lycopene; it is found in the red fruits and vegetables. Watermelon is another good source.

The importance of the tomato was first discovered when it was realised that the prevalence of serious prostate disease was far less in the Italian men. Eventually it was discovered that it was because of their love of the fruit in so many different dishes.

Herbs and spices are big in our family; wonderful benefits of adding interesting flavours to our foods but they are also rich in many phytochemicals which make oft unknown contributions to our wellness. What is basil has a lot of scientific backing however; it is arguably my favourite.

Window of vulnerability

A C. difficile infection is not uncommon after antibiotic treatment. It's a bacterium that infects the colon resulting in diarrhoea and can cause life-threatening damage to the large intestine. There is a "window of vulnerability" after the medication which not only attacks the target pathogen but also disrupts the friendly flora; this facilitates the germination of the spores of this nasty bug.

Recommendations are for a probiotic to re-establish the microbiome immediately after the medication. Much research has been done on SER 109 composed of Firmicutes spores clearly demonstrating the benefits.

Our recommendation is for a probiotic such as kefir enjoyed regularly; prevention always remains better than a cure. These friendly bugs compete with pathogens such as C. difficile for essential nutrients.

Reinfection by C. diff was only 3% in the those treated with SER-109 as compared to 24pc in the placebo group^[2].

Calcium

Kefir is the richest source of naturally available calcium. From supplements the mineral is deposited in the coronary arteries raising blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease.

• Get your calcium from kefir
  

Kefir salsa

Kefir salsa is a simple garnish that will add to any salad or pizza; or even as a smoothie for breakfast.

Freshly-ground corn makes for a wonderful wholegrain porridge; enjoying the recipes you will find on this site will mean you need have no fear of butter and cream.

In South Africa we call it maize-meal porridge; it's often enjoyed with a probiotic called maas. Instead we are having it alongside this kefir salsa as a source of friendly bugs for the gut known as the microbiome.

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