Lifeway Kefir Probiotic Bars
September 29, 2008
Have you guys heard of Kefir? According to Lifeway, “Kefir is the cousin of yogurt and its roots can trace back more than 2000 years.” “The word Kefir is thought to have been derived from the Turkish word "Keif" for "good feeling", probably due to the sense of well-being experienced after drinking it.”
Honestly, it’s new to me but Lifeway asked if I’d try their new Probiotic bars. There are three flavors, Chocolate, Pomegranate and Sweet & Salty (peanut). Of course my favorite was the Sweet & Salty which weighs in at the highest points (Calories 240, Fat 13g, Fiber 3g). In it’s defense it was very filling and tasted great! The toddler loved the Chocolate ones (Calories 200, Fat 6g, Fiber 1g) and the Pomegranate (Calories 190, Fat 5g, Fiber 4g), well, it was ok. A little too sweet for me.
The only thing that concerns me is looking at the ingredients, the only mention of kefir is in the coating which isn’t that thick. So I wonder how many probiotic cultures there are in a bar. This is my fear with most products claiming to have life cultures, how do we know, is there a way to even measure? Maybe they can answer that for us in the comments.
Over all the bars were tasty, a bit high in points but may be worth it especially if you don’t like yogurt and are looking for another way to get some good cultures in your diet.
Has anyone else tried them or kefir for that matter? Please share your thoughts!
On September 29th, 2008 at 1:28 pm Shannan said:
I’ve never tried anything with kefir, but I’ve heard of it. At those nutritional values, though, I’m not sure I’d want to use up my calories on one bar. I have many alternatives that use up only half those values. The fat seems high, also, with not a ton of fiber in the sweet & salty, which would be my preference, too. The pomegranate looks like your best bet in terms of a balance of cals/fat/fiber. It might be a good thing if you need a boost and a meal is hours away.
Check out Shannans last blog post..Week 5 is underway! Also, dress picture posted…
On September 29th, 2008 at 1:33 pm roni said:
Shannan - I agree, I thought they were pretty high myself, considering I can get yogurt in for about 100 cals. I’m saving my last two for those days I run out of the house with no time for breakfast.
On September 29th, 2008 at 3:15 pm Bonnie said:
My Aunt drinks Kefir, as instructed by her Dr. for an intestinal problem. I tasted it when I was in Michigan visiting her a couple weeks ago. It takes like liquid yogurt to me…but the calories were a LOT higher than the lowfat yogurt I eat. I too, think that the calories and fat are too high for the fiber. I only get 20 points a day right now, and that is not enough points to waste on the Kefir bars.
Check out Bonnies last blog post..Brian
On September 29th, 2008 at 3:17 pm Bonnie said:
Roni–For me anyway…CommentLuv seems to be putting the last person’s blog (their name, not even their blog post) that I went to the last time I was in Blog To Lose, as my “last blog post”.
Check out Bonnies last blog post..Brian
On September 29th, 2008 at 3:21 pm roni said:
Bonnie - I know.. Again a re-post…
All my BlogToLose peeps, what seems to be happening is CommentLuv is picking up the latest community post not your post. I’m working on a fix for this. In the mean time if you don’t want the wrong link to show up just uncomment the check box. I will announce when I get it all straightened out.
Sorry to be short, just getting this question daily!
On September 29th, 2008 at 5:28 pm mary said:
the point of the kefir bars is the probiotics and active cultures it has and a convenient way to take it on the go. The company did activity testing and it contains between 5 and 10 billion CFUs. The difference between yogurt and kefir is the amount of probiotics as well. You can eat as much yogurt as you like but you will never get all the health benefits that you would get from kefir. It offers plenty of protein, calcium and fiber. Plain Kefir has the lowest amount of calories and carbs, plus it’s low fat too.
On September 30th, 2008 at 3:54 am Inny said:
There’s a way to measure if the kefir bar has any life cultures at all. Take a cup of milk (it better not be fat free), warm it up to 37 degrees celsius and add a little bit of sugar (regular or brown sugar, not splenda, it’s for the bacteria to eat). Take some kefir or kefir coating and put it in the milk, then stir very gently. Keep the milk overnight at a warm place, making sure the temperature stays about 37 degrees. If the bar has real cultures they will multiply and by the morning you’ll have your own home made kefir! If the milk smells bad, it would mean the coating had no kefir cultures and other bacteria fed on the sugar instead.
Check out Innys last blog post..Back on track
On September 30th, 2008 at 6:19 am vickie said:
what is the PROTEIN level?
Check out vickies last blog post..cooking ahead talk
On September 30th, 2008 at 7:06 am roni said:
Inny - That is COOL! I may have to do a little experiment! ;~P
On September 30th, 2008 at 7:07 am roni said:
Vickie - No need to yell, all you had to do was ask. ;~P
They range from 5-11g with the chocolate having the most, if you believe it.
On November 12th, 2008 at 7:46 am Sharon said:
Don’t even think about skating off easy by just buying kefir, yogurt, or sauerkraut from the store. THERE IS NO COMPARISON TO THE REAL THING. The store bought kefir is made from some kind of powdered starter that pales in comparison to real grains, plus real kefir tastes much better. You can also make the real kefir into a mouth-watering thick cream, which is unbelievably delicious.
Most yogurts found in stores are nothing more than fancy desserts because they are loaded with refined sugar. And good sauerkraut is next to impossible to find in grocery stores because they have been heated, processed, and enclosed in an airtight container, all in which kill the beneficial bacteria. (one of the main purposes of these foods)
You must learn to make this yourself with your own kefir grains. Although nothing can top kefir made with fresh raw milk you can still gain excellent benefits by making kefir with pasteurized milk. And don’t worry if you are lactose intolerant, the bacteria will break down everything in the milk for you, the lactose, proteins, fats, and vitamins and minerals. In other words, it is pre-digested for you so that your body can easily digest and assimilate all the nutrients milk has to offer.
I have the best source that you can learn how to make your own KEFIR :
http://www.howtomakekefir.com
On February 9th, 2009 at 10:31 am Kurt said:
What Sharon said. “Real” sauerkraut and pickles are kept refrigerated, not kept on the shelves, and they have NO vinegar. Luckily, we have a small local company that makes real pickles, and a few small farms that produce real “lacto-fermented” sauerkraut. My brother swears by kefir, but I haven’t tried it.