I've made gjetost...it comes out brown and with a lovely texture . I didn't think it would work, as it was made from whey....I reasoned that surely you need the solids to make a cheese. But it worked. Unusual but moreish...( as is most cheese!!!).

One way to check that out is to go to the local shop, read the carbs on the labels of plain yogurt. No fat is ALWAYS the highest carb count, then low fat and the least amount of carbs ALWAYS goes to Whole milk derived or full fat. (Cream on top yogurt) Go to any yogurt brands website and pull their nutrition facts.

And as for me, if it is not full fat yogurt made from cream, it tastes like crap. Also the low fat stuff will not soothe my stomach like full fat can. And the same goes for me with kefir. In fact I am really liking Kefir more and more. I have incorporated both yogurt and kefir into my list of frequent foods that I do consume.

Some info I am currently going through -
http://www.kefir.net/kefiryogurt.htm

I am so disappointed! I love plain yogurt with just a spoonful of Splenda, but I was one of those who thought it was only 8g per cup. I usually eat at least 1/2 cup per day for the digestive benefits--to keep yeast in check.

I'm going to be making greek-yogurt with cream pretty soon here. I have this dehydrator book that suggests using it in some dehydrated things -- yogurt cookies or some such! Sounds interesting enough to try. :-)

That recipe does sound interesting! Do post it if it turns out nice, won't you!
I don't use my dehydrator for much and need to get it out again and experiment. So far I have only used it to dry berries and make jerky.

My greek yogurt has only 2 carbs per 100 grams (about 1/2 cup) so on OWL I added 200 grams portions!

I make kefir a lot with goats milk. I don't always drink it, but the chickens go crazy for it when I mix it in their laying mash, so you know it's nutritious and gives them something lacking in their regular feed. In texture and taste, homemade kefir is like drinkable yogurt except it has even more probiotics; but unlike yogurt, the longer kefir sits, the more lactose its bacteria consume until it becomes very sour, the way I like it. Most people don't like it that sour.

I make kefir the real way, with living rubbery organisms called kefir grains, transferring them from jar of kefir to jar of fresh milk for seven years now. These grains grow and multiply, kinda cool, but can be a problem in that too many will convert milk to kefir too quickly, faster than I can drink it, so I usually give extras away, except everyone around me has their own, so now I either just eat the extra grains (more probiotics!) or give them to the chickens... funny, they seem to like the grains almost better than the kefir.

You know, 4g per half cup isn't exactly a disaster, and improves your health. Let's keep things in perspective here.

BUT, one thing you must remember is that kefir contains yeast. so if you can't tolerate yeast, don't give up cultured milk, just try yogurt or buttermilk.
i made kefir w grains for a couple years thinking that my body would adjust, but it never happened.
i culture my yogurt for 24 hrs. my buttermilk, until it's just right...if i over culture, i make quark.

Sagehill and ProfGumby, I just bought some kefir grains and some other stuff. I read a TON of stuff on the net about kefir and went mildly crazy. :-) I'm so looking forward to it. I used to occasionally drink it (commercial versions), I always liked it.

For others: The 'yeast' in kefir is not gluten-grain yeast fwiw. It is often recommended for people who have chronic candida problems. But I think yeah if you just cannot digest yeast for some problem that would be an issue.

After reading all about kefir now I am fascinated and want to experiment on occasionally adding some kefir-whey to anything from gardens to animal foods.

We used to love having smoothies in the morning but the kid gets a tummy ache from a big dose of milk/h&h. I think the kefir will probably digest better for her and be helpful nutrient-wise also. I am running out of my over-supplements and won't have much soon besides basics so I think adding something like kefir might be very healthy.

I saw recipes for making it into cheeses, butter, and other things that sounded kind of interesting (since I cannot get anything 'organic' here in that regard).

Any kefir maker with advice, drop 'em in my journal, glad for them!

PJ

Kefir really is pretty interesting stuff... and quite versatile. The whey (or even kefir itself) can culture all kinds of foods; I like to use it to culture fruit juice to make a mild beer or sparkling wine (similar to Apple Beer which used to be available in the late 60s) which sours the juice and reduces carb count dramatically. Whey can tenderize tough meat, or culture cream for butter or sour cream, and you can make a type of cream cheese from kefir that'after draining the whey. Even culture homemade mayo with a tbsp or so of whey to make it last weeks in the fridge instead of days.

As for tolerance, 3-4 years ago a woman came to me with severe IBS/Crohn's, so thin she looked starved, could hardly tolerate any food at all. She started buying my goatmilk and making kefir with it. Kefir was the only thing she could eat for nearly two years until her gut finally healed enough to be able to eat other food. She stopped buying goat milk when she felt she was healed enough, but just last month she called again to buy milk because her IBS was flaring up again. I mentioned that wheat and grains were a major cause for IBS, but she was resistant to that news. oh well...

sagehill, i had that experience w yogurt; it was the only food i could eat at one time. i still go back to it if a flare up occurs.

according to dom's kefir site, you can make some amazing cheeses, etc.

i see you in the UK as well - which yoghurt do you get thats 2 carbs? i get total 2% fat. its 3.8 carbs

Sorry, I just checked and the Greek yogurt I buy from Lidl's which is cheaper than Total (and a bigger pot too) actually has 2.8 carbs per 100 grams.
Not a lot in it, but one carb is one carb

yep, every little helps!

theres no lidl in walking distance to me! total is rather expensive at 80p a pot when you can buy standard yogurts for like 10p. its probably cheaper to buy the big tubs but ill just eat it all in one if i do ha

Or you could get some kefir grains and use half&half to make a thicker kefir, and let it thicken in the fridge after that, and make your own yogurt-style kefir -- or even your own yogurt -- which would surely be cheaper?