FAQ
NovAlive Coconut Milk Kefir is a plant-based, fermented food - high in active beneficial bacteria. Each serving contains 16 billion CFU (colony forming units) of live bacteria which helps support your gut health and overall well being.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some people, unfamiliar with living (fermented) foods, have some questions when they initially start to consume them so we wanted to provide answers to some of your questions.
Coconut Milk What? The word 'kefir' comes from the Turkish language and roughly translated means 'long life' or 'good life'! Most people in North America pronounce it 'kee-fur' or 'keff-er' however, Russians pronounce it as 'kuh-fear'. Since it originated in the Northern Caucasus Mountain region of Russia, we'll assume that is the correct pronunciation. However you pronounce it, kefir is a fermented beverage, traditionally made with dairy milk, that is high in beneficial bacteria. Historically, kefir is closely linked to the longevity of the people of Russia, who were known to live long and healthy lives, with many centenarians among them.
Why Coconut Milk? Some people are sensitive to dairy or choose to follow a plant-based diet for health related reasons. Coconut Milk is a great alternative to dairy that is delicious and provides a nutritious base for our ferment.
How does it taste? Most people describe it as a “slightly sour coconut-y taste” similar to yogurt. Given that our kefir has no added sugar like the commercial ones you might be used to, the taste can range between sour and tangy, depending on your taste. If you don’t love it at first, you can add it to any cold food like a smoothie, yogurt, overnight oats, orange juice, homemade popsicles. We love the taste and prefer to just take it straight up!
Why does it sometimes “pop” or “fizz” when I first open it? This is the beautiful sound of a perfectly fermented product! During the fermentation process, carbonation builds up and then releases when you first open it. After the initial opening and the carbonation is released, it will no longer fizz as the fermentation process stops once it is refrigerated and cooled.
How long will my kefir last? The best before date on the package is the date that the product should be sold by to maintain the 16 billion CFU of probiotics per serving in an unopened package. Once the package is opened, it should be consumed within 30-35 days. The good bacteria in the kefir allows it to last much longer than that without actually spoiling. In fact, we’ve kept some in our fridge for way longer than six months and it was not spoiled however we cannot guarantee the probiotic count at this point. With 33 servings per package, if used as suggested, you should go through one in about a month.
Is your kefir gluten free, sugar free and dairy free? Yes, yes and yes! There is ZERO gluten or sugar used in our process so we can guarantee it to be free of added sugar and gluten. We also do not use any dairy in the process of making our coconut milk kefir however, since milk kefir culture requires the enzymes in milk to survive, our starter is cultured in a milk substrate. This is the case for all milk kefir, dairy or plant based. The amount of starter that transfers into each individual bottle, and thus serving, is so minimal that there is no milk remaining in the final product. We had our product tested at the food lab at the University of Guelph for dairy allergen and casein and both came back with the result "not detected" so we are confident that it is dairy free.
Why “plant based” and not vegan? The term “vegan” was coined in 1944 by Donald Watson — an animal rights advocate and founder of The Vegan Society — to describe a person who avoids using animal products of any kind for ethical reasons.
In the 1980s, Dr. T Colin Campbell introduced the term “plant-based diet” to define a vegetable-based diet that focused primarily on health rather than ethics.
While our kefir does not contain any animal products, true vegans may object to the fact that kefir culture needs milk to survive. This is why we have chosen to label our product plant-based rather than vegan.
For our potential vegan customers, you will be happy to hear that we are currently working on a vegan version which is water kefir based – stay tuned for the launch of this product.
How much should I take? For the long version response to this question, please see Our Kefir Story. The short version is this: our suggested serving is 1 tbsp per day. One serving contains 16 billion CFU which aligns with the daily recommendation of probiotics by the National Institute of Health. While you can consume more than that, some people do experience adverse effects when they overdo it on their probiotic. If you are not currently taking a probiotic, we do recommend starting slowly. Start with 1 tsp and add 1 tsp daily until you reach the suggested serving, backing off if you notice any digestive upset. This is completely normal, some people just need some time to allow their body to adjust to this new healthy bacteria.
For more information on suggested probiotic recommendations, here's a great article: https://loricalabresemd.com/blog/can-you-overdo-probiotics/
If you still have questions, please reach out via our contact us page and we would be happy to answer your questions directly.
Which probiotic strains are in your kefir? Lactococcus lactis, Lactococcus cremoris, Lactococcus diacetylactis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides cremoris, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei, Kluyveromyces marxianus. It also contains the beneficial yeast, Saccharomyces boulardii and the prebiotic fiber, inulin.