Podcast Episode 200: The Science & Story Behind Kefir – Julie Smolyansky

*This episode is not sponsored, however I attended a virtual event in Spring 2021 that was sponsored by Lifeway.

The Science & Story Behind Kefir

Kefir originated in the Caucasus Mountains region where Julie Smolyansky’s ancestors lived. When her family left the Soviet Union in 1976 they were refugees and immigrated to Chicago. A couple of years later, Julie’s mother opened the first Russian deli in Rogers Park. In 1985 while attending a trade show in Germany, Julie’s father bought some kefir and realized that the delicious dairy beverage was not available in the United States. The rest is history!

Tune in to this episode to learn about:

• Lifeway Kefir’s story – from the basement to NASDAQ
• What is kefir and what products are available in store
• Key physical and health benefits associated with kefir
• A variety of ways to incorporate kefir into sweet or savory recipes
• The Kefir Cookbook

Julie Smolyansky

Julie Smolyansky became the youngest female CEO of a publicly held firm when she took over Lifeway Foods at the age of 27 in 2002. Since then, Julie has continued the company’s growth trajectory with creative product development and marketing, bringing kefir into the U.S. mainstream and boosting annual company revenues to over $100 million. Under her leadership, the company has expanded distribution throughout the United States, Mexico, the UK, and Ireland as well as portions of Central and South America and the Caribbean.

Julie has been named to Fortune Business ‘40 under 40,’ Fortune’s 55 Most Influential Women on Twitter, as one of the Best Instagrammers of the 40 Under 40 list and was recently named a 2020 Champion of Wellness by VeryWell. She released her first book, The Kefir Cookbook: An Ancient Healing Superfood for Modern Life, Recipes from My Family Table and Around the World in March of 2018. She lives in Chicago and is the mother of two girls.

“Lifeway Kefir is a tart and tangy cultured milk smoothie that is high in protein, calcium, and vitamin D. Thanks to our exclusive blend of kefir cultures, each cup of kefir contains 12 live and active cultures.” -Julie Smolyansky

Resources:

Lifeway Kefir: Website | Recipes | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Julie: Instagram 

Healthy Pumpkin Bites recipe

Lifeway’s Kitchen Conversion Chart

Research studies: 

Yeoh YK, Zuo T, Lui GC, Zhang F, Liu Q, Li AY, Chung AC, Cheung CP, Tso EY, Fung KS, Chan V, Ling L, Joynt G, Hui DS, Chow KM, Ng SSS, Li TC, Ng RW, Yip TC, Wong GL, Chan FK, Wong CK, Chan PK, Ng SC. Gut microbiota composition reflects disease severity and dysfunctional immune responses in patients with COVID-19. Gut. 2021 Jan 11:gutjnl-2020-323020.  https://gut.bmj.com/content/early/2021/01/04/gutjnl-2020-323020.long 

Jayawardena R, Sooriyaarachchi P, Chourdakis M, Jeewandara C, Ranasinghe P. Enhancing immunity in viral infections, with special emphasis on COVID-19: A review. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2020;14(4):367-382. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2020.04.015 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7161532/

Reiter A, Bengesser SA, Hauschild AC, et al. Interleukin-6 Gene Expression Changes after a 4-Week Intake of a Multispecies Probiotic in Major Depressive Disorder-Preliminary Results of the PROVIT Study. Nutrients. 2020;12(9):E2575. Published 2020 Aug 26. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7551871/

Yang Z, Li J, Gui X, Shi X, Bao Z, Han H, Li MD. Updated review of research on the gut microbiota and their relation to depression in animals and human beings. Mol Psychiatry. 2020 Nov;25(11):2759-2772. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-020-0729-1 

Related Posts:

Digestive Health: Probiotics, Prebiotics & Fermentation – episode #162 with Dr. Elieke Kearns

Postbiotics & Immune Health – episode #184 with Dr. Justin Green and Keri Gans

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Music by Dave Birk

Produced by JAG in Detroit Podcasts

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