Kris Carr

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Ask Kris: The Scoop on Kefir, Oxalates & Frozen Veggies

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Hi Sweet Friends,

Each week you wonderful readers ask me really interesting and thought-provoking questions. They come in all shapes and sizes, in the comments section of my blog, my inbox, and on social media. Since I can’t reply to everyone individually, I thought it’d be fun and useful to pick a few commonly asked questions and start tackling them here, for everyone to enjoy.

Introducing… Ask Kris.

Today I’m covering kefir, oxalates, frozen veggies and juice/smoothie storage! Let’s get started…

Joanie’s Question: What’s your thinking on kefir? I’m finding that after a month of kefir from organic goat’s milk—my digestive issues have improved tremendously.

Kefir is a tart and even sour tasting cultured dairy (or non-dairy) drink that’s prepared by fermenting milk with bacteria. It’s often—but not always—pasteurized. Kefir is rich in probiotics and is generally kind to the digestive system.

One of the greatest health advantages of kefir is its high probiotic content, which may be the main reason for your improvement in digestive issues (congrats!). As you may have read in my dairy blog, goat’s milk is closest to human milk, is slightly alkaline, and has the least amount of lactose, making it more digestible and a better beverage compared to cow’s milk. But, keep in mind that goat’s milk kefir still contains casein and growth factors which may have a negative health impact. Plus, kefir typically has sugar added to make it more palatable (about 12 grams per cup), so make sure you’re being a food detective and reading your labels.

Non-dairy, unsweetened kefirs such as coconut kefir may be a great alternative. While a coconut kefir doesn’t contain the protein in a dairy kefir, it has a similar probiotic profile, none of the growth factors or dairy proteins found in dairy kefir, and the unsweetened varieties aren’t high in sugar.

You may also want to try supplemental probiotics. I’d encourage you to choose one of the higher quality probiotics like Dr. Ohirra’s, Primal Defense, Healthforce Nutritionals (Friendly Force), or MegaFood’s Megaflora as an experiment to see if it’s simply the probiotic content of the kefir that’s helping you. I talk about probiotics in my gut health blog, and I discussed probiotics with Kenneth Bock, Integrative MD in this Chat & Chew video. Take a peek!

Lastly, if you were drinking cow’s milk before switching to kefir, your improved digestion may be related to what you’ve eliminated rather than what you’ve added. Just an idea! If you’re interested in more veggie-based solutions, a plant-based kefir and/or probiotics may give you the same digestive benefits without the drawbacks of casein and growth factors found in animal-based milks and kefirs.

 

Patricia’s Question: I love my green smoothies! Should I be concerned about my oxalate levels with all the greens I am digesting?

Oxalates have been a really hot topic lately. Hopefully I can shed some light. Oxalates, which are formed naturally in the body and are also found in the leaves of some plants. They aren’t really a concern unless you’re prone to kidney stones, and even then, the evidence isn’t very strong (study here). But since eighty percent of kidney stones are calcium oxalate stones, nephrologists (that sounds kinky/creepy!) may still recommend avoiding high oxalate foods in individuals prone to them. Recent research points to an alkaline diet (lots of fruits and veggies, minimal amounts of animal protein, and plenty of alkaline water, which can be made by simply adding fresh lemon juice to your filtered water) as one of the most effective ways to prevent kidney stones.

The bigger concern with oxalates is that they bind to calcium in the body, and may decrease calcium absorption. The highest oxalate levels are found in spinach, beet greens, and Swiss chard. Because of their high oxalate content, they are not considered a reliable source of calcium. However, not all greens are high in oxalates. Low oxalate greens include kale, bok choy, romaine, arugula, turnip greens, and others.

When in doubt, rotate! If you love spinach, beet greens or Swiss Chard in your daily smoothies or juices, just rotate kale or other lower oxalate greens into the mix for nutrient variety and to maximize calcium absorption. This strategy also applies if you’re prone to kidney stones and want to be extra special careful (as always, check with your integrative doc to find out what’s right for you).

Sharri’s Question: What do you think of eating frozen vegetables when in a hurry and don’t have any fresh vegetables on hand?

Oh la la I love frozen veggies! They can be an awesome and healthy part of your plant-passionate diet. Once vegetables are picked, they start losing some of their water-soluble nutrients, especially vitamin C and folic acid. Each day, more of these nutrients are lost. So, if our “fresh” broccoli is harvested and transported across the country before we eat it, chances are it’s lost some of it’s vitamin C and folic acid content.

Ideally, we’d be picking our broccoli from the backyard or the local veggie stand and eating it the same day. But for those who don’t have access to fresh produce all the time, frozen varieties are a nutrient-rich alternative. Frozen produce is often frozen immediately after it is picked, and freezing halts the nutrient seeping that happens in fresh air.

Remember, boiling or steaming frozen vegetables will cause some of the nutrients to be lost, so including them in a soup that includes the cooking water will save the precious nutrients that would have gone down the drain.

Mike’s Question: Will freezing my juices and smoothies keep them fresher longer?

I’m often asked if it’s okay to freeze your juices and smoothies, and believe it or not, freezing juices or smoothies in mason jars, ice cube trays, or popsicle molds is a great option, especially if you want your juice etc. to last more than 24 hours. Freezing actually preserves most of the nutritional value of fresh juice and smoothies.

The longer your juice sits in the fridge, the longer it’s exposed to oxygen—causing nutrient degradation and the loss of enzymes. Keep in mind that for juice, the rate of degradation depends on the type of juicer used. Juice made with a centrifugal juicers have a shorter shelf life than juice made with masticating, twin gear or hydraulic juicers.

Here’s a handy chart showing what percentage of nutrients is lost during freezing (and cooking, reheating, etc.). Click here to view chart. It’s important to let your frozen concoction thaw naturally and drink it right away, or have it frozen. Nothing like a green smoothie popsicle on a hot, summer day! Heating or defrosting these nutrient-dense creations in a microwave will degrade the nutrients even more.

Hope that helps!

Your turn: What’s your “Ask Kris” question? Maybe I’ll answer it in the next round!

Peace & curiosity,

Add a comment
  1. Marj says:

    Wondering what you think of both rice bran oil and grapeseed oil.
    I have read good things about both and use them in addition to olive oil and coconut oil.

  2. Carol W says:

    Really helpful! I’ve been hearing a lot about coconut kefir lately and I honestly had no clue what it was or where to get it/how to make it. Maybe I’ll go and try this today …

    Thanks for sharing! 🙂

  3. Kirsten Jorgensen says:

    I was wondering if dried goji berries have the same nutrient content as fresh. I live in Ohio and dried are the only ones I have found.

  4. Kirsten Jorgensen says:

    Do dried goji berries have the same nutrient content as fresh?

  5. Colette Nalley says:

    What are your favorite water purification systems? I am interested in stand-alone solutions that eliminate Pharma and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as well as all the other bad stuff. Thanks Kris!!!

  6. MAria says:

    Hi Kris I have been doing green smoothies lately, but have hear that juicing is much better when we want our bodies to absorb all the vitamins and minerals, two questions about this, I don’t have a juicer but I do have a blender is it the same to blend the ingredients and then strain them? And if yes here is the second question, what can we do with the fibers that are left from this process.

    Thank you so much for all your shared jnowledge and for being such an inspiration 🙂

    Xoxo
    Maria

  7. María says:

    Kris one question on juicing, I have been doing my smoothies but I am
    Very interested I to juicing, the problem is a don’t have a juicing machine (I do have a blander) could I blend the ingredients and
    The strain them? Would that work as well?thank you and thanks for being such an inspiration 🙂

  8. Nan says:

    This was very timely! I am curious about the Crazy Sexy Team’s take on phytates. Not only had I been reading a lot about oxalates a lot lately, but I’ve also been reading a lot about the phytates in beans, grains, legumes and nuts lately. The Paleo folks (and some others) recommend limiting, if not completely cutting out, foods from these groups (nuts, legumes, beans and grains), in part because of the phytates (or enzyme inhibitors). The phytates are designed to protect the seed/grain/bean from sprouting in an unfriendly environment. In the human digestive tract, if not appropriately sprouted, soaked or roasted (I’ve seen one site that says you have to do all three!), these foods can rob your body of minerals eaten in that same meal.

    What is your take on that?

    Thanks!

  9. Alyson says:

    I love this post! So much great information in a quick easy way to understand it. I hope you’ll do more blog posts like this 🙂
    If so I’ll through a question out there (you might have already answered this sorry if you have I’m new to following you).
    When cutting out refined sugar what are some basics I should follow when using alternatives like stevia, agave, maple, dates and honey? Sugar makes my skin brake out (being 29 I’m so over having acne) I’ve been dairy and GF for 2 years now and a vegetarian for 11 years but still have brake outs and know it’s from sugar. Just looking for some advice on how to cut it out and still enjoy the sweetness of life. Thank you! xox

  10. Hi Kris, thanks for this post this is really interesting as I just love my green smoothies every morning. Plus I’m just about to embark on making my own Kefir, as although I’m dairy intolerant I can tolerate Kefir made with raw goat milk. In fact, it is fantastic for my digestion. So glad you’re posting about the benefits. Thanks!

  11. Karen says:

    Regarding oxalates, I have read that although they may bind with calcium and iron, if you take them with a fruit like an orange or any form of vitamin C that this helps counteract the effects of the oxalates.

  12. Julie says:

    Thanks for adding this section! I love it!

  13. Latifa says:

    Hi Kris. Thanks for all the wonderful info! I too have a question about green juicing/smoothies with hypothyroid. Much of the information out there seems to be centered around eating raw green smoothies/juices and their effects on hypothyroid. I am a 3x cancer survivor and love my green drinks to help keep my immune system strong. What’s your take on it? <3

    • Latifa says:

      Also…the goitrogenic effects from what I have read are mainly a problem with hypothyroid caused by low iodine, so I’m not sure then if it’s just the raw factor…

  14. Linda says:

    What a great idea. Just wanted to mention you can make water kefir very easily too,lots of recipes on the web. I am now concerned about my spinach intake I have about 2 cups a day raw chopped up on my evening meal.

    My question:

    Is cooked potato a good food or not? And how much is too much?

  15. Joanna says:

    I’d love to know what you like for health and beauty aids, what kind of make-up, soap, shampoo etc do you use? You always look great!

  16. Pam says:

    Lovin’ the Q&A Kris!

  17. Lynn says:

    What about eye health? I eat carrots and spinach every day because I have eye issues. Is this enough?

  18. Jules says:

    Great post Kris! Love the idea of “Ask Kris” regular column. You’re awesome. Keep up the great work!

  19. Ana Lucia says:

    Thank you so much Kris, your knowledge is your gift to us, I have leaned and benefited from your articles, and of course, your books and recipes. Keep up the great work.

  20. jerri says:

    Does drying on that chart mean `dehydrating’ as in raw foods?

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