Kefir and Kombucha are fermented drinks and are packed full of probiotics or "beneficial" bacteria for your body. Both of these drinks have seen big increases in popularity in the last few years in the United States, despite being a long time staple for many cultures around the world. Chris Kresser wrote a great article about kefir and highlighted many of its benefits here. Richard Nikoley, author of "Free the Animal: how to lose weight and fat on the Paleo diet" is also crazy about Kombucha and Kefir and had an extensive blog series about his experiment with a raw milk kefir diet.
Even though these drinks are not "perfectly" paleo they are still gaining popularity as of late within the paleosphere. I would attribute this to several different factors. First, the paleosphere is hip to the importance of a healthy gut biota which probiotics can help establish. Secondly, the fermentation process of kefir eliminates something like 99% of the lactose in milk which makes it much more paleo-friendly.
Also, we are all different and there is no one "best" diet that fits all of us. Dairy is actually tolerated by a lot of individuals. Anecdotally, many are finding that a paleo and/or gluten-eliminating diet has helped fix their intolerance to dairy. I attribute this to helping with issues like endotoxemia or a "leaky" gut and increasing the amount of gut bacteria that can produce lactase. Lactase is an enzyme that digests lactose which is missing in those that are lactose intolerant. These are some reasons why there is an acceptance of dairy by paleo dieters.
Even though these drinks are not "perfectly" paleo they are still gaining popularity as of late within the paleosphere. I would attribute this to several different factors. First, the paleosphere is hip to the importance of a healthy gut biota which probiotics can help establish. Secondly, the fermentation process of kefir eliminates something like 99% of the lactose in milk which makes it much more paleo-friendly.
Also, we are all different and there is no one "best" diet that fits all of us. Dairy is actually tolerated by a lot of individuals. Anecdotally, many are finding that a paleo and/or gluten-eliminating diet has helped fix their intolerance to dairy. I attribute this to helping with issues like endotoxemia or a "leaky" gut and increasing the amount of gut bacteria that can produce lactase. Lactase is an enzyme that digests lactose which is missing in those that are lactose intolerant. These are some reasons why there is an acceptance of dairy by paleo dieters.
.gif)
