Become an Ayurvedic Clinician:Explore our Certification Courses
College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion

College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion
Enroll Now
 
Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda

College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion


MORE OPTIONSDown Triangle

FIND RECIPES

FIND FOOD

AYURVEDA DIET 101

AYURVEDIC DIET FOR MAY

SEASONAL TIPS

MY SAVED INGREDIENTS

AYURVEDIC FOODS

Kefir Benefits (According to Ayurveda)
Study Ayurveda

Print Kefir
Share on Social Media
Share Content with Friends & Clients

Click one of the buttons above, or cut and paste the following link to share this page with your network. This link will automatically track your referrals to Joyful Belly:

Share URL for Kefir

Copy Link

About Sharing Content & Referrals.

Tools
Recipes with Kefir.Recipes with Kefir
Create an Ayurvedic RecipeCreate a recipe with it
Compare with other dairy
4.00 out of 5 stars 3 ratings, 146 likes

Customer Reviews

4.00 out of 5 stars
Sign in to review or comment

See all reviews

Table of Contents

How Does This Ayurvedic Food Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Kefir is a thin yogurt drink that cools and soothes as it refreshes. Its sour taste, like yogurt, improves its digestibility when compared with other dairy products. As it is less thick than yogurt, it also digests more easily than yogurt. Kefir can aggravate sluggish, Kapha digestion. If your digestion is sluggish and heavy, add warming spices like ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, or cardamom.

Buying & Preparation

Beware, many kefir drinks come loaded with sugar.

Learn about the health benefits of kefir for FREE

You'll receive free access to our entire website including healthy recipes, nutritional diet plans, medicinal uses of ingredients, & ayurvedic health tips. Sign in once and you can use our website indefinitely..

Please register or sign in to continue.

first name
e-mail address*
confirm your e-mail*
enter a password*
Want our top Ayurvedic recipes and health tips? Click YES to subscribe to our newsletter!
(
find out more
Frequency: You'll receive our most popular Ayurvedic health tips every day for a week, and then 1-2 emails a week ongoing.
).
Yes No
Register

Is Kefir Good for My Ayurvedic Diet?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether 'Kefir' is a good fit. Complete the basic quiz in 1 minute, or go deeper with additional quizzes at your own leisure to learn more about your body.

Take the Quiz

AYURVEDA'S GUIDE TO VITALITY & WHOLESOME NOURISHMENT

Your Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body and your specific imbalances. With an Ayurvedic diet you feel joy and satisfaction because what you are eating truly nourishes and balances you. Disease results from diets and lifestyles that are incompatible with your nature. By eating a personalized diet matched to your body, you experience optimal health. See How it Works.

Metabolic Nature of Kefir

See a complete list of all biocharacteristics.

METABOLIC NATURE

Metabolic Nature

Ayurveda assesses metabolic imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics (gunas). Aggravating them weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which biocharacteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct metabolic imbalances before you get sick. Every biocharacteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite biocharacteristic.

Find Out More

GOOEY

ABOUT GOOEY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Gooey is identified by anything gelatinous (such as oatmeal), or by mucus congestion.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GOOEY

HEAVY

ABOUT HEAVY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight.

LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY

TASTES

The 6 Tastes

Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below?

Find Out More

SOUR

ABOUT SOUR BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Sour refers to anything fermented or acidic.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SOUR

DOSHAS

The Three Doshas / Body Types

Ayurveda is a metabolic theory of medicine that explains individual health, tendencies, and disease patterns through the concept of doshas, which can be understood as your metabolic patterns and tendencies.

Each dosha reflects a distinct metabolic nature and describes strengths & weaknesses in bodily function, and how these affect energy levels, digestion, susceptibility to disease, and many other tendencies.

Your metabolic nature not only affects your physical characteristics, but also influences your mental thought patterns, confidence, and enthusiasm.

Ayurveda balances these metabolic strengths & weaknesses to support your body's vitality and prevent recurrent disease cycles. This support is a critical aid, especially in chronic or incurable disease conditions.

The 3 metabolic body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha).

Through dosha, Ayurveda empowers people to identify metabolic imbalances early, break repetitive patterns of disease, and cultivate habits that support long-term vitality and well-being.

Ultimately, these metabolic patterns also provide a framework for understanding yourself, including body, mind, and spiritual tendencies.

Find Out More

PACIFIES
Vata pacifying
AGGRAVATES
Kapha aggravating Pitta aggravating

GREEK MEDICINE / TEMPERAMENTS

The Four Temperaments / Humors

Ayurveda & Greek Medicine were the dominant form of medicine along the Silk Road from England to China and South Asia. They work by assessing your metabolic type, patterns, and nature. Greek medicine recognizes 4 metabolic temperaments, Melancholic, Choleric, Sanguine, and Phlegmatic.

Find Out More

PACIFIES
MELANCHOLIC

ABOUT MELANCHOLIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Cold and dry with a slow, variable or erratic metabolism. Colicky, tense. Withdrawn, pensive, anxious, and hesitant. Analytical, intelligent, detail oriented and creative. Prone to ojas depletion, dehydration, an overactive nervous system, and depression.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MELANCHOLIC

AGGRAVATES
CHOLERIC

ABOUT CHOLERIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Has a hot and dry metabolic nature. Enthusiastic, vibrant and bright. In excess burns up fluids and ojas, irritable. Corresponds to high bilirubin in the blood that irritates and heats up the body and liver.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CHOLERIC

PHLEGMATIC

ABOUT PHLEGMATIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Wet & cold. When out of balance becomes congested, stagnant, and overweight. Loving, trusting, and patient.

LEARN MORE ABOUT PHLEGMATIC

SANGUINE

ABOUT SANGUINE BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Hot and oily with a moderate metabolism and a well nourished body. Vigorous, vivacious, outgoing and generous, and prone to impulsivity and self indulgence. Bullish and intense when out of balance.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SANGUINE

Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Kefir
Experiences are Personal
Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

(see all)
Mind, Stress & Sleep:
Improves Focus

IMPROVES-FOCUS

Reduces scattered thoughts. Creates a steady mind. Includes herbs that relax (for Vata) and herbs that stimulate (for Kapha).

SEE ALL 'IMPROVES-FOCUS' FOODS / HERBS

Energy Vitality:
Nutritive

NUTRITIVE

An herb that is strengthening and nourishing.

SEE ALL 'NUTRITIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Skin Care & Beauty:
Demulcent

DEMULCENT

Herbs that coat or form a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane.

SEE ALL 'DEMULCENT' FOODS / HERBS

Weight Loss:
Lowers Blood Sugar

LOWERS-BLOOD-SUGAR

An herb that lowers blood sugar.

SEE ALL 'LOWERS-BLOOD-SUGAR' FOODS / HERBS

Foods with a Similar Nature to Kefir

  • Yogurt

    Yogurt has these Actions in Common

    Demulcent, Nutritive, Improves-focus, Lowers-blood-sugar

    LEARN MORE

  • Okra

    Okra has these Actions in Common

    Nutritive, Demulcent, Lowers-blood-sugar

    LEARN MORE

  • Homemade Yogurt

    Homemade Yogurt has these Actions in Common

    Nutritive, Demulcent, Lowers-blood-sugar

    LEARN MORE

  • Barley

    Barley has these Actions in Common

    Lowers-blood-sugar, Nutritive, Demulcent

    LEARN MORE

  • Flax Seed

    Flax Seed has these Actions in Common

    Lowers-blood-sugar, Nutritive, Demulcent

    LEARN MORE

  • Blueberry

    Blueberry has these Actions in Common

    Nutritive, Improves-focus, Lowers-blood-sugar

    LEARN MORE

  • Fenugreek

    Fenugreek has these Actions in Common

    Lowers-blood-sugar, Nutritive, Demulcent

    LEARN MORE

  • Romano Cheese

    Romano Cheese has these Actions in Common

    Nutritive, Demulcent

    LEARN MORE

  • Umeboshi Plums

    Umeboshi Plums has these Actions in Common

    Nutritive, Improves-focus

    LEARN MORE

  • Potato Starch

    Potato Starch has these Actions in Common

    Nutritive, Demulcent

    LEARN MORE

Herbs & Supplements with a Similar Nature to Kefir

  • Vidari

    Vidari has these Actions in Common

    Nutritive, Demulcent, Lowers-blood-sugar

    LEARN MORE

  • Amalaki

    Amalaki has these Actions in Common

    Improves-focus, Lowers-blood-sugar, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Asparagus root

    Asparagus root has these Actions in Common

    Demulcent, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Slippery Elm

    Slippery Elm has these Actions in Common

    Nutritive, Demulcent

    LEARN MORE

  • Safed Musali

    Safed Musali has these Actions in Common

    Demulcent, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Solomon's Seal

    Solomon's Seal has these Actions in Common

    Demulcent, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Comfrey Root

    Comfrey Root has these Actions in Common

    Demulcent, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Vata Shirodhara Oil

    Vata Shirodhara Oil has these Actions in Common

    Demulcent, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Bala

    Bala has these Actions in Common

    Demulcent, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Cornsilk

    Cornsilk has these Actions in Common

    Demulcent, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Red Clover

    Red Clover has these Actions in Common

    Demulcent, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE


Joyful Belly is a recognized college of biocharacteristics medicine.

TRADITIONALLY INDICATED FOR
THESE SYMPTOMS

Kefir may be beneficial for these symptoms. The suitability of any food for a condition is highly dependent on the individual. Please see your doctor before using this food to treat a medical condition.

CONTRAINDICATED FOR
THESE SYMPTOMS

Kefir may be harmful or contraindicated for these symptoms. Note this is not a complete list of all possible contraindications. Please see your doctor before using this food to treat a medical condition.

Herb Drug Interaction Risk

Here are some potential herb drug interactions with Kefir. Please see your health care provider for more information.

View other ingredients
for Autumn-Winter

Kefir is recommended for Autumn-Winter. Check out these other Autumn-Winter foods here.
VIEW ALL AUTUMN-WINTER FOODS MORE FOODS FOR VATA MAIN INGREDIENT PAGE

HOW DOES EATING AYURVEDICALLY MAKE YOU FEEL?

Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. Food digests with ease when right for your body type (dosha). Healthy digestion is seen as the cornerstone of well-being in Ayurveda. Healthy digestion generally prevents illness. If you do get sick, a strong digestive fire reduces the severity of illness and increases your resilience. It also improves your mood. Once you begin eating Ayurvedically, you will feel refreshed, vital and strong.
CONTINUE READING

Clinical Tools & Resources

Give smart recommendations to your clients, and improve efficiency in your clinic with these tools.

Create a Diet for
your client

Clinical Tools &
Resources

Master Ayurvedic
nutrition

About the Author

John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda. His approach to Ayurveda is clinical, yet exudes an ease which many find enjoyable and insightful. John also directs the Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda, offering professional clinical training in Ayurveda for over 15 years.

John's hobbies & specialties include advanced digestive disorders, medieval Catholic philosophy, & botany. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University. His wife and family of 7 kids live in Asheville, NC.

Learn More

Spring Diet

The season is about to shift into spring. Are you ready?

Get The Spring Diet

upcoming courses

Apply for Scholarship. Monhly payment plans available.

Fundamentals of Virtue Psychology ($2,699)

Enroll for $183 / month. Starts Aug 2025.

Ayurvedic Herbalist ($4,999)

Enroll for $299 / month. Starts Aug 2025.

Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Medicine - 2 Year Counselor Certification ($7,999)

Enroll for $250 / month. Starts Aug 2025.

Panchakarma Specialist ($5,999)

Enroll for $250 / month. Starts Aug 2025.

Master Ayurvedic Digestion & Nutrition 500 Hour Certification Program ($4,499)

Enroll for $299 / month. Starts Oct 2025.

About the College

What is Ayurveda?

Founder of Joyful Belly Ayurveda, John Immel, answers the question ‘What is Ayurveda?’

Comments & Impressions of 'Kefir'

Do you like 'kefir'? Why or why not? What makes it unique? Is there something else you'd like to know about 'kefir'?

(4.00 out of 5 stars) 3 ratings, 146 likes
Sign in to review or comment

Kimberly Kubicke Asbury park, NJ
2015-12-18
“Pitta does better with kefir that is made fresh, rather than store bought."
Like Reply
Kimberly Kubicke Asbury park, NJ
2016-01-20
“As indicated above, kefir is generally not ideal for Kapha individuals. It is possible to warm kefir up by adding some warm - not hot - water to it."
Like Reply
Improve Enzyme output & Master your Digestion

Improve Enzyme output & Master your Digestion

Watch this Sample Class
BOOKS BY JOYFUL BELLY

BOOKS BY JOYFUL BELLY

GET YOUR FREE CHART
Master Ayurvedic Digestion & Nutrition

Master Ayurvedic Digestion & Nutrition

Enroll Today

Join Joyful Belly

Want our top Ayurvedic recipes and health tips?
Subscribe to our free newsletter!

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information and products on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.