Although I live in Europe, I have never tasted kefir, which is supposed to have originated from these parts. Kefir is a fermented milk product, like yoghurt, and results from the labor of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts. The most commonly used strains are Lactobacillus acidophilus and Saccharomyces kefir, although the exact combination of bacteria and yeasts may vary between.
And like yoghurt, kefir seems to have probiotic effects, enhancing the populations of beneficial bacteria in the gut, and inhibit the growth of potentially harmful bacteria. According to a new study on mice, milk kefir and soymilk kefir significantly increased the …read more

Food crops are being genetically modified usually to come up with more robust -and therefore more productive and profitable- varieties or to improve its nutritional content. Take for example my previous post on tomatoes with enhanced flavonol content.
Those who oppose the use of genetically modified crops, however, are concerned that such food may cause food allergic reactions as they are made to produce snippets of “foreign protein” (GeneticsandHealth has several entries discussing the nitty-gritty of genetically modified food here, here, and here).