Document And Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2016	Aug. 08, 2016
Document And Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	LIFEWAY FOODS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000814586
Document Type	10-Q/A
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2016
Amendment Flag	true
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Is Entity a Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Is Entity a Voluntary Filer	No
Is Entity's Reporting Status Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		16,140,633
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Amendment description	Change that impacts financial statements