Healthy Living

This is one of my simple pleasures. I can't believe I haven't written about it sooner. I first learned about kombucha from my doctor. She recommends it to folks who need to kick the soda habit. I use it to increase my intake of beneficial bacteria. The picture above is the untouched, hard-core, truth. When it is filtered, bottled and flavored it looks much more appetizing. I promise!

Kombucha is simply fermented tea. Wikipedia says it dates back to China around 1910 but other sources say it is thousands of years old. It is brewed by using black, oolong, white, or green tea, organic sugar, and filtered water. The "starter" is much like a sourdough bread starter. It is a special blend of yeast and bacteria called a SCOBY. This special Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast does the work of converting the sugar to a combination of acids that are beneficial to the body.
 

Basic Benefits

The drink contains beneficial bacteria that support our body's natural bacterial flora. These beneficial bacteria are chelaters which means they are capable of drawing out a wide range of toxins and heavy metals from the body. Dr. Joseph Mercola says that using a variety of fermented foods in the diet including kombucha inoculates the body with a wider variety of beneficial organisms eliminating the need for supplementing with probiotics. 

The acid profile of the fermented brew includes acetic acid which gives the brew its flavor and prevents the growth of harmful bacteria. Glucaric acid is it's health super star. It speeds up the elimination of toxins.  Two other acids, butyric and gluconic, help control overgrowth of Candida yeast. Candida overgrowth is responsible for a myriad of diseases from acne to cancer. 

Home Brew

Making kombucha at home is very simple. The only hard part is finding someone with a SCOBY to give you. You can buy them online but that's no fun. I have a kombucha mentor that gave me my SCOBY and is lovingly coaching me through my first brewing. There are also a plethora of web pages on the subject. 

Best Reason to Drink Kombucha

The taste is the best reason to drink kombucha! Any flavor that includes ginger gets my vote. It is a fizzy, sweet-tart, ice-cold, refreshing beverage that will remind you of ginger ale. Any Whole Foods or other health food store has bottled kombucha. It is usually found in the produce department or by the fresh juices. Even my Publix has a small selection of kombucha. The variety of flavors available are endless. Cranberry, grape, apple, mint, goji berry, peach, blackberry, lemon, lime, and combinations of any or all the above plus many more can be found. I'm brewing my first batch as I write and am planning to flavor some of it with fresh ginger and some with pineapple. 

I hope this has opened your eyes to a new way to increase your your gut health and have a special treat at the same time! As always, don't hesitate to write and tell me your kombucha story or ask questions! 

All the best,
K
James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Kristi Whitley

Kombucha