Kombucha

When I first started my journey  in 2012, my counter- part (friend with the similar affliction) was adamant that I include Kombucha in my diet.

HUH?! 


Here is the skinny... 

 While all fermented foods are good for you, for me, Kombucha is queen. Made from 3 simple ingredients – tea, sugar and water, the SCOBY transforms them into a powerful detoxifying and alkalizing tonic. Moreover, in addition to beneficial bacteria, Kombucha has been specifically shown to aid healthy liver function and detoxification, balance blood sugar and improve digestion. The more Kombucha I consume, the less sugar my body can tolerate. Cool!

Kombucha is great source of beneficial bacteria that is also dairy-free.     A fermented tea thought to originate in Russia or China, kombucha has long been considered a health tonic. Kombucha, like other fermented foods and beverages, has a sour flavor with a taste reminsicent of apple cider vinegar combined with club soda, though home-brewed kombucha is often less acidic than storebought.

A starter culture sometimes called a kombucha mushroom, mother or scoby(symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts) is necessary to prepare kombucha.   The kombucha scoby has an odd appearance: it’s both solid and gelatinous with a beige coloring.   From time to time, strands of viscous strings appear on the bottom of the scoby and these are normal and a good source of B vitamins.   This starter culture thrives in the combination of brewed tea and sugar.   The kombucha scoby metabolizes the sugar converting it to various acids which provide kombucha with its characteristically tart flavor.

Kombucha, like other fermented foods and beverages, is rich in beneficial bacteria and vitamin B12.   It also contains a substance called glucaric acid.   Glucaric acid is deeply detoxifying and recent research indicates great promise that glucaric acid is effective in the treatment and prevention of cancer.

I now try to drink 8oz a day mixed with 1-1/2 oz. Ningxia Red from Young Living.
    My day seems incomplete without this drink. I love this stuff! Try the Guava. Its my fav.

Next step: Make my own from the starter culture I bought this week. Can you say, "hippie"? Don't care.  I am psyched!