I’ve been hearing so much about it so I decided to do a little checking and to try it. I had to search a bit to find one I liked because I’m not a fan of vinegar and most of them are very vinegary. I also found out a few things about why people think it’s so amazing.
First off, what the heck is it? It’s a fermented drink made up of tea, sugar, a starter from another batch (think sourdough) and something called SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast). Key word is symbiotic. The bacteria and yeast work together to produce a beneficial ferment. It takes about a week to ferment and there are people that “brew” their own. I’m not into that much DIY so I just get it at the grocery store.
I found out there are a lot of benefits, not just from Kombucha but from any fermented vegetable (like Kimchi). The fermentation creates probiotics or healthy bacteria. You’ve probably heard a lot lately about “gut health.” This is huge for your overall wellbeing and healthy bacteria is what we want in our gut.
Kombucha also helps balance your internal pH, it detoxifies the liver, improves digestion, and is very high in antioxidants. But also when fermented, it produces acetic acid (which is also found in vinegar). Acetic acid kills many potentially harmful microorganisms. It can also suppress the growth of undesirable bacteria and yeast in the gut. So we get more of the good and less of the bad. There are studies that show positive effects against heart disease, diabetes, and possibly even cancer.
But I’ll tell you the biggest impact it had for me. I have chronic heartburn and in the past used over-the-counter antacids with some relief. But I have also found that the antacids that I have been using may actually make my condition worse over the long run. So, slowly I have been able to get off all antacids except for the occasional Tums. But once I started drinking a bottle of Kombucha every day, I have had almost no heartburn. For me that is life changing. I still watch what I eat (sadly no spaghetti sauce), when I eat (at least 3 hours before bedtime.
Bonus: The Kombucha that I found that I like is a Kroger Brand called Simple Truth Organic but there are a lot of brands to choose from. I supplement with enzyme capsules that are a great blend of essential oils including Ginger, Peppermint, and Juniper (Essentialzyme4 by Young Living). And I love to mix my Kombucha with an antioxidant puree that I take everyday called NingXia Red, also from Young Living. It’s a puree of mostly wolfberries (same as the goji berry) but also has blueberry, plum, cherry and pomegranate juices and extracts. The combination is easy to remember to take since it also tastes really good.
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