When you think of drinking something fermented, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Beer? Delicious fermented grapes called wine? Also referred to as elixir from the gods? But other than that, then you think of something fermented, it’s usually something that you throw away because it’s gone bad. So naturally when I heard of Kombucha, this fermented drink that has nothing to do with my happy grape juice, there was no way I was going to try it. Besides, the smell was similar to the communal trash bins at my condo during the middle of the summer after a good rain.
Through my health journey I’ve had a lot of different setbacks. Mostly originating from my tummy. I’ve become intolerant to gluten, I can’t drink very much of my happy grape juice, and overall I just don’t feel healthy. I’ve drank asodophilis a lot of mornings to see if it makes a difference, I’ve drank more aloe vera juice than the normal human, and yogurts are a staple in my life. My tummy should be happy right? Not really. So, begrudgingly, I decided I was going to try this stuff that smelled like something died in the jar. And I was shocked. I had to hold my breath while I drank it, but I kept telling myself that it was flavored so it wouldn’t be that bad. I got a few good gulps down, and I sat back and thought about how I felt. About 5 min later, my tummy actually felt good!! I couldn’t believe it! I was sold. Since then, I’ve been chugging this stuff down and I really feel like it’s made a huge impact. When I go on vacation I miss it, and when I come back I go straight to the store to buy my favorite flavor. But, enough about my story and let’s dive into why this smelly stuff that strangely tastes decent, is REALLY good for you.
1: The bacteria in kombucha actually goes all the way down to your intestines. Fun fact I learned from my PHD Nutritionist father, yogurt and asodophilis bacteria only gets to your stomach, and then doesn’t go much further. This bacteria goes past your stomach and helps keep your large and small intestines happy, because they never really get much attention even though they’re the most important part of your digestive system. They also have good bacteria that needs to be replenished often and the stuff we eat does more harm that good for those little guys (*cough*cough* like soda and sugar).
2: Kombucha detoxes your liver; and, on top of detoxing one of the most important organs you have, it has cancer fighting properties that are proven to prevent and also kill cancer cells. There’s a lot of stories about people taking the holistic method of treating their cancer and winning, and a huge part of that is Kombucha.
3: It has probiotics, antioxidants, glucosamines, boosts your energy levels, balances your mood, and is basically like a magical drink that fixes almost everything. But in all seriousness, there is every reason to start drinking this stuff ASAP.
4: Lastly, on top of it helping everything in your tummy, it has outward effects. Studies have shown there is a direct correlation between gut health and acne. So, you take care of your gut and it will show on your skin. I’ve personally noticed a huge difference in my skin and the random breakups that I don’t get as much.
If I haven’t convinced you yet to jump on the bandwagon, I encourage you to do your own research. The Chinese have been making and drinking this for over 2,000 years and they called it the “Immortal Health Elixir” . Honestly with a name like that, you’ve got to try it. I personally suggest the brand Kevita, and I prefer the flavor Pineapple Peach. I buy mine at Vons but pretty much any grocery store in Southern California will have some kind of Kombucha There’s 40 MG of organic caffeine in each serving of this brand (about 2 servings a bottle). This brand tries to use as many things that are organic which I really like, so if you read the back of the label you’ll see how many of the ingredients that are certified organic. It’s lightly carbonated so you get that bubbly taste which is satisfying without the horrible ingredients as soda.
As many weird and crazy things we consume for our health (and just the weird things we consume in general!), drinking this fermented drink shouldn’t be that hard to incorporate into our daily routine. If we can take shots of basically rubbing alcohol (yes I’m talking about cheap vodka), then we can chug this weird drink for our health!
