So what is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a tea that, like many health foods, gets a lot of its goodness by going through the fermentation process.
What Is Kombucha Scoby?
Kombucha is made by fermenting tea and sugar with a live culture, a mix of bacteria and yeast, also known as a scoby. Now I know what your thinking, how can one of the three ingredients of any health food be sugar? This is where things get a little bizarre, the sugar in kombucha is actually to ‘feed’ the scoby, whilst this is being ‘digested’ a whole range of digestive acids and enzymes are produced, resulting in a nutritionally enhanced, low sugar, beverage.
Although the concept of having a ‘live’ bacteria swashing around in your stomach may be a difficult one to get your head around, it’s the fact that this bacteria is still live and kicking which brings about all the alleged health benefits.
What are the benefits of Kombucha?
Push aside your morning coffee, not only can kombucha naturally boost your energy but it also offers a whole host of health benefits which you can’t find in your daily brew.
Thanks to the digestive enzymes produced, kombucha is an amazing source of probiotics that can help to re-establish a healthy gut flora, which can be damaged by stress, poor diet as well as antibiotics. The lactic acid produced during the fermentation also helps improve overall digestion.
Kombucha has also been know to reduce blood pressure which can help relieve headaches, so another reason why you may have found your new go to hangover cure.
Should I start drinking kombucha?
Be prepared, for this is another health food which will take a little getting used to, as its vinegar-like taste means it’s not always to everyone’s tastes. That said, after a while your taste buds will adapt and over time you will actually start to enjoy the acquired taste.
You can now buy bottled kombucha in most health food stores, but if you are feeling up to the challenge, then making your own is always an option. Those who make their own swear by it, but it’s not for the faint hearted, it is quite complex and to ensure the drink ferments correctly you have to follow pretty strict guidelines. The first step is finding your starter culture, this may seem a big initial hurdle but you would be surprised what a quick Google search will uncover!
Verdict
Anything that’s good for the gut is a winner in my books, this one’s a fact!
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