Hello Steemians,
About ten years ago when I tried Kombucha for the first time I didn't like it. It had a strong vinegar after taste and I was slightly grossed out. The interesting thing I noticed is that it made me feel amazing after drinking it. I decided to give it a couple more attempts and eventually the taste began to grow on me. The health benefits of Kombucha gave me an invigorating feeling of clarity and I noticed my digestive system and energy levels also improved. I've always been pretty health conscious but I decided to take my health to the next level around 2009. I was experiencing some serious digestive issues so I began to eliminate certain foods from my diet like GMOs. This was also around the time I completely quit drinking all soda, energy drinks, fruit juices, junk/fast food, and any beverage containing high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, and other unnecessary additives.
After a few days of depriving myself I noticed my body and mind would actually crave for the bad foods. After the initial detox and elimination figuring out which foods were causing me problems my overall health and cognitive function began to improve greatly in combination of using Kombucha. I even regained my normal taste buds and sense of smell as my sinus health improved and the Kombucha began tasting extremely delicious. I didn't even crave the same junk foods anymore at all and actually started to crave fresh healthy organic foods. I attribute some of the improvement from removing most of the dairy from my diet also as dairy can cause accumulation of mucus. I'm not necessarily saying the Kombucha on its own was the only reason my health improved for the better, but it did have a lot to do with changing my lifestyle and also being an excellent alternative from other beverages.
Kombucha really is Magical :)
The entire experience made me realize that many of these unnecessary additives in our food and drink can greatly impair people from reaching optimal wellness and health and really should be avoided or consumed in moderation. I firmly believe that additives like high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, msg, and sugar that are prevalent in processed foods are the main reasons why so many people become obese and end up have diabetes and other health problems.
Some people might be overwhelmed by the slight vinegar taste at first. People that don't like the taste right away will likely be those that drink beverages with high sugar drinks and high fructose corn syrup soda beverages on a regular basis. My belief and realization is that many peoples taste buds have become desensitized over the years from artificial flavoring like aspartame, soda, hfcs, msg, and other additives and flavor enhancers. This is really a shame as many people are missing out on the many health benefits of Kombucha and other healthy foods simply because they cannot recalibrate or retrain their own tastebuds. The great thing is that Kombucha has many options for flavors so most people can easily find their favorites.
I now look at and recommend Kombucha as a "gateway drink" that helps people attain better health. Kombucha can be a great way to transition away and even completely eliminate high sugar beverages and soda from the diet. Avoiding these ingredients really comes down to a personal lifestyle choice and isn't necessary to enjoy Kombucha so I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do or eat. Just sharing my personal experience in how eliminating certain ingredients helped me in hopes that others may benefit from it.
Kombucha Tea – History and Health Benefits
"Kombucha is a unique, fermented tea that has Kombuchabeen used for millennia to lower blood pressure, improve digestion, and boost the immune system. It is alkaline-forming, simple to brew, and extremely inexpensive.
Kombucha is a simply combination of tea, sugar, water, and starter culture which has been used for thousands of years dating back to the Tsin-Dynasty in 221 B.C. – a Chinese Empire – where they called it “the remedy for immortality.” It was later brought to Japan by Dr. Kombu to treat the Japanese emperor, Inkyo, for digestive problems"
From the Truth About Cancer article
https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/kombucha-tea-health-benefits/
The basics of how Kombucha is created is magical in itself. The "Mother" of the Kombucha, also known as the "Scoby" Culture is fermented mushroom that combines from bacteria and yeast that actually creates the beneficial probiotics. This is created from a combination of living yeasts and good bacteria that can be combined with teas, herbs, and other ingredients. Probiotics have been well documented to be beneficial for the immune system, brain, gut and overall digestive health. Of course there are other forms of healthy bacteria Probiotics like yogurt and sauerkraut but I'd say my favorite has to be Kombucha.
I plan on sharing more health information along with my favorite health remedies and companies that I feel stand out from the rest. The first one I'd like to share is Kombucha with some basic information on the health benefits of probiotics. Kombucha is one my favorite healthy drinks that helps me stay hydrated, energized, and healthy. I usually pour some in one of Tumblers mixed in with ice so its stays nice and cool at the pool during hot days :)
GT's Living Foods Organic Synergy Kombucha has been around for a long time and was one of the very first major Kombucha brands to hit the market about 22 years ago. Its also one of the very few brands that doesn't add any strange additives or tons of sugar but somehow it still tastes amazing. G.T. Living Foods Kombucha has a huge line of different combinations of flavors in their Synergy Kombucha arsenal and most can be found in health food stores, Whole Foods, and even some of the more standard Grocery stores now have Kombucha in stock. You can checkout the Synergy line up and read about their story at their website. http://www.gtslivingfoods.com/
GT's Living Foods Kombucha is definitely a company I love to support as you can see the
King Size Bottle of Kombucha below :D
Another great thing about Kombucha is you have many options and can add everything from Ginger, Beet, Raspberry, Strawberry, Grape, Guava, Lemon, Chia, and many other options to adjust the taste and specific benefits.
For instance, people that have an upset stomach or hangover from drinking too much the night before can use the Gingerade Kombucha as an excellent hangover remedy option. I also like coconut water for hangovers to help restore minerals in the body. The Ginger and probiotics in Kombucha helps with digestive discomfort and can help calm nausea and vomiting. Ginger is also an excellent option for pregnant mothers. There's so many different options and benefits this post could be endless.
We usually prefer to grab a couple Kombuchas when we go out to eat instead of buying from the drink menu :) Yes, We admit that we are officially Kombucha freaks :D
I plan on sharing more of the benefits of Kombucha and probiotics in future posts.
Please share which Kombucha brands and flavors are your favorites. Or even if you don't like Kombucha or think its a gimmick. I'm always interested in learning from other peoples experiences and opinions.