Known as an "immortal health elixir" by the Chinese since over 2000 years, Kombucha has been one of the best kept health food secrets in the world! The beverage is essentially a fermented cold tea, lightly effervescent & made with either green or black tea, depending on the type of preparation. It is fermented with a combination of tea, bacteria & yeast, also known as the ‘mother solution’.
Kombucha is known for its health benefits, and is fast picking up as the new probiotic drink to go to in any weather, at any time of the year. Here are some undeniable kombucha benefits and why you should be trying it in your diet, preferably as a morning beverage to replace that cup of caffeine!
Boosts Immunity & Eliminates Toxins
The great thing about drinking kombucha is how it eliminates all unwanted toxins from your gut. The probiotic nature of the fermented beverage improves the health of your intestinal cells, boosts your immune function, and cuts your risk of allergy and chronic diseases. Vitamin C, essential salts & other vitamins are naturally present in acidic foods like kombucha, helping you build that anti-allergic immunity even further.
Antioxidant Action
Since we’re all familiar with the healthy benefits of drinking green tea, kombucha is just a cousin beverage! Green tea contains polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant that works its way into improving immune function, anti-cancerous properties & more.
The green tea content in kombucha when consumed regularly helps burn calories faster. You know what that means - make it your best buddy after that workout! It also improves cholesterol levels, helps with blood sugar control apart from helping you lose weight.
Probiotics Improve Gut Health
The fermentation caused by the bacteria & yeast produces acetic acid, trace levels of alcohol and gases that make it carbonated. All that makes kombucha hella yummy, but that’s not just it - a large amount of probiotic bacteria is also produced! Try the kombucha cleanse! There are benefits of kombucha for your skin too. Because when your body functions better, it improves your skin as well.
Probiotics are healthy bacteria that are great for your gut, helping with digestion, inflammation issues and can eventually help you lose weight as well! That’s why you should start your day with a nice cold glass of kombucha. Who needs caffeine when you got a beer-like iced tea?
Yummier & Healthier Than Sodas
Packaged brands of kombucha come with really low sugar levels - you can opt for a sugar-free one also if you look in the right places. But what makes it so easy to love is how you can swap sodas with a kombucha!
It’s effervescent taste will remind you of a great root beer, minus the sugar! Even the small amounts of sugar get worked upon by the bacteria to create probiotics, so don’t worry about it. The slight 0.5% of alcohol content thanks to the fermentation adds up nicely to the flavour as well, giving you that little tease while making it completely safe & legal to consume on the go.
Great for Brewers Looking to Experiment
Love the science & art of brewing? Here’s a great addition to your little enterprise. Get some batches of kombucha made at home, you can literally buy all the supplies you need from your local store. Follow guides & thorough instructions to brew a batch for your hot summers - make it delicious by throwing in some fruit & keep it fresh! It helps if you have brewing experience though, because a kombucha gone wrong can do more harm than it does good to your tummy.
You can start consuming 2-3 kombuchas spread over a day’s time for a period of 1-2 weeks to go through a detox & probiotic (kombucha) cleanse. That being said, Kombucha is great, but it’s no magic potion either - supplement your diet with plenty of fibers, drink a lot of water & eat healthy to see the changes take ‘shape’ quite literally!