Kombucha Craze

Over the past year I have been hearing about this tea drink called Kombucha. All I really knew about it was that it is a fermented drink. It seems to be popping up everywhere on social media…or is that just me? I have increased the number of health professionals that I follow and all of them at one time or another have posted about Kombucha. What is this Kombucha craze?

What I have seen of it shows people brewing at home. It involved jars, sugar, tea, a SCOBY – the entire process looked too complicated for this busy mama. Drinking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with water was about as fermented as I get with my drinks.

As I have spent the past year learning about transformation and incorporating healthy habits into a healthy lifestyle as a Health Coach, I knew it was time to explore this Kombucha craze.

Like I mentioned earlier to begin with all I knew is that it is fermented. That’s it. What I also know is that it is good to incorporate fermented foods into our diets. This is one area that I have not explored too deeply yet. I have spoken to people who have incorporate fermented foods and drinks into their daily diet and rarely get sick or have health issues.

Kombucha could tick that box. Time to learn a bit more about this drink and find out if it is a bandwagon I want to jump on.

I started by doing the basic – Googling it.

Kombucha is a fermented tea with numerous health benefits. It is thought to come from China a very long time ago (220 BCE). If it comes from ancient times – all the health people get super excited. And why not? Something that has lasted through the ages. You’ve got my attention.

The health benefits are plentiful. One of the main things is that it is full of probiotics – aka the good bacteria. Keeps everything balanced in your gut.

“All diseases begin in the gut.” – Hippocrates

So it contributes to a healthy gut. That is a good start. After doing more kombucha research, it seems that there are numerous benefits but it is a mixture of evidence based and non evidence based. Nonetheless, I came to the conclusion that it seemed that this sort of drink could bring value to my health in a way that is currently missing. You know when you read about health benefits of something you’ve never tried before and think “I’ve got to give this a try…” It’s probably one of the reasons I started drinking apple cider vinegar in water in the first place.

As someone over 40, the health benefits were appealing. The whole idea of making it myself not so appealing, so I began my search. Can’t I get one that is already made? After searching the major grocery shops for a commercial brand with no luck, I headed back online. That’s where I found a brand made here in Zurich, NYCHA Kombucha.

I contacted them on FB and they were super quick to respond and tell me the closest place to pick up some. I drove into the city to a super amazing organic food shop called L’Ultimo Bacio to pick up a couple of bottles of NYCHA Kombucha. I headed home ready to see try this popular drink.

I was expecting something a bit more vinegary (don’t ask me why….it’s not even made with vinegar). The drink itself was refreshing, sweet but not sugary sweet, with a little bit of a pleasant tang. It is something I could enjoy drinking every day. ENJOY drinking, as opposed to drinking other health drinks that require an acquired taste. This was delicious. I had to fight off my kids – I mistakenly thought they would hate but no, they loved it. I only gave a taste as this was MY drink.

It was starting to make sense. This special tea was delicious. It is full of healthy goodness. What a perfect and pleasant way to incorporate fermented food into your lifestyle with really no effort. Perfect for those health conscious moms who don’t have time to brew their own.

For those that DO brew their own, taking the time in our fast paced society, that is a pretty special so I understand why people would rave about it. All part of making that conscious effort to live healthier and stronger.

But can this drink really deliver on all the benefits that it promises? Hmmmm. I have more to learn about this kombucha craze. And is it really a craze if it has been around so long?

Stay tuned…..

What are your thoughts? Are you a Kombucha fan? Comment below: