Striving4Zen

A new study finally proves what an old Russian taxi driver once told me: Soda makes you weaker. (Seems the ingredients in your typical cola actually disturb the potassium levels in your blood, and can weaken muscles.) This is, of course, why alt beverages are big these days, and especially trendy probiotic drinks like Kombucha, a fermented tea that's got all the fizz of a soda but actually shows some health benefits. Kombucha helps the good bacteria in your gut to thrive, improving digestion, and may also help to relieve joint or muscle pain.

Try making your own. The following may seem a bit like a high school biology class, but it's easy to do, gives excellent results, and is eco-friendly and very easy on the wallet. (There's even a whole Flickr community dedicated to the DIY kombooch.) Without further ado, the first step is to grow your own living SCOBY (i.e. Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast)...

• Set a half bottle of a commercial kombucha, like GT, on your counter for one week. Cover with a cheesecloth. A thick "mushroom" like culture will grow on the top. That's your living SCOBY!
• Brew four green or black teabags in about three quarts of water. Add one cup of sugar and let it cool in a glass mason jar.
• Gently add the SCOBY and half a cup of the original, bottled kombucha. Now, rest the concoction (covered in cheesecloth) in a dark, warm place (around 78 degrees) for two weeks.

Et voila! You're now ready to drink your homebrew batch of kombucha. By the way, you can reuse the SCOBY you've cultivated over and over.

Thanks!

Labels: beverages, DIY, healthy beverage, kombucha, soda, study

Several years ago Eric Childs was feeling overstressed and under the weather so his boss brought him a bottle of kombucha. Childs, who goes by Kombuchaman, quickly got hooked on the tart fizzy fermentation, and started making his own to save money. “It’s not this magic potion sent from above, but it does do wonderful things,” he told BB in a phone call.

In case you don’t down one after your daily yoga session, kombucha uses mushroom-like cultures to ferment tea and sugar into a slightly carbonated, slightly caffeinated drink with an almost vinegary flavor. At first sip it might not appeal, but converts swear to its benefits, and one of us here at BB swears by it for a hangover cure. “It does what the drinker needs,” said Childs.

This January Kombuchaman started bottling his Brooklyn-brewed Kombucha, using friends and family as guinea pigs for his recipe. He’s in the process of increasing his production capacity and is aiming to have it in local Brooklyn stores by late spring or early summer. He plans on selling a 16-oz bottle for $3, definitely less than the average price of what’s currently on the market, and it will be the only fresh, local kombucha available. Look for it under the Kombucha Brooklyn label, a slightly different name that the one he started out with.

If you can’t wait for the Kombuchaman’s bounty to hit local shelves, take a class with him at The Brooklyn Kitchen, and learn to make your own. Or, contact Childs through his website. He sells start-up kits for home kombucha brewers, and will answer questions and share tips for anyone who is already making their own. If you’ve found your version inferior to the store-bought stuff, take heart: Kombuchaman counsels patience: “It takes three of four brews to really get a consistent, tasty batch.”

Source

Labels: beverages, Brooklyn, cool new product, drinks, innovative, kombucha, Kombuchaman

GT Dave, a former student of Beverly Hills High School, started his company—Millenium Products in his kitchen at age 16. At 29 years old today, his GT’s Raw Kombucha and Synergy beverages are a nationwide phenomenon.

How it all began:

Raised by spiritual parents as a vegetarian, his family are clean food advocates, drinking fresh juices and raw kombucha.

When GT was 15, his world came crashing down. His mother, Laraine Dave, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. The doctors found a tumor the size of a golf ball and assumed that it had already metastasized. Doctors determined the age of the tumor to be approximately 4 years; they immediately ordered bone marrow transplants for Laraine.

After further testing, the oncologists were amazed to discover that the tumor had NOT metastasized. Later investigation into Mrs. Dave’s lifestyle and dietary habits revealed that she had been drinking homemade Kombucha daily for two years prior. Her doctor encouraged her to have the traditional lumpectomy and chemo treatment—but also to continue drinking the Kombucha.

Laraine was give an 85% chance of recurrence. It has been 12 years and Mrs. Dave is still cancer-free. She faithfully consumes a delicious GT Dave’s bottle of Kombucha daily.

GT credits his mom’s good health today to her lifestyle, a positive attitude, and the alkalinizing effects of the Kombucha.

GT’s inspiration was the positive benefits the Kombucha had on his mother. Literally, “It touched my life,” he reminisces.

Not many teenagers find their calling in life and actually become a success so young. But GT eloquently states, “I felt inspired. Kombucha resonates with Food is Medicine.”

Going on, GT explains how he views the environment and our bodies. “Obesity, cancer, and candida are epidemics. We are bombarded by toxins. People have to pay attention, but they aren’t, at least not at the rate they need to be.”

Source

Labels: alakaline foods, drinks, elixir, food as medicine, GT Dave, healthy diet, Holistic Health, kombucha

Labels: drinks, fermented, health trend, kombucha, yeast

For those of you that have never heard of the stuff, kombucha tea (pronounced "com-boo-cha") is a health drink that supposedly boosts the body's ability to fight sickness and disease as well as bring a healthy balance back to your metabolism and organs. Often referred to as a mushroom, kombucha is actually a symbiosis of bacteria and yeast. When sugar and black or green tea are added to kombucha, a fermentation process results in the "tea." The final product of this process is a liquid containing vinegar, B vitamins and a number of other chemical compounds. Popular with models and health foodies, I have heard a lot of anecdotal evidence mostly in the positive about drinking kombucha. Some folks think it just tastes awful, but most claim the drink gives them a calm energy and that they feel like it helps cleanse them of toxins.
On the other hand, even though it has been consumed by the Chinese since 221 B.C., there hasn't been a single human trial that has been reported in the peer-reviewed literature on the benefits of kombucha. A study of this sort would give the drink some serious cred with scientists. While that doesn't necessarily mean there are no benefits to the tea, it does make all the claims seem a bit suspect to me. Many people brew their own tea at home, which poses health risks since a home-brewing process can lead to contamination.

Labels: health food, kombucha

Organic Green Tea Kombucha is based on an ancient remedy and offers a convenient form of kombucha designed for daily use. Legend has it that some 2,000 years ago, Kombucha originated in Russia, and from there it traveled to Japan. Since then it has been used to detoxify the body, enhance the immune system, fight fatigue, and soothe an upset stomach. This special healing formula is made with organic green tea (camellia sinensis), which is organically grown and, unlike other green teas, has a delicate flavor with no bitterness. Green Tea has excellent antioxidant properties. This tea contains a concentrated and purified extract of kombucha-pure, which is produced without the use of refined sugar or black tea, and is made from kombucha grown in a unique medium of 32 supporting Chinese herbs. The recipe is complemented with organic spearmint, which can help to relax the body and aid digestion; organic licorice root, to support the adrenals and enhance the effects of other healing herbs; and dong quai root, a well-known tonic. Once the benefits of these ingredients are released by hot water, you are ready to enjoy a delicious, delightful and soothing cup of tea and one that is naturally rich in antioxidants and other health-supporting qualities.

Labels: green tea, health food, kombucha