I am not one for resolutions or diets or any of that crap but I do want to start adding healthier things to my life. I decided to start 2019 with trying out the latest latest healthy drink craze: Kombucha.
I bought this bottle for $4 and decided to go with the ginger-infused one because it is winter time and ginger helps promote heat in the body. Which I need desperately, it is so bloody cold! Ginger is also very good for the stomach so I thought it was the perfect blend.
The Claims
I live with a lot of anxiety and that can cause stomach problems for me, including severe nausea when things are really bad. Rise Kombucha promises it will give me my superpowers back. I take that $#@* seriously!
What Is Kombucha?
What is so special about Kombucha? It is a fermented drink made with tea and uses a yeast called a scoby (not to be confused with the other sidekick Scooby) which is supposed to promote unique and powerfully positive probiotics into the body. Apparently people’s lives have been changed for the better with this concoction so I had to try it.
The Product Test
Now I have had friends tell me horror stories about their experiences and other friends say nothing happened to them at all.
The first time I had Kombucha was at a party. I only had a sip but wow, did my body ever respond to it. What I will say about my experience is that it was… Dramatic. To avoid TMI let’s say my liver in particular seemed to response like it was on self-cleansing steroids. Considering my mom died of liver cancer, I went out and bought myself some to see if I could recreate that extreme body experience.
Because I was only having a little at a time I even went out and bought myself a Kombucha shot glass.
The Short Ritual
I tried it for two days.
My body did not go through the change I was looking for. Nothing significant happened for the better but the drink, with all that ginger, was definitely invigorating. It was actually kind of fun to drink.
The Problem
Well the ritual did not last very long. My sister Jamie pointed out to me that the two days I had my Kombucha shots I had brutal insomnia those nights.
I looked at her and then had another shot. I was willing to risk a night’s sleep to see if she was right.
She was.
Crap.
The Defeat
I went to Moberly Natural Foods to see if I could find a Kombucha that was decaffeinated.
They were all made with different kinds of teas but they all had caffeine. I know there are ones out there but I was done. I was not willing to risk my sleep any further. The miraculous cleanse did not happen. No restoration of super powers for me.
Damn you caffeine!!!
What was your Kombucha experience? Go ahead, tell me how it made you a superhero.
I had never heard of kombucha until a couple of weeks ago, when My Rare One and I went to a vegan restaurant here in Edmonton with a friend. Our friend wanted to try kombucha so she ordered a glass of it and we all had a sip or two as well. To me, it smelled and looked like beer, sort of, but had a much better flavour than beer (which I hate). I guess that comes from it being a fermented tea drink. Anyway, My Rare One and I didn’t have enough of it to notice any “effects” one way or the other. I’ll have to ask our friend if she had any extreme reaction to it. Perhaps she’s out fighting supervillains now.
I think the tummy-soothing effect of your kombucha came from the ginger, not the kombucha, probably. Ginger Ale will give you the same benefit, with no caffeine, LOL!
I hate beer too Debra! It’s one of the reasons why I got the ginger one, to hide the flavour just in case. I’m glad it had better flavour. Ah! So you were neutral to it, interesting. At least in a small amount. Oh wouldn’t that be the coolest! Kombucha creates another crime fighter. Love it.
The microbes in your gut are yours – not the same as everyone else’s, therefore what’s great for one is bad for another. (Marketers don’t know their science.) Anything home-fermented will be better than store-bought. Try making your own sauerkraut, it’s super simple.
Oh that is interesting Nancy, so it’s a probiotic/microbe compatibility issue! That makes sense to me. I might try doing that, I do love sauerkraut. I also am thinking of picking up some kimchi. So good!