Our distant ancestors were well aware of the value of fermented foods.
Whether or not they knew how or why doesn’t matter – fermentation was nature’s way of preserving long before refrigeration was invented. Through generations many of us lost this art… well why would we need it when we have all mod cons? There are pockets of civilization that have kept these practices alive, Eastern Europe and the Far East still have menus that include either fermented foods (think miso, sauerkraut) or drinks (kefir, kvass, kombucha) on a regular basis, because of the tastes and traditions of the region.
However, with the scientific knowledge we now have about the importance of the gut micro biome not just for digestion, but in wider health and the scientific evidence that natural fermentation provides vast variations in strains of bacteria required to promote gut health, there really is no excuse not to include them in your diet. As always, nature provides us with exactly what we need…
So why kombucha…?
Personally, I am ashamed to say, I am a picky eater. I know what I like and I like what I know! I have tried hard to introduce a variety of fermented foods in my diet for years – knowing that if I can stomach them (pun very much intended) they would be very likely to help with chronic IBS I suffered for 10 years. But I just do not like them! Not sure if it is tanginess, hissing little or acids that accompanies most (cabbage should not be good in my book!) Or a mental leap to eat something that does not smell like I expected, or think it should be …
But soft drinks … Well it’s not a leap like at all. Before finding paleo, I admit I was a devil fizzy drinks! So it was a surprise that when my taste buds went through the usual adjustment period when cut sugar, I still desire fizz. Not very Paleo, I know! So when I read about kombucha looks like the answer I was looking for.
Roll on a few months and I’ve already started brewing at home, only in a small glass bottle. It is really very straight forward once you can get your head around the basics. It really is resisting the temptation of fizz and over the next few months of my IBS symptoms practically disappeared – this is the biggest help of all.
If you’ve not heard of kombucha, basically fermented tea – tea, sugar and some brewed kombucha is ready to get the process underway. Culture is present in kombucha feeds on sugar and tannins, polyphenols and nitrogen in tea and converted all of these things into vitamins, antioxidants and beneficial yeast and bacteria are present in kombucha.
So if it works for me, I’m pretty sure it can work for others, and so forth Love Eartht Tales Kombucha.
