What is Kombucha and should I be drinking it?

What is Kombucha?

 

Every month a new ‘health‘  food craze appears and recently there has been a boom in kombucha advertisement, especially on Instagram. I was walking back from the gym and noticed a shop that has recently opened by my flat. It bears the slogan ‘Kombucha sold here’ and I was interested to see what the hype was about.

After doing some research here is what I found out about Kombucha. It is a fermented drink made from tea and sugar, normally cane sugar or honey. The solution is ‘fermented’ by bacteria and yeast which is also known as a ‘SCOBY’ (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast).

Due to the fermentation process Kobucha is full of probiotics which is partially why it’s so popular, it’s good for your gut! These bacteria line your digestive tract and help to support your immune system. As Kombucha contains high levels of B vitamins it is known to increase energy levels and can contribute to overall mental wellbeing.

Now doesn’t that sound good? However, like all health food products, this is not a miracle worker and just drinking Kombucha won’t necessarily mean you have a healthy diet. Glorifying one food over another isn’t the way to go, a healthy diet is all about variety. There is a plethora of other things that have high levels of probiotics like yoghurt, kefir, kimchi and sauerkraut.

My final thoughts!

Kombucha is a good source of probiotics but I couldn’t get over the vinegary taste. I think it’s a taste you definitely have to get used to but I think I might stick with eating yoghurt for my source of probiotics for the time being.

What are your thoughts? Will you try Kombucha? Let me know if you do.

Love,

Cally