Every so often, healthy foods and practices that have been laying low for years (decades, centuries, etc.) come out of the woodwork as the next BIG thing. Yoga, juicing, ACV (apple cider vinegar) and kombucha. What is that last one?
Over the past five or so years, kombucha has been making a major comeback. Now, I see friends with bottles when scrolling through social media and co-workers with bottles at their desks. As it has grown in popularity, it has been added to many grocery stores' shelves and the variety of flavors has more than doubled within the past few years.
Growing up, my mother home-brewed kombucha. She forced my siblings and I to gulp it down on a regular basis to keep us from getting sick. As per usual with parents, with time we tend to adopt their habits as our own (cough cough, I am currently wearing hand-me-downs from my mom that I used to make fun of). Anyways, kombucha is not as bad as I once thought it was.
Kombucha typically ranges in price from $4-8 for a 16 oz bottle, so as you might imagine, it is not easy on a college student’s budget! Since the health benefits are so great and the drink is so tasty, I have decided to start brewing my own kombucha at home(thanks Mom,) so I will one day be able to pay off my student loans.
Some of the health benefits of drinking kombucha tea are:
- It boosts your immune system with probiotics.
- Helps to maintain a healthy gut flora.
- It is detoxifying!
- Promotes joint health (eh-hemmm runners?)
If you are interested in home-brewing, check out this website that really helped me out.
I am currently brewing my own batch of kombucha and I can't wait to see how it turns out! I bought a gallon size glass jar for the brewing. Although you can grow your own scoby(symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), I was advised to buy one from a trusted seller for the best taste and results. I found mine on Amazon for around $10. The scoby is what transforms normally brewed tea into fizzy, tasty kombucha!
