What are the benefits of kombucha?

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF KOMBUCHA?

To discuss the benefits of kombucha we must zoom out to the benefits of fermented foods & beverages generally. 

Fermentation is one of the oldest tools in the human tool box to improve the taste, safety, digestibility and storage of food and drink. We’ve been fermenting throughout our ancient history. Even before we started to intentionally ferment foods (hundreds of thousands of years ago), we were already consuming fermented foods. Our cavemen ancestors and heaps of other animals out there, just see these cute animals drunk on fermented fruit in Africa, consume spontaneously & naturally fermented foods. 

Fermentation transforms food through living yeasts and bacteria, either to preserve it or to glean out its nutrition. Let's see why we ferment.

WHY DO WE FERMENT?

Firstly, for its power of preservation. A cabbage harvest that would only stay fresh for up to 2 weeks is fermented (with just salt!) into sauerkraut and made edible and delicious for months and months and months. Similarly, sweet tea would catch fungus after a couple of days sitting on the counter, but once we add yeast & bacteria and kick off the fermentation, we can extend the life of that sweet tea to immortality! As is the case with kombucha. It never goes bad, it simply becomes more and more sour as it continues to ferment. Preservation of food was essential in our pre-refrigerator history. 

Secondly, for dissolving anti-nutrients and increasing digestibility. Our ancestors understood the intricacies of food interactions and used bacteria and yeast to ‘predigest’ grain and other crops, making their nutrients bio-available for human uptake. Our modern diets of processed pav, biscuits and Maggi noodles are full of phytic acid, reeking havoc on our digestive systems, leaving them inflamed and bloated and unable to access sufficient nutrients. If families returned to fermentation, we would radically change the overall health of the population.

Third, and most immediately relevant for our modern lives, is to boost the diversity of our microbiome. Raw ferments are jam packed with beneficial living bacteria and yeast, which contribute to a thriving microbiome that plays essential roles in our immunity, mood, sleep patterns, digestion and so much more. Learn the down and dirty of our microbiome here. 

Finally, we ferment foods because they taste good! Something ordinary becomes extraordinary and lights up our taste buds! Fermentation can transform basic meals to umami-rich gourmet experiences. Could you imagine life without cheese, chocolate, coffee, tea and beer?

Now that we understand that is fermentation in general that is fantastic (and essential) for human health, let’s get specifically into kombucha.

THE BENEFITS OF KOMBUCHA

Kombucha is a unique ferment of tea, sugar, bacteria and yeast. The sugar is really just the fuel for the fermentation process, and most gets used up during brewing. By feeding the yeast & bacteria, transformation is encouraged. Tea and sugar transform into a world of organic acids, actic acid, b-vitamins, enzymes and living bacteria & yeast. 

Lactic acid bacteria is the most prevalent and beneficial bacteria for humans. We are literally born through a coating of lactic acid bacteria when we pass through the birth canal. It works to fill up our ecological niche and keep out other harmful bacterias trying to invade. We consume it in yogurt, cheeses, vegetable ferments and kombucha. 

Lactic acid and the range of other organic acids present in kombucha function to alkalise the body. Despite being acidic in profile, the alchemies as alkaline in the body. Alkalinity helps fight inflammation, which in turn helps fight headache, indigestion, arthritis, joint pain, bloating and so much more. 

B-vitamins and enzymes in kombucha keep our bodies full of the necessary micronutrients to perform all the core functions. They fill the nutritional gaps in our modern diets, which lack diversity and nutrient density. 

By bolstering our microbiome with living bacteria & yeasts, we ensure that our body can process toxins, clear our gut and clear our skin, perform efficient digestion, stay in a happy mood and create the immune cells necessary to fight off infection. The microbiome is a universe in itself, which is why we will defer your reading to this article dedicated to the microbiome!

FERMENTED FOODS & OUR BODIES

All traditionally fermented foods are beneficial for our bodies. And consuming them in diversity helps keeps our microbiome diverse. So drink up and Rise Up! Because a thriving gut is the key to a thriving life. Ten times out or ten, consuming raw, living fermented foods aids a thriving gut. 

Dealing with gut issues, hair fall, weak immunity? Start by drinking ½ a bottle of Rise Up daily, at any time, and over the course of several weeks increase your consumption of all fermented foods. Within a couple of months, you will notice a difference.

Order here for next day delivery. Revolution takes guts!