Kombucha - It's Working

[Cort]

In the way of fermented foods I've tried Kombucha, home-made kefir and sauerkraut. Home-make kefir definitely gave me a significant boost - so significant that I had to take it slowly (or I will relapse). The right kinds of sauerkraut also gave me a boost but Kombucha - nothing....Besides the fact that it tastes good I got nothing I could tell out of it.

[bimg=fright|no-lightbox]http://revimgs.bevnet.com/media/synergy_kombucha/images/gts.kombucha.gingerade.jpg[/bimg]I tried it for awhile and then gave up. Then Costco started selling it at their usually significantly reduced price.

I probably drank four or so a week for a month and then it started working. I don't notice any changes in my gut - my gut problems are pretty darn mild after I eliminated some foods from my diet - but I'm definitely getting significant boosts in energy, calmness and mental clarity from it. A couple of times I've gone from exhausted to feeling pretty darn good pretty quickly.

It doesn't happen all the time and if I drink too much - as I did on recent trip - I feel weak and out of it - but so long as I drink moderate amounts - about a bottle a day - and do so earlier in the day (if I drink it at night I don't sleep well) - then there are times I experience significant energy boosts from it.

It just took time....

 

[Who Me?]

Can someone explain, really dumbed down, about fermented stuff.

I've read about it before and how it helps but isn't that if you have a specific problem? I also worry though about fermented stuff and my IBS.

Oh and how does this affect gut flora?

 

[Empty]

@Cort $178 for 12 bottles on Amazon. How much at costco?

love raw sauerkraut. kefir Rhythm I like:

http://www.planetorganic.com/rhythm...c=googlefeed&gclid=CL-73ZrQk8sCFRATGwodEPcFug

Gluten free tamari, miso, would not mind trying this kombucha too.

 

[Cort]

@Cort $178 for 12 bottles on Amazon. How much at costco?

love raw sauerkraut. kefir Rhythm I like:

http://www.planetorganic.com/rhythm...c=googlefeed&gclid=CL-73ZrQk8sCFRATGwodEPcFug

Gluten free tamari, miso, would not mind trying this kombucha too.

What the heck? It's about $2.50 a bottle at Costco - about a dollar off of health food stores....Very tasty

 

[Cort]

Can someone explain, really dumbed down, about fermented stuff.

I've read about it before and how it helps but isn't that if you have a specific problem? I also worry though about fermented stuff and my IBS.

Oh and how does this affect gut flora?

Lots and lots of probiotics! Advocates say more probiotics than found in supplements.

 

[RuthAnn]

I make my own. Very inexpensive and tastes even better than store bought.

 

[Who Me?]

Lots and lots of probiotics! Advocates say more probiotics than found in supplements.

Thanks. I think fermented stuff and IBS do not play well together. I'll have to look into it.

 

[Empty]

What the heck? It's about $2.50 a bottle at Costco - about a dollar off of health food stores....Very tasty

Thanks. Good to have an idea of the real price! Non in uk costco but will keep looking.
Glad to hear it benefitting you btw.

 

[Who Me?]

What the heck? It's about $2.50 a bottle at Costco - about a dollar off of health food stores....Very tasty

Tasty as in yogurt tasty? Coconut water? Pepsi?

 

[madie]

Thanks. I think fermented stuff and IBS do not play well together. I'll have to look into it.

I've started on the GAPS diet, which was invented for IBS and similar. [I'm trying it for reflux.] A very small amount of fermented food daily is a cornerstone of the eating plan, because of the probiotics. The more extreme your symptoms, the smaller the dose you start with......starting with only the juices.

 

[Who Me?]

I've looked at GAPS and ruled it out. There is pretty much not one thing on there I can eat without having horrible cramping, constipation and pain. And unless I win the lottery so someone can do all that for me, it ain't gonna happen!

 

[madie]

I've looked at GAPS and ruled it out. There is pretty much not one thing on there I can eat without having horrible cramping, constipation and pain. And unless I win the lottery so someone can do all that for me, it ain't gonna happen!

@Who Me? I'm sorry you have so many food restrictions! But my point was that very tiny amounts of fermented, live cultures can have profound effects over time. Cort says similar about his Kombucha only working at the right dose.

 

[Who Me?]

It a more about foods that cause problems With my IBS-c. Fats, dairy, insoluble fiber etc.

I undestand now what you meant. Ill tuck the info away for future.

 

[Mellie]

I just tried Kombucha for the first time about 4 weeks ago. I love it! So I bought more and bought some kefir. I love that too.

I currently have my first 2 SCOBY growing to make my own kombucha at home. I'm really excited. I'm thinking about making my own kefir too.

But I decided I aught to check on the forums to see if anyone has any experience with fermented foods before I go too far. I'm glad to hear others have had some positive experiences. Cort, you may also be reacting to the caffeine. All kombucha is made with tea, but the lighter the tea, the less caffeine it has. If the kombucha is fermented with black tea, it will have a higher level of caffeine than one with oolong tea. Oolong tea will have more caffeine than white tea. White tea will have more caffeine than most green teas (but not always) Anyway, all that to say, that might be why you don't sleep well if you drink it in the evening.

I've been limiting myself to one bottle every other day. I have a lot of stomach/gut issues... gastroparesis, reflux, hiatial hernia, constipation and all kinds of undefined gut pain. I seem to be doing well with the kombucha so far.

 

[Empty]

I just tried Kombucha for the first time about 4 weeks ago. I love it! So I bought more and bought some kefir. I lohttp://ratetea.com/topic/caffeine-content-of-tea/21/ve that too.

I currently have my first 2 SCOBY growing to make my own kombucha at home. I'm really excited. I'm thinking about making my own kefir too.

But I decided I aught to check on the forums to see if anyone has any experience with fermented foods before I go too far. I'm glad to hear others have had some positive experiences. Cort, you may also be reacting to the caffeine. All kombucha is made with tea, but the lighter the tea, the less caffeine it has. If the kombucha is fermented with black tea, it will have a higher level of caffeine than one with oolong tea. Oolong tea will have more caffeine than white tea. White tea will have more caffeine than most green teas (but not always) Anyway, all that to say, that might be why you don't sleep well if you drink it in the evening.

I've been limiting myself to one bottle every other day. I have a lot of stomach/gut issues... gastroparesis, reflux, hiatial hernia, constipation and all kinds of undefined gut pain. I seem to be doing well with the kombucha so far.

That is exciting! Been to scared to do this myself yet, but I will, one day. Good Luck

Yes, it seems to be a myth which I believed that white tea has the least of all caffiene in:

http://ratetea.com/topic/caffeine-content-of-tea/21/

 

[Mellie]

That is exciting! Been to scared to do this myself yet, but I will, one day. Good Luck

Yes, it seems to be a myth which I believed that white tea has the least of all caffiene in:

http://ratetea.com/topic/caffeine-content-of-tea/21/

Thanks! My son has been fermenting his own, so I'm getting lots of tips from him!

Yes, I'm a tea fanatic... I actually review teas on one of the largest tea review websites so I get to receive and taste teas from all over the world. Really, the best way to evaluate caffeine in any given tea is how dark it is after it is brewed. So you can have a white tea that is quite golden and a green tea that is barely colored... or vise versa depending on how it's made and the type of tea. Oolong is usually a darker tea, but there are green oolongs that brew up much lighter color than white teas. So... it's best to evaluate based on the teas color.

I have to be careful of caffeine, especially in the afternoon evening. Sleep is a constant problem (like for most of us) and my sympathetic nervous system is always on high alert so caffeine can just exacerbate that!

For Kombucha, most of the instructions say you need a strong tea base - in fact they have you brew the tea an extra long time.

 

[Empty]

Great support having family members know all this stuff - rare.
Thanks for the tea tips, love having a tea expert to hand! What a teriffic job...

Twig tea? used to be a favourite of mine back in the macrobiotic days.

Somehow, after spending years with mcs and couldn't manage much caffiene at all, the mcs has mostly gone (for now) and I can drink three cups of coffee a day. I don't think I have ever done that in my life. So especially looking forward to trying the k.

 

[Cort]

I just tried Kombucha for the first time about 4 weeks ago. I love it! So I bought more and bought some kefir. I love that too.

I currently have my first 2 SCOBY growing to make my own kombucha at home. I'm really excited. I'm thinking about making my own kefir too.

But I decided I aught to check on the forums to see if anyone has any experience with fermented foods before I go too far. I'm glad to hear others have had some positive experiences. Cort, you may also be reacting to the caffeine. All kombucha is made with tea, but the lighter the tea, the less caffeine it has. If the kombucha is fermented with black tea, it will have a higher level of caffeine than one with oolong tea. Oolong tea will have more caffeine than white tea. White tea will have more caffeine than most green teas (but not always) Anyway, all that to say, that might be why you don't sleep well if you drink it in the evening.

I've been limiting myself to one bottle every other day. I have a lot of stomach/gut issues... gastroparesis, reflux, hiatial hernia, constipation and all kinds of undefined gut pain. I seem to be doing well with the kombucha so far.

Could be the tea - I've never been clear on how much caffeine is in Kombucha. I have to say though that I am VERY sensitive to caffeine...It usually only takes a couple sips of caffeinated tea to send me flying.

I had to cut back on the Kombucha. I had a sour taste in my mouth that wouldn't go away and I was getting more and fatigued. So I cut it out entirely for about 10 days and over time I felt better.

Then I had to do some work on a car I have to sell - scrubbing carpets and stuff like that. That kind of stuff is just exhausting for me. I went back to the Kombucha - and bang - my energy went up again. Could it be the caffeine? It's possible but I'm hoping its more the probiotics...

Anyway this up and down and have to cut back process is pretty typical for me....I have to be careful to take it slowly..

 

[Empty]

https://www.kombuchakamp.com/kombucha-and-caffeine-explained


About a third caffiene of whatever it is made with, this article says.
I also cut out caffiene just after writing jy post about drinking 3 cups of coffee. Had an awful 2 day migraine, but all ok after that still.

 

[RuthAnn]

Good for you on cutting out caffeine, Empty!

I have 4 quarts of kombucha brewing in my kitchen cabinet, but after reading this most recent post of yours, @Cort, I have decided to not drink it. I have been going back and forth with it for many years now, and I just have to accept that it's not good for me.

For me, at least, I think it's the acetic acid. Any type of vinegar really bothers me. And caffeine bothers me, too.