Kombucha?

Re: Kombucha?

• emmaaa mod

  

  July 2015

  If you doctor isn't helping you with some of the main things you have issues with or questions about, then I'd find a new doctor.

  
  

  FWIW, I have never heard of this stuff.

  
  

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• NowIAmSyp member

  

  July 2015

  Hmm...  it's a tea made with sugar, yeast and bacteria, right?   I wonder how that tastes??  I think I remember reading that it's also "gloppy" and "thick"- not sure I could get that down...  but would also love to hear anyone's experiences/thoughts!  

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• redheadbride15 member

  

  July 2015

  I've had it and I think it tastes naaaaaasty. I think the main potential concerns are about home-brewed kombucha, which can get contaminated by harmful bacteria and yeast, but store-bought stuff is probably safe. I'd say try some and if you like it then drink it and see if you notice any difference. Yes, it's unproven, but in theory I can see it having a similar effect as probiotics because it's just a boat-load of yeast and bacteria in a drink.
  

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• onefootinthebayou member

  

  July 2015

  I WISH I could take credit for this quote but I cannot: Fun fact: the word kombucha is Japanese for 'I gizzed in your tea.'

  
  

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-maclean/surviving-whole-foods_b_3895583.html
  

  
  

  I periodically drink the green one as a meal replacement if I'm feeling chubby but that's probably not a very healthy use of the product!

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• BouxRadley member

  

  July 2015

  I keep a sacred stash of the Green Tea Kombucha in my desk and I love it. I can't stand the taste of the straight stuff, but I still find the mix beneficial for minor stomach/intestinal issues, but I can't vouch for anything else. 

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• redheadbride15 member

  

  July 2015

  onefootinthebayou said:

  I WISH I could take credit for this quote but I cannot: Fun fact: the word kombucha is Japanese for 'I gizzed in your tea.'

  
  

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-maclean/surviving-whole-foods_b_3895583.html
  

  
  

  I periodically drink the green one as a meal replacement if I'm feeling chubby but that's probably not a very healthy use of the product!

  This article is HILARIOUS!
  

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• [Deleted User] member

  

  July 2015

  I would recommend trying the store-bought kind. I've tried it a few times...TBH I can't get past the taste, so I only buy it if I'm at Whole Foods when I'm feeling brave. As PPs have mentioned, the main concern is contaminated bacteria because it IS bacteria. If you end up liking it, you can make it at home, but I think you would need to buy a kit and grow a "mother" colony. Yeah, it's kinda as creepy as it sounds.

  
  

  Boux, I am going to have to try the Green Tea kind. I really want to like it, because it is filling and I do feel kinda refreshed after I've choked down a bottle, but I'd like to to be a bit nicer of an experience lol!

  
  

  Novella, the kind I have tried is GT's Kombucha in the Synergy and (I think?) Pink Lemonade flavor. It's sour/bitter and bubble-y, but not in a soda way.

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• ohannabelle member

  

  July 2015

  If anyone is curious about the taste of Kombucha-

  Take a bottle of tea. Summon Satan, and have him piss in it. Add a cup of vinegar. Float a large gelatinous mass of slime, either a huge loogie or handful of jizz in the bottom. Let it ferment until the snot/jizz at the bottom actually begins growing into an alien life form. This is called a "Scoby." Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast. Mmmm. Doesn't that sound great? 

  Drink and enjoy. There's nothing like fermented piss and snot from the bowels of hell. 

  There. I just saved you 4 bucks at Whole Foods.

  
  

  Here's a picture of a scoby:

  
  

  

  
  

  Yum yum. Doesn't that look tasty?

  I think it's absolute junk science. Hipster junk science. There's absolutely zero medical evidence of any benefits. 

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• [Deleted User] member

  

  July 2015

  Try KeVita's Sparkling Cayenne Lemon Cleanse.  Not sure if it is technically Kombucha, but it is a probiotic drink and tastes AMAZING. 5 calories and 0g of sugar I believe. It just tastes like sparkling lemonade but does wonders for my digestive system. I usually have 3-4 a week. 

  
  

  You can find it at Whole Foods, Fresh Market, and most Krogers in the natural foods section.  

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• novella1186 member

  

  July 2015

  ohannabelle said:

  If anyone is curious about the taste of Kombucha-

  Take a bottle of tea. Summon Satan, and have him piss in it. Add a cup of vinegar. Float a large gelatinous mass of slime, either a huge loogie or handful of jizz in the bottom. Let it ferment until the snot/jizz at the bottom actually begins growing into an alien life form. This is called a "Scoby." Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast. Mmmm. Doesn't that sound great? 

  Drink and enjoy. There's nothing like fermented piss and snot from the bowels of hell. 

  There. I just saved you 4 bucks at Whole Foods.

  
  

  Here's a picture of a scoby:

  
  

  

  
  

  Yum yum. Doesn't that look tasty?

  I think it's absolute junk science. Hipster junk science. There's absolutely zero medical evidence of any benefits. 

  lol I think this just made the decision for me that I will NOT be trying it. I'll have this image in my head the whole time and just gag 

  

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• novella1186 member

  

  July 2015

  jenandtonic81515 said:

  Try KeVita's Sparkling Cayenne Lemon Cleanse.  Not sure if it is technically Kombucha, but it is a probiotic drink and tastes AMAZING. 5 calories and 0g of sugar I believe. It just tastes like sparkling lemonade but does wonders for my digestive system. I usually have 3-4 a week. 

  
  

  You can find it at Whole Foods, Fresh Market, and most Krogers in the natural foods section.  

  Cayenne is one of my "triggers." I'd pretty much end up in the hospital  

  

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• [Deleted User] member

  

  July 2015 edited July 2015

  novella1186 said:

  jenandtonic81515 said:

  Try KeVita's Sparkling Cayenne Lemon Cleanse.  Not sure if it is technically Kombucha, but it is a probiotic drink and tastes AMAZING. 5 calories and 0g of sugar I believe. It just tastes like sparkling lemonade but does wonders for my digestive system. I usually have 3-4 a week. 

  
  

  You can find it at Whole Foods, Fresh Market, and most Krogers in the natural foods section.  

  Cayenne is one of my "triggers." I'd pretty much end up in the hospital  

  
  

  Oh no!! Never mind then!!!

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• bethsmiles member

  

  July 2015

  I will second @abcdevonn about sticking to the store bought stuff. FI's cousin drank homemade kombucha and it totally fucked up his digestive system because the people who made it did it wrong so it basically killed all the good bacteria in his system.

  FI's mom drinks it occasionally. I've tried it, it's disgusting.

  
  

  
  

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• novella1186 member

  

  July 2015

  jenandtonic81515 said:

  novella1186 said:

  jenandtonic81515 said:

  Try KeVita's Sparkling Cayenne Lemon Cleanse.  Not sure if it is technically Kombucha, but it is a probiotic drink and tastes AMAZING. 5 calories and 0g of sugar I believe. It just tastes like sparkling lemonade but does wonders for my digestive system. I usually have 3-4 a week. 

  
  

  You can find it at Whole Foods, Fresh Market, and most Krogers in the natural foods section.  

  Cayenne is one of my "triggers." I'd pretty much end up in the hospital  

  
  

  Oh no!! Never mind then!!!

  Thanks for the recommendation though. There's so much good/healthy stuff that I have to avoid. It's super annoying. 

  

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• hellohkb mod

  

  July 2015

  I drink Synergy's. I have acid reflux and FH has major stomach issues where even meat and dairy trigger him. Kombucha does help but I don't want to pay like $5 or $6 a pop for it (that's how much it goes for at my natural foods store).

  
  
  

  
  
  
  

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• AlexisA01 member

  

  July 2015

  I've tried the ginger one at Whole Foods and a local green tea version. I like the Ginger version over the green tea. I like to find the variety flavors of them when they are on sale.

  Live fast, die young. Bad Girls do it well. Suki Zuki.

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• madamerwin member

  

  July 2015

  I have gone through phases of making kombucha at home, and I will say - the homemade stuff tastes WAY better than store-bought (I find that store bought tastes like someone fermented orange juice or something, while homemade can taste much more like regular tea, with a bit of fizz in it). And it's SUPER easy to make. I personally think it's fascinating stuff. I usually stop making it because I get lazy, and you have to keep the scoby (the bacteria/yeast culture) alive when you're not actively brewing tea. It got to be a pain in the ass.

  
  

  As for it being harmful - you really just shouldn't drink it in massive quantities, because it's pretty acidic. But I used to drink a bottle a day, and it definitely helped with my digestive issues.

  

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• luckya23 member

  

  July 2015

  Not kombucha, but last time I was prescribed antibiotics I asked my doc about drinking kefir and he said it was a waste and to just get some probiotic pills which are much more effective.

  

  

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• novella1186 member

  

  July 2015

  luckya23 said:

  Not kombucha, but last time I was prescribed antibiotics I asked my doc about drinking kefir and he said it was a waste and to just get some probiotic pills which are much more effective.

  Yeah it's tough to sort things out sometimes because there always seems to be some new "super food" or miracle cure or whatever that's "all natural" and blah blah blah. I remember when kale became a big deal around here, I read an article that compared the vitamins in broccoli to the vitamins in kale and broccoli had a lot more (or something like that; I can't remember the specifics). But kale was like a new exciting thing to some people, so the grocery store was all "KALE CHIPS!" "KALE SALAD!" "DRIED KALE!" 

  

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• TrixieJess member

  

  July 2015

  novella1186 said:

  Does anyone here drink this/know about it? 

  
  

  Someone at work recommended it to me to help with my stomach issues. She swears by it, and says it has made a huge difference in the issues she was having. 

  
  

  I googled it and I haven't spent much time reading about it yet but the first thing I saw said that it has no proven benefits, and can actually cause a lot of harm? That was surprising to me. I'm going to read more to find out what kind of harm it can cause and whatnot. 

  
  

  However, when probiotic capsules were new to the market, there were a lot of articles and doctors saying that they have no proven health benefits, and I tried them anyway. They made a huge difference for me, and I still take them periodically. 

  
  

  So I just wanted to hear some real experiences/opinions on kombucha while I figure out if it's something I should try or not.

  
  

  (And for the record, my doctor sucks and has not been the least bit helpful with holistic/dietary stuff. He'd rather load me up on pills than have me try to eat healthier, so I didn't want to ask him about this. I'm actually in search of a new doctor right now). 

  FI drinks it all the time. Our grocery has it on tap as well as several types of bottles. It's a fermented tea drink. I have recipes to make it at home too which I may do when I have a little more time this summer. It's definitely an acquired taste.

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• flbride2015 member

  

  July 2015

  I've tried store bought flavored kombucha and I really liked it. The only reason I decided aginst drinking it regularly is because it has a shit ton of sugar in it and I'm trying to lose weight.

  That being said, fermented foods in general can help. Have you tried kimchi? It's great if you like spicy food.

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