what is kombucha?

I'm moving to Melbourne in six days. So I thought, why not run a kombucha making workshop two days before I go, while also packing pretty much everything, hosting farewell parties (and organising them), and saying my farewells at a funeral of a loved one. Some say I'm crazy, I know I am!!

But 'cause I want people to come (and make it worth my while), I thought I'd write an article on what kombucha is and why you should drink it (and why you should be making it yourself).
It'll be a quick one... cause I have things to do...

Looking back, I found an article I wrote about fermented foods when I first started making them. It's pretty good, if I don't say so myself. Check it out here: you drink what!?

But here are some answers to a few questions:

What is kombucha?

Kombucha is a fermented tea drink.

Is it hard to make?

Kombucha is quite simple to make once you know what you're doing. It only has a few ingredients, including a beloved SCOBY, which is used to ferment the tea.

Why is it good for me?

Kombucha is full of probiotics, which are the good guys in your gut. They're necessary for good health (much more than you're probably aware). Probiotics can be taken in supplement form, but I prefer including them in my diet! It has so many health benefits, why wouldn't you want to drink it?!

What does it taste like?

Kombucha is a slightly tangy, slightly sweet and slightly fizzy drink. When you make it yourself, you can make it just how you like it (depending on how long you leave it to ferment for). You can drink it plain or I like to flavour it, usually with fruit. Using apple makes it taste a bit like apple cider, and ginger makes it taste like ginger beer, but the flavour possibilities are endless.

Does kombucha contain alcohol?

Yes, it contains a very small amount of alcohol. I haven't measured mine, but from what I've read, it generally contains less than 1%. Again, this can be controlled by how long you leave it to ferment. Despite this, most people deem it safe for children and pregnant women.

What other questions do you have? Comment below or come along on Monday night to my kombucha workshop, it's going to be great!

you drink what!?

My body has some interesting stuff going on... I'm not great at science – so I don't understand all the details – but I am very practical, so I know what to do: cut some foods from my diet, replace with others. Sounds easy, except if you've never heard of the foods you need to start eating.

So I've entered the land of sauerkraut, kombucha and kimchi. If you don't know what they are, you aren't alone, I didn't either until 2 weeks ago... but now I'm pretty much an expert.*

These fermented foods are good for many reasons, but particularly good for the gut. There are two types of guys living in your gut: good guys (nothing to do with the home appliances company) and bad guys. You want lots of happy good guys and less of the bad guys. Fermented foods make the good guys living down there happy!*

Because I want a happy gut (who doesn't!?), I've been eating (and drinking) lots of these types of foods. They've been around for thousands of years, but as my doctor said, I grew up a good Aussie girl so I've never heard of any them. I think he was saying it as a negative, but I'm happy that I grew up as a good Aussie girl!

So, I've done lots of research and started making them myself.

In my cupboard, I have kombucha and kimchi fermenting away. Yes, they have live cultures in them. Kombucha is a fermented tea drink, which is a bit fizzy and a bit sweet and can be flavoured with whatever you like. Kimchi is a Korean dish of fermented veggies. I haven't tried it yet but I hope it's nice as I've made a large jar of it! I'm really hoping my experiments are working!

The steps of making kombucha (clockwise from top left): make some tea, cool it down with a few more cups of filtered water, get your SCOBY and starter, add it to the tea, cover with a tight weave cloth and leave to ferment.

I could explain more but I'm not really an expert.* If you want to know more about kombucha check out The Whole Daily – she has a free ebook called Love Your Guts, or Wellness Mama, or I Quit Sugar's article: 17 Reasons You Should Drink Kombucha (and it even contains sugar, so it must be good!).

If you're in Sydney and want to have a go at making kombucha yourself and get some more info, head along to this WORK-SHOP event on Thursday night (2 days time).

There is heaps more information on the internet about fermented foods and easy ways to make them. Keep an eye on my Instagram feed (@thearlegirl) to see if my kombucha and kimchi work... fingers crossed!


* Does googling a topic make you can expert?
* If you ever need me to simplify any complex topics for you, happy to help out ;)
* I think the answer to my previous question is no.

water.

There are some days I notice I have dark circles under my eyes or a dull headache or really dry lips. Usually, this is because I haven't been drinking enough water. When I do have enough water, I really notice the difference!

Here are a few tricks I try to do (try, being the key word) to keep hydrated!

• I wake up and have a glass of water. To help my digestion, I have it warm with apple cider vinegar and lemon, but plain water is great, especially if you often wake up with a little headache (which has nothing to do with the night before!). Leave it on your bedside table the night before so you can have it before you get out of bed.

• I try to have a drink bottle with me most of the time. When it's with me, I'm much more likely to notice it and have a sip. Driving my car, I often have a sip at the traffic lights; watching TV, I don't need to get up to get a drink; if it's on your desk, you can just have little bits every little while; if I'm walking around the shops, often I carry it in my hand. Little bits add up!

• When I feel like a cup of tea, I drink herbal tea. I do this as I'm avoiding caffeine, but often we just want a hot drink, and herbal tea is great for many reasons, particularly because it hydrates! I also usually have a calming cup of tea before bed.

• Instead of having soft drink or juice, I sometimes have a splash of lemon or lime cordial (which shouldn't be every drink as the sugar is unhelpful) or a slice of lemon or lime in a glass of water or sparkling water.

• Get little bits in after brushing your teeth: brush, rinse, and drink.

Let's add that up:

• 1 cup water to start the day, 
• 2 cups throughout the day from my drink bottle, 
• 3 cups herbal tea - morning tea, afternoon tea and before bed
• 2 cups infused sparkling water - lunch and dinner
• Plus other little bits and maybe your drink bottles or glasses are bigger than mine!

So, that's a total of 8 cups of water (or maybe more). I make it look easy to get the recommended amount! This amount is only a guide; what you need depends on your body size, metabolism, the weather, what you eat, how much alcohol and caffeine you drink, how much exercise you do. It would be pretty easy to have many more cups of tea or water (or sparkling water from pretentious glass bottles) throughout the day! Often I still have difficulty doing this.

Especially as it's warming up, it's super important to keep hydrated.

Not only does drinking more water give you more energy but it also improves your skin, removes toxins from your body, helps with muscle aches and pains, and prevents headaches. Who doesn't want that!?

There are many people who don't have access to clean water, like we do. When I was in the Philippines in 2010, I visited a couple of water stations which provide clean water to people and communities. We are so privileged! One of these was a Water for Water project, so if you buy bottled water, make sure you buy it from these guys (at Gloria Jeans or online) as their water is making a massive difference! 100% of their profits go towards helping communities gain access to safe drinking water.

So, go on, have a glass of water now.