Kombucha Tea Will Help Achieve A Flat Tum

Humans carry pounds of human waste in their intestines. Some unfortunately have been there for far too long.

If your digestive system is not good, not only will you look bloated and have a protruding stomach, you will also compromise your health as the waste inside you festers and poisons your body.

Fasting is a good way to cleanse your system. Plenty of good quality water, some gentle exercise and no food for a day to a few days and your digestive system will have time to adjust, re-group, revitalize and eliminate all the unwanted accumulated waste.

Eating raw and eliminating meat produce is also a good way to clean your insides. The easier it is for the body to digest foods (such as fresh fruit and vegetables), the easier it is for waste to pass through.

When you eat properly and digest at an optimal level, your stomach will look flat. Continual flushing with water and some diluted fruit juices (such as lemon and green vegetable juices) will help maintain a nice flat tum. Of course, you need to exercise but it will be a whole lot easier if your digestive system is good.

You can also drink kombucha tea. Kombucha tea has the ability to help flush out unwanted waste. It is probiotic and has living digestive floras that will help your intestines to get rid of unwanted matter inside you.





Your skin will look better too and you will have more energy. So people, start drinking that home brew kombucha tea!

Not Enough Good Gut Bacteria? Try Taking Some Poo

Think I am joking?

Watch this video :

According to Dr. Mark Mellow, medical director of the Digestive Health Center at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, fecal transplants lead to rapid resolution of symptoms in 98 percent of patients with Clostridium difficile who don’t respond to multiple previous treatments. C. difficile is a bacterial infection that is often resistant to antibiotics, is often debilitating, and can be fatal. Research has also found that fecal transplants show promise in the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, with symptoms sometimes improving in mere days.

Luckily, if you look after your gut health from as early on as possible, this will really be a last resort but many medical professionals are telling patients to ditch the vitamin pills and concentrate on their gut health. Taking supplements is on way and can certainly kick start better gut health but the trick is to eat fermented foods and yogurt base products to ensure your gut is as healthy as possible.

Kombucha tea is also full of probiotic goodness (as if you didn't know).

While you could certainly use a high-quality probiotic supplement, fermented foods can supply your body with good bacteria FAR more effectively and inexpensively than a supplement. As an example, it’s unusual to find a probiotic supplement containing more than 10 billion colony-forming units, but when my team tested fermented vegetables produced using a probiotic starter cultures, they had 10 trillion colony-forming units of bacteria. Literally, one serving of vegetables was equal to an entire bottle of a high potency probiotic!

Take note because gut health is linked to not only your body's health but also mental, skin and overall health. Processed foods and sugar is a big no-no as sugar feeds bad bacteria and yeast which is the cause of illnesses like candida. Rosacea is also linked to poor gut health and can be resolved with better gut management.



Read the entire article here. 

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What Is The Good Stuff In Kombucha Tea?

English: Mature Kombucha (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have been banging on about how great kombucha tea is for your health but what exactly is in kombucha tea that is so great?

I have listed a small list below (courtesy of Dave) of all the good probiotic stuff such as :

• LACTIC ACID: Found in Kombucha in its most potent form L-lactic(+). Lactic acid is essential for the digestive system.

• ACETIC ACID: Its main function is to inhibit harmful bacteria. Acetic acid is used as a preservative because of this action. It is also what gives Kombucha that ‘kick’ to its smell and taste.

• MALIC ACID: Is also used in the body’s detoxification process.

• OXALIC ACID: Encourages the cellular production of energy and is a natural preservative.

• GLUCONIC ACID: Is effective against many yeast infections such as Candida and thrush.

• BUTYRIC ACID: Is produced by the yeasts and when working with gluconic acid, might help combat yeast infections such as Candida.

• NUCLEIC ACID: Work with the body aiding healthy cell regeneration.

• AMINO ACID: A group of acids which are the building blocks of protein. Your muscular system is made of proteins.

• ENZYMES: Are proteins that act as catalysts, speeding the rate at which biochemical reactions proceed.

Kombucha also contains Vitamin Groups B and C, Beneficial Yeasts and LIVING Bacteria (you know like the stuff in yogurt).

The great thing is you can spice up your tea the way you want : add soda water, juice, cloves, ginger and bits of fresh fruit and get all the probiotic goodness in a form that is tasty and enjoyable. 

A lot of illnesses and diseases today can be dramatically reduced through nutrition and regular exercise, things that no doctors really talk about. In fact, the approach to Chinese Traditional Medicine is to treat the whole body and not just specific areas, and nutrition plays an important role in treating diseases and maintaining good health.

It pays in the long run to watch what you eat and to make sure your body gets the right type of healthy nutrition. Make no mistake, your kombucha tea plays an important part in maintaining good health and vitality.

 

The Triple Probiotic Whammy

I Love Your Guts Anatomy Embroidery Hoop Art (Photo credit: Hey Paul Studios)

So I have been taking the recent gut health news seriously and decided to do something about it. I really do think (after reading quite a bit about how the state of our gut directly affects not only our physical health but our mental health also) we all need to take some sort of action towards upping the good bacteria in our gut.

Eating yogurt and all is fine but I wanted to take it one step further whilst seeing if I can  incorporate kombucha tea into the equation.

I have been interested in the probiotic powder sachets from Japan call Threelac for a while now. The company blurb is :

Threelac is a lemon-flavored, nutritional food supplement composed of three live bacteria: bacillus coagulans, bacillus subtilis and enterococcus faecalis. Additionally, Threelac contains fiber, yeast (as food for the bacteria), and vitamins, all added to support your daily health and wellness needs. 

(you can buy Threelac on Amazon and read what others have to say about it)

Reading people's comments on various forums (mainly Candida sufferers) and reading up about it spurred me to give the stuff a try.

I started about two weeks ago and although I feel better myself, I actually had comments from friends to say my complexion looks better too. Maybe it was the lighting, but it did make me feel good and all I could think of was my new found probiotic powder friend Threelac.

Then one of my friends told me she took colloidal silver to maintain good health. Just a teaspoon a day of the stuff mixed in with a juice or some water and that's her done for the day. Now colloidal silver is quite controversial with articles in Mayo Clinic and Web MD saying no actual scientific proof has been established for it (warning : take it at your own discretion and be aware it may not be for you. I am not a doctor and you need to get this checked out with a medical professional before you take this or any other dietary supplements.) but there are testimonials of people who say they have benefited from taking it.

Anyway, I am taking Threelac and adding a teaspoon of colloidal silver into some juice. I am toying with adding kombucha tea but am not sure if it is a good idea - too much of a good thing could be a bad thing and all that. So I am drinking this mixture twice a day and so far so good. I feel more energized and my body feels less sluggish. I won't carry it on indefinitely, but I will do it for 2-3 weeks, give it a break,  and then carry on with kombucha tea.

Is this the answer to better gut health? Who knows? but it sure beats drinking sugary soda or some pre-fabricated 'health' drink that does more harm than good.

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Kombucha Tea As A Cooking Ingredient

Teriyaki-like marinade for chicken (Photo: Wikipedia)

I have been going on about the benefits of kombucha, the biscuits that go great with kombucha and a variety of (sometimes quite random) things that come to mind when I am drinking my kombucha tea.

This post, I want to talk about cooking with kombucha tea and using it as a marinade, or making your own salad dressing with kombucha.

The weather is getting colder. Today, I was just going through my tried and tested thermal underwear and making sure I have them ready for the next few months.

Then I thought 'wouldn't it be nice to make a nice hearty stew for dinner?', and that was when the cooking with kombucha thought came about.

Kombucha tea is acidic. It has a tangy vinegar like taste which is actually ideal for marinading meat.

• Kombucha Tea as a Marinade

Now there is no hard rules about the marinade but some soya sauce, ginger, garlic, five spice powder and a good bit of kombucha tea will really soften and flavor beef and pork. Just leave it to marinade for a few hours or over night before either braising it slowly in the oven (you will need a bit more tea), or if the meat is sliced, do a quick stir fry with some crispy vegetables like carrots, celery and bean sprouts, adding just a little cornstarch mixed with water at the end to thicken the sauce. It's really good.

• Kombucha Tea as a Stock Base

Or use it to mix it with stock cubes to make stock. You will have to be a bit inventive with the taste as it will be slightly acidic but just view it as adding a bit of vinegar or lemon to the dish. I tried once adding a bit of kombucha tea to a Moroccan dish with cous cous, and it tasted really quite good (ok - I may be bias).

• Kombucha Tea as a Dressing

As for salad dressing you can take some kombucha tea (especially when it is a bit too acidic), add some olive oil, salt, pepper and a touch of French mustard and you will have a quite special dressing. Not the weather really now for that but it is an idea worth exploring.

• Kombucha Tea Egg

One easy to do thing is to boil eggs with kombucha tea. The Chinese boil their eggs in tea (called very imaginatively 'tea egg') and sell them as a snack often in herbal tea shops. Sounds weird? Not really, it just gives it a nice subtle fragrance and aroma, and if you leave it in the tea for longer, the taste will seep in even more. That's a new and healthy way to eat eggs!

So have you cooked with kombucha tea before? And if you have, what was your best recipe? Would really love to know.

Coconuts with Kombucha Tea

A coconut which has been stripped of its husk. The top has been hacked off and it is shown here as served in a hawker centre in Singapore. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Following my post yesterday about kombucha tea and biscuits, I totally forgot to mention another favorite biscuit of mine to go with my kombucha brew : coconut biscuits.

Now coconuts have had a bit of a health revival recently with many celebrities and sport teams using it to boost metabolism and maintain weight.

According to Dr. Oz :

Studies have show that intake of coconut oil can help our bodies mount resistance to both viruses and bacteria that can cause illness. Even more, it also can help to fight off yeast, fungus and candida.

Coconut oil can also positively affect our hormones for thyroid and blood-sugar control. People who take coconut oil also tend to have improvements in how they handle blood sugar since coconut can help improve insulin use within the body. Coconut oil can boost thyroid function helping to increase metabolism, energy and endurance. It increases digestion and helps to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

Here is another quick rundown on the benefits of coconut

I love using coconut oil for cooking, especially curries and some stews as it adds a certain extra bit of aroma to it and it is also a lot healthier.

I also love it as a body oil especially now that the weather is getting colder and your skin tends to dry out more. The smell is glorious and it does bring back the fleeting memories and images of a nice hot summer!

Coconut is also fabulous to drink on its own - coconut water - very fashionable these days or mixed in with something else - preferably healthy (oh alright, here is a really good selection of coconut rum based cocktail recipes....)

Oh healthy drinks..... just got a bit diverted there :)

Lassi can be mixed with coconut water or coconut milk and also kefir, which is also a yogurt based probiotic drink which I will do a post on soon. You can also add some coconut water to your kombucha tea to give it a totally different flavor.

If you cannot wait, here is a good drink recipe for coconut and kefir and the whole family can enjoy it. Honest :)

Let me know your favorite recipes with coconut in it!

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My Favorite Biscuits With Kombucha Tea

Biscuit Plate (Photo credit: Caro Wallis)

The English are famous for their tea and biscuits.

English garden tea parties, high tea, tea dances and a whole host of tea related products (tea cosies being my favorite - you can wear them as a hat if you are desperate for head warmth:)) are an essential part of British life (watched Downton Abbey lately? Always a cup of tea around).

According to the UK Tea Council:

"Tea is by far the most popular drink consumed in Britain today, with over 165,000,000 cups being drunk in the UK every single day of the year."
 
Now although kombucha tea is not quite main stream in the UK yet, I started thinking about biscuits that will go well with kombucha tea (as you do).

Here are a few that I think go really well (feel free to add to the list)

• Ginger biscuits
• Scottish shortbread biscuits
• Sesame seed biscuits (especially with honey)
• Dark chocolate orange biscuits

So what's your favorite biscuit with your kombucha brew? Would love to know so hit reply!

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Try This Indian Pro-Biotic Drink - Lassi

English: Mint Lassi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you are in an Indian restaurant sometime in the future, see if they have the drink Lassi. Most good Indian restaurants will have this drink and even if they do not have it on the menu, they will be able to whisk one up for you in no time.

So what is Lassi?

Lassi is a watery yogurt drink originally from the Punjab region in India. It can be served sweet (mixed in with fruit for example) or salty (spices like cumin goes well with a salty Lassi) and it can come in a variety of flavors, not unlike smoothies.

The only difference is, Lassi is full of probiotic goodness that is essential for good gut health. It will increase the good bacteria in your intestines to help ward off illnesses and diseases. Many scientists are now linking gut health to mental health so it pays to drink up and a good Lassi is ideal.

A lesser known Lassi called the Bhang Lassi contains liquid derivatives from the cannabis plant. No doubt this Lassi will have the benefits of elevating your mood, relaxing your body and promoting happiness as well as great gut health. It is legal in India and drunk during the festive celebration of color Holi (which is great fun and a must see!)

I find a good mildly sweet Lassi (say with a touch of honey or mint) is a perfect accompaniment to a nice hot curry. It cools off your palate and it blends in so well with a curry - just make sure it is nice and cold!

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Kombucha and the State of Our Processed Food Bodies

Health (Photo credit: Tax Credits)

The general consensus is that you start losing your memory when you get older. You know, where are the car keys? what did I do with my book? where on earth is the cable for the camera that connects with the computer that connects with the printer etc... etc...

It's just the passage of getting old, right? Wrong.

Scientists are now linking gut floral or gut health with brain function. As we live more and more on a process food diet, and view fast foods as a staple - our gut health deteriorates to the extend it affects our brain function and our moods.

In fact, the further we move away from simple organic home cooked meals, fresh produce, fermented foods and good old fashion water; we are moving further and further away from good health.

Our gut health is also much more intrinsically linked with our weight. Don't believe me? just look at the rising obesity rate.

Read these excellent articles about food and how it affects our bodies and behavior here and here.

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Grow Better Vegetables With Tea

Found a cool thing to do with the tea bags or tea leaves after making kombucha tea.

It is a Amish secret actually and they do this to grow 8x more vegetables! And all it requires is some tea leaves that you will throw away anyway.

Of course, you need a vegetable patch (or a few herbs in a pot) and you just throw the used tea leaves onto the soil and voila!

Left over coffee is fantastic for roses - if you drink filtered coffee that is. Nescafe just does not cut it (literally!)

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