This Is The One Thing You Need To Remember When Drinking Kombucha

Kombucha benefits are endless.

Kombucha is delicious, and a great replacement for soda. The tea becomes a fermented digestive and liver tonic when the SCOBY digests the sugar and caffeine, creating a mass concentration of active enzymes, minerals and vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12 and B15. You will often find it in a variety of flavours like ginger, hibiscus or berry. The slightly sour, somewhat sweet flavour and the added fizz, similar to the small bubbles found in a champagne, make it a popular alternative to alcohol as a sipping beverage. (These yoga moves can also help improve digestion.)

Another benefit of kombucha is that, though it is increasingly widely available, you can also make it at home with this recipe. All you need is a SCOBY culture (which you can now purchase through various vendors on Etsy or Amazon), plus black or Earl Grey tea and organic sugar. It’s that easy. You can also flavour it to your desired taste. For suggestions, check out the flavouring guide at the Academy of Culinary Nutrition.

But there’s one thing you should be aware of…

Though it can be tempting to buy a bottle of blueberry kombucha from the fridge at your local health food store and chug it back, be careful! Remember when I mentioned the live active enzymes that have a beneficial effect on digestion and the liver? Well too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing. You could end up making a beeline for the loo.

Instead, start by enjoying a quarter of a cup serving, sipped slowly. I know it’s refreshing and delicious and those little bubbles make it extra thirst-quenching, but be strong my friend. This is where you get to exercise your moderation muscle. And so, the very best way to enjoy it is to sip from a wineglass, or use it as a mixer in your favourite mocktails or cocktails. (For an alcoholic bevvy with a real dose of health, try this Elderberry Vodka and Immune Cocktail.)