Very recently, kombucha has become one of the hottest things to hit the shelves in grocery stores. Personally, I’m still on the fence of this mysterious and vinegary-smelling drink that all my friends love so much. However, after doing a little research on its health benefits, I’m starting to understand the new fad. For those of you who are trying to jump on this kombucha bandwagon but are still a little iffy, here are five facts you should know before giving it a try.
1. It’s Made With Microbes
Okay, I know what you’re thinking… If people think I’m about to try a fermented tea that is loaded with bacteria and yeast floating around in it and (most importantly) doesn’t even smell good, they must be insane. But believe me, I felt the same way, so keep reading.
2. It’s a Probiotic
Here’s the catch. Yeah, maybe you would rather do a lot of things before guzzling some bacteria down your throat, but researchers say that the “good” bacteria inside kombucha and other probiotics can lead to a lot of benefits. Some of these benefits include improving one’s digestion, can promote a healthy liver, and has many other nutritional perks.
For those of you who need to be cautious about your liver, *cough cough* college students, perhaps giving kombucha a try wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.
3. Not all Kombucha Is the Same
Before you begin binge drinking and splurging at your nearest grocery store, it’s important to look at the facts: not all brands offer the same health benefits. Some kombucha brands can be extra high in added sugars, so aim for the brands with 5 grams of sugar or less.
From one kombucha newbie to the other, I’ve heard that the most highly recommended kombucha brands include GT’s Synergy, Dr. Brew Kombucha, Kevita, and Health-Ade. All of which include a variety of flavors, such as ginger lemon, cayenne, mango, and even superberry.
4. You Can Drink too Much of it
There’s good news and then there’s bad news. Bad news is that researchers have found that kombucha contains lactic acid, which can cause a build up of lactic acid in your blood stream in you drink too much of it. This can actually be life threatening. The good news is that the risk of this is very low and only possible if you guzzle down bottle after bottle. Talk about a kombucha overload.
5. It Contains Alcohol
Ah, the real reason why everyone loves drinking it so much… just kidding! There’s only about 0.5% alcohol found in each bottle, so it would take a lot of kombucha bottles to actually feel even just a buzz. Don’t try this at home. However, for those of you who are interested, there are some kombucha brands that do include up to 2.5% alcohol per bottle. Just saying.
So if you didn’t know, now you know. Some of you may be even more against trying it but hey, you won’t know if it’s not your cup of tea until you try it. Plus once you do, you could end up like the rest of the kombucha followers and be #KrazyforKombucha!