My Kombucha obsession started with me hearing my favorite Youtubers rave about the health benefits of this drink. Repetitively I kept hearing "live probiotics" and was not really sure what this meant and why it was a good thing. Being the foodie that I am, I turned to Google to discover more about Kombucha's health benefits.
Kombucha is fermented tea. A cocktail of live probiotics are added to the bacteria and yeast that ferment the tea. Most brands add fruit juice or another form of sweetener to make the taste of the drink less bitter.
My Initial Reaction
Most people hate the taste of Kombucha so I was a little hesitant to try it. My first encounter with kombucha was GT's Synergy Trilogy. Once I opened the lid, I heard the sound of carbon build up escaping the bottle like a soda. When I bent my nose down to smell the drink I was immediately repulsed. Because of this, I was even more hesitant to try the drink. However, once I built up enough courage to take a sip, it was nothing like I would have expected.
To me, Kombucha tastes tangy and very fizzy. It took me numerous very small, very very small, sips to get used to the taste. Eventually I started to actually like and crave the taste. However, just because I like the taste doesn't mean everyone will. I convinced my boyfriend and mom to try the drink and they both hated it. My boyfriend forced me to expand my horizons and try different flavors which turned out to be a lot better. Starter Tip: avoid any ginger flavor and stick to berry flavors. My favorites are GT's Synergy Cranberry or Gingerberry.
The Misconception
Now the real thing that got me hooked to Kombucha is the claimed health benefits. The "live" enzymes in kombucha are said to improve digestion, aid weight loss, increase energy, cleanse and detoxify your body, support the immune system, and aid cancer prevention. These health benefits makes Kombucha sound like heaven in a bottle to me.
But, you can't always trust these health claims. Little research has been done to verify these benefits. They are mainly based off of theory and consumer experiences. From my experience with drinking Kombucha I have noticed some improvement in my digestion which tends to be very irritable. I did not notice any weight loss or increase in energy even remotely.
I'd like to think my body is being cleaned and I am preventing cancer, but these are claims I could never find out to be true. However, I once did drink Kombucha before getting sick to see if it really boosted my immune system. Long story short, I did end up getting sick but I will never know if my cold would have been worse if I didn't drink Kombucha before hand.
My Final Verdict
I may not be a good source of information to base your opinions off of considering you probably need to drink Kombucha every single day to see any changes. But being the broke college student I am, it takes a lot of convincing to get me to buy the $3.49 a bottle that should last no more than two days.
Even though I have noticed little to no change from this glorified drink, I still enjoy the taste and the added possible health benefits still lure me in every once in a while. Rather than drinking Kombucha religiously, I plan to treat the drink as an occasional reward for when my palate craves something bubbly.