7 Health Benefits of Kombucha

If you've ever had kombucha, you already know how incredibly delicious it is. It's an excellent transition away from pop since it has a similar taste without all of the refined sugar, artificial colours and artificial flavours. 

But what you're about to discover is that kombucha is chock full of incredible health benefits! I've personally been brewing my own kombucha and drinking it for over 2 years. That may not sound like very long, but the improvements I've experienced in my digestion and gut health are extremely notable! You know how people say "it's nothing to write home about"? The improvements I've experienced would be "something to write home about"!

I used to be bloated all the time, to the point where I just thought it was normal. Gas might as well have been my middle name! If there was a workout at my CrossFit gym that involved running, I would deliberately hang around the back of the pack so I wouldn't "crop dust" anyone behind me. Yup, real cute. Aside from that, I've noticed significant improvements in the health and clarity of my skin!

Now before I continue, I don't want to misconstrue kombucha as this secret elixir that solves all of your problems in life. Eating wholesome, healthy foods and eliminating any troubling/food sensitivity foods is just as important. But what I'm trying to say is that by incorporating fermented foods (or drinks) like kombucha, you can take your health to the next level.

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Like Joy, I believe that detoxing should be a daily habit, by moving your body on the regular and eating detox-supportive foods rather than a quick (and restrictive) 21-day fix. Drinking kombucha is one of those daily habits that can help to support your body's natural detoxification system. That's because it's loaded with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and antioxidants that naturally help your body to detox, including:

• Gluconic acid – helps to bind to toxins and expel them from the body
• Glucuronic acid – provides the body with extra glucuronidation capacities (detox process often involved in metabolism of drugs, pollutants, bilirubin and fatty acid derivatives) to take the load off of the liver 
• Glucaric acid – boosts the efficiency of liver detoxifying pathways
• Polyphenols - antioxidants found in green and black tea that help to protect the liver (your master detoxifying organ) from oxidative stress and damage induced by acetaminophen (pain medication) overuse and support the health of your microbiome

Much like other fermented foods such as kimchi , sauerkraut , miso paste and tempeh, kombucha is a fermented food that is rich in probiotics/beneficial bacteria. Probiotic-rich foods help to proliferate good bacteria in the gut and crowd out bad bacteria that may be contributing to adverse digestive symptoms such as gas, bloating and indigestion. 

Organic acids and enzymes found in kombucha can also help to break down foods and assist in nutrient absorption. If you struggle with weakened digestion, or feel like food kind of just "sits" in your stomach, kombucha can be super beneficial to you! Some research has also shown kombucha's ability to prevent and heal stomach ulcers.

Caution: If you are new to drinking kombucha, start off slow. If you drink too much at once and your gut isn't used to all of the good bacteria, it can actually do the opposite and cause bloating.

I would recommend starting with half a cup a day (4oz) and working your way up to a maximum of 1 cup (8oz) a day. Incorporating other fermented foods on the regular too (not just kombucha) will also help to prime your gut with this good bacteria.

Your gut is home to approximately 70% of your immune system which means, when you are supporting the gut with probiotics and probotic-rich foods like kombucha, we are also supporting the immune system ! We're taught to ward off sickness by reaching for the classic cup of orange juice, but in actuality, drinking that OJ is actually going to do the complete opposite of supporting your immune system because sugar wears down your immunity (especially if it contains added sugar!).

Eating a nutrient-rich diet, taking a daily Vitamin D and probiotic supplement as well as eating fermented foods and drinks like kombucha can be one of the best ways to support your immunity!

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While we can support our immune system by supporting the gut, there are also a number of things that can wear down our immune system, including stress.

If you've ever gotten sick after a super stressful period (think exam season in school), you've experienced this first hand. That's why it's super important to take preventative measures and support the gut at all times by eating fermented foods, like kombucha, on top of a healthy diet, your daily Vitamin D and probiotics. Keep in mind, the beneficial bacteria from fermented foods is considered to be "transient" which means, you consume it and then you poop it out which is why it's super important to be consuming ferments on the daily.

On top of being a gut-supportive food, kombucha also contains vitamin C which supports the body during times of {{reflink type=blog id=27110 title=stress }}.

Animal studies have found kombucha to be effective when it comes to maintaining healthy cholesterol levels by reducing LDL ("bad cholesterol") and increasing HDL ("good cholesterol"). The reason why is because kombucha contains glucoronic acid, a substance that is said to neutralize cholesterol deposits and change them to another compound that is soluble in water.

Increased secretion of bile acids (found in kombucha) can also help to to increase the excretion of cholesterol so as to reduce the ["bad"] cholesterol levels in blood.

And finally, if you are using green tea as a base for your kombucha, you will also benefit from the catechins found within it which can help to reduce the accumulation of cholesterol in the blood and accelerate the elimination of cholesterol (plus free radicals!) through feces.

With all that said, cholesterol isn't always bad. Cholesterol actually plays vital roles in the body such as for brain function. But of course, the balance of cholesterol is important which is why kombucha and other lifestyle factors are helpful for maintenance of healthy cholesterol levels.

Trying to break up with coffee but miss the energy boost? Make the switch to kombucha! Kombucha comes with a ton of energy-boosting properties given that it's packed with B vitamins and B vitamins help us to convert food into energy!

While caffeine is used in the brewing process, most of the caffeine is consumed by the SCOBY so essentially, there is little caffeine remaining once your brew is finished (approximately anywhere from 2-25mg whereas a drip coffee would be upwards of 250mg). The same goes for sugar, since the organic cane sugar is a vital nutrient for the SCOBY.

Kombucha is also a rich source of iron which helps to improve blood flow and oxygen levels to your organs and your brain – another way that you might experience the lovely side effect of a little energy boost!

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Your gut isn't only home to your immune system, it also houses the production of 50-60% of the serotonin and dopamine in your body. These are our "feel good" neurotransmitters that are often thought to be produced in the brain, but in fact, most of their production occurs in the gut. 

The more we can support the gut by drinking kombucha, the more we are supporting the production of those feel-good hormones!

Knowing that kombucha has this effect, it has also been recommended for those that struggle with depression, also because kombucha has an anti-inflammatory effect and it's said there could be a link between depression and inflammation.

But of course, those B vitamins (more specifically B1, B6 and B12) will also give you a natural boost in terms of energy, concentation, memory and mood.

If you have any questions or comments regarding brewing your own kombucha, I'm your girl! Simply leave your comments below :)

Rachel xx