"It's an Acquired taste", they said. "It'll change your life," they said. "Yeah, right," I thought.
It sounded like empty promises to me, another quick-fix fad...
Something about muggy summer days, late night board and yard games with my kids, and squeezing each minute out of every day has gotten my energy level at an all-time low lately. Every morning I groan as I roll over to hit the snooze button and try to pry my eyes open. I know I'm getting older, but this is just ridiculous! So today on our grocery run, I grabbed a bottle (or three) of KeVita's Master Brew Kombucha.
If you've heard of Kombucha, it most likely hasn't been great things. In fact, it has gotten a pretty bad rep. Until recently, all my husband and I had heard of it was it's power to *ahem* clean out your system! The first time I heard about Kombucha was last September when my husband and I joined a 12-member team for a Ragnar 200-mile/22-hour relay race. After a team member made a pit stop to pick up his Kombucha, we all had a great time laughing and cracking jokes about his "Brown Bottle of Magic." He raved about it's health benefits and good-nauturedly allowed us to poke fun at his magic elixir.
About a month later, two of my co-workers from raved about the wonderful power of Kombucha. I admit, my attention was piqued once they both described how much energy and mental clarity they felt after drinking it. I went to the store that night and bought a bottle, planning wisely to drink it on a day when I would be in close proximity to a restroom, of course. The result was pure magic!
Kombucha is quite simply, a beverage that is created by fermenting sweet tea with a culture of yeast, sugar, and bacteria. It supposedly got its name from a Korean man (named "Kombu") who healed his Japanese emperor by serving this tea ("Cha" means "tea"). It has live probiotics, acids and enzymes that promote gut health (which is probably where the jokes about "cleaning out your system" originated). I haven't quite taken the time to understand all of the science behind it, all I know is that it works!
Before I start sounding like another "Kombucha-Krazy," let me throw in a disclaimer. Be forewarned - your first sip will most likely NOT taste great. As I was told and am telling you now, it is most definitely an acquired taste. It is tart and somewhat vinegary. For a while I believed that the flavor was what really woke you up, not just the drink itself. I've heard it described as "a punch in the face." Also good to note is that you may not want to drink it every day. I usually only need half a bottle or so every other day to rev up my energy levels. I've heard, though never experienced, that drinking it every day or drinking multiple bottles a day, will actually make you feel sick. Again, I've never tried drinking more than my half bottle, so I don't know.
Not the best review to get you running to the store, but hang in there and let me tell you what you WILL love about it! After your first few sips, you will begin to feel more awake. Yes, it may just be the shock of flavor, but I also believe that the live probiotics, acids, and enzymes do actually wake you up from the inside out. (And on that note I'll add that I have never had an issue with feeling like I had to make an emergency trip to the restroom. Again, I only drink about half of a bottle at a time, so maybe a full bottle would cause more "gut cleaning action".) My favorite benefit of this drink, though, is the mental alertness and clarity I get after a few sips. I'll mention again that I don't know the science behind it or if there is any hard-evidence that it clears your mind. I just know that every time I've had it, I can focus better and I feel more alert. I'm actually sipping on a bottle of KeVita's Master Brew Tart Cherry Flavor (my personal favorite) as I write this post.
So what do you think? Have you tired Kombucha? Are you willing to try a bottle? After all, what do you have to lose?
**Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional nor have I extensively studied the effects of drinking Kombucha.
All information is from my personal experience. Kombucha may not be for everyone.
Consult a doctor or research the possible effects before trying this for yourself. **
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