Kombucha and Digestion

I remember the first time that I heard about kombucha. It seemed scary and a little bit weird. I tried growing it in my basement, which is also scary and felt a LOT weird, especially to my mother who left a wide berth when she walked around my fermentation jar.

The problem with my short stint with growing my own kombucha is that I kill things. By accident of course, but whether it is a plant (over loving with too much water) or a kombucha mother (which is supposed to be fool proof), rest assured that within a number of weeks, it will be dead.  I looked sadly at the dead mother (which is what they call the kombucha culture and though “There has GOT to be an easier way than this.”

A number of months ago, I met with some of the fine people of TONICA to connect over some kombucha and delicious foods.

Over the course of lunch, we got to talking about sports and how kombucha can benefit athletes. The folks at TONICA are focused on creating a a quality, organic and local beverage but it is more than a fancy drink in a pretty bottle.

What is Kombucha?

A fermented, effervescent drink made for centuries throughout China, Russia and presently in North America, generations have made raw Kombucha for its healing & restorative health benefits.

Kombucha has been noted to aid digestion, cleanse the liver and rejuvenate skin and hair cells.

Kombucha contains:

• Probiotics
• polyphenols
• Organic enzymes
• Vital amino acids
• Gluconic & Glucuronic acids, the liver rejuvenators

What are the benefits?

• Promotion of liver cleansing, resulting in healthy skin, hair and improved eyesight.
• Increase of metabolism & resulting decrease of body fat
• Balancing of blood sugar levels
• Increase of energy
• Improved PH balance and resulting mental clarity

Relieved to have found a company that would do the “mother” rearing FOR me, I asked which flavour I should try first. Zoey immediately suggested ginger for the digestive aid because all you need to do is google digestion and runners and a slew of articles pop up.

An estimated 30 to 50 percent of distance runners experience intestinal problems related to exercise.

This is where the ginger TONICA comes in! Ginger has been shown in some cases to help improve appetite and reduce digestive problems such as colic, diarrhea, intestinal spasms, gas and indigestion.

Other ways to assist in digestion for runners include:

• Drink extra water to maintain hydration. GI complaints are common in runners who have sweated off more than four percent of their body weight.
• Eat a diet rich in probiotics or take a supplement to keep your gut happy.
• Cut down on processed, fatty foods. They are hard to digest!
• Don’t rush through your meals. This will give your body a chance to digest everything properly.

Have you ever tried kombucha? What are your thoughts?