When I first had a bottle of kombucha, I really did not like it; it was this weird, sour-sweet, unknown, awkward beverage to me ๐ณ. I am not sure what changed or when I started to love it; Maybe it was a friend who expressed such admiration for it that I decided to give it another go, or maybe my body was telling me I was in need of something that it was extremely lacking.
Whatever the case may be, I am so glad I listened!
I was never much of a soda or energy-drink consumer, but I sure did enjoy my daily juice back in the day. Not the juice-bar kind of juice, but the ultra-concentrated, grape-mustache, sugar-rush kind of juice. The kind that children's dentists warn parents about but still insist to come in with a mouth full of cavities. As I grew into an adult that was blooming into a more health-conscious being, I raved about the new "it" juice and smoothie bar in town-- All the "healthy" flavor choices and false self-convincing that juicing was good for my body. Here is the thing about juice, my people... it is nothing but sugar. Pure sugar. And truthfully, sugar isn't all that bad for you! But you know what they say, "drink your vegetables, eat your fruit." Does carrot, apple, orange, ginger juice count? Mm...Not really.
This is where kombucha saved me. Not only did it totally curb this juice/sugar fixation I once had, but it helped my body to properly distinguish what it did and did not need--No more false convincing! I loved the authentic energy it gave me without the anxiety and the usual crashes that would come with other drinks, like coffee. I feel so balanced and alive when I drink a good bottle of kombucha; even drinking it when I feel a little cold coming on or my tummy starting to yell at me for something that I ate, can work wonders. But...
๐ Kombucha is not a cure-all
Look, this gal loves her health research but at the end of the day, I am not a doctor. Kombucha has had many health claims from various individuals-- to helping with diabetes or GT Dave's claim that it cured his mother's cancer-- back in the day, it was used as a type of medicine, but in today's world, it is not something that should be looked at as THE Elixer of life. What it does do, though, because of its acids and active bacteria, which match up to bacterias and acids found within us, is it slowly detoxifies the body to support the immune system and helps to achieve an overall balance in mind, body, and soul. Simultaneously for me, it opened up my world to the magic of fermentation and what consuming bacteria can do for the body.
The point I am trying to make here is, don't knock anything until you try it. Ok, maybe eating grilled spiders in some distant land that claims this as their ultimate dish can be an easy pass, but most foods are reasonable and by nature are our inherent medicine! Fermented foods, in my observation, directly reflect our actual inner human form and therefore can only benefit us in the best of ways. If you don't like something the first time, you may just like it the second, third, or even fourth time (I would call it quits maybe by the 10th time, no need to force yourself ๐). Since starting this journey, I started to enjoy other foods, foods that were usually such a "no-no" in my book. Our palettes do change over time, and I love the mental shift of being curious about food now rather than being utterly reluctant to even try something unknown.
Life is meant to be tasted.