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Coffee and chocolate were once made by live cultures and fermentation practices, a complicated chemical synthesis that occurs when you ingest live bacteria that aids your digestion and immune function.
The process of fermentation and eating probiotics regularly (kefir, miso and yogurt) also helps the body produce healthy fatty acids essential for digestion, brain health and a host of other cancer-fighting benefits.
Extracted in cultures around the world, the healthy bacteria is served up in smoothies everywhere, and typically contains high levels of vitamin C and enzymes that more efficiently break down calories.
DIY Tea Fermentation
One of the most popular fermented products today is kombucha tea. “It’s not hard to make your own,” says Sandor E. Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2012). “If you spend half an hour chopping cabbage and pack it into a mason jar with salt, you can be eating homemade fermented sauerkraut for weeks,” he says. The taste will be pleasantly tangy and low in calories.
Kombucha is a sweet, fermented tea that’s carbonated in jugs and tastes like ultra-tart sparkling apple cider. Kombucha brewer Jamie Danek says, “Brewing the tea is an art. A colony of bacteria, yeast and fungus, plus other probiotics and B vitamins are deposited into the tea as it ferments for weeks.”
Kombucha has been widely consumed in China, Japan and Russia for over 2,000 years for its immunity-boosting, digestive benefits. To start brewing your own in gallon jugs, visit Kombuchamama.com.
A newer probiotic addition in the states, freshly made kefir is a dairy-based fermented beverage with healthy probiotic bacteria that promotes the health of your digestion.
Eating and drinking live, active cultures several times a week is part of a detoxing regimen that can boost longevity, help you drop weight, cleanse your digestive organs, and help you feel healthier and lighter.
Tags: detox, fermentation, health and wellness, kombucha, natural beauty, nutrition,probiotics, skinny snacks, tea, yogurt