Kombucha can be your GI system’s frenemy: good for you only if you know how to handle it. Luckily, we do!
According to The Mayo Clinic, “There have been reports of adverse effects, such as stomach upset, infections and allergic reactions in kombucha tea drinkers.” Talk to your healthcare professional before adding the brew to your diet, read the following cautions about DIY kombucha, and you’ll be good to go!
Clean Eating advises “[t]here is a risk of contamination with home-brewing, so be sure to take care when preparing, using clean utensils and creating a clean and controlled environment.”
Kombucha recipes
Here are a couple of options for homemade Kombucha.
Clean Eating Kombucha recipe
Fitness Magazine recipe
Sarah Wilson has an “Almost sugar-free kombucha” recipe that yields about a quarter teaspoon of sugar per 3 ounces of tea.
Safe storage tips for kombucha
Kombucha can continue to ferment if kept at room temperature, so either keep it refrigerated or store it in a shatterproof container.
Kombucha and the Paleo diet
The Paleo Foundation posted an article about the debate over whether kombucha should have a place in the Paleo diet. There are arguments against it because it’s not an ancestral food and also because it is made with cane sugar. Those who support the beverage’s inclusion in the Paleo diet argue that it’s a rich source of probiotics that retains very little sugar.
Tea time and beyond
People often refer to kombucha as a tea, but this versatile brew is being featured in dishes that you’ll enjoy throughout the day.
Breakfast
Here’s a recipe for Strawberry Banana Smoothies.
Try this Bananas Brûlée with Mulberry Kombucha and Toast recipe.
Lunch or Sides
Mushroom, Apple, and Jarlsberg Salad Recipe
Main Dishes
Easy Homemade Italian Sausage with Kombucha Recipe
Don’t be intimidated by the recipe title; if you can stir ingredients, you can make this dish. Possible variations include using a combination of light and dark cuts of turkey or chicken, so buy legs or thighs in addition to breast meat.
Kombucha-Marinated Pork Cutlets with Cultured Cream Sauce
We bet you never thought of having kombucha for dinner! Substitute another lean protein (such as chicken or turkey) if you don’t care for pork.
Condiments and Sauces
MBG also suggests substituting kombucha for the vinegar in salad dressing recipes.
Check out this Kombucha Vinaigrette recipe.
Miscellaneous
Amp up the good-for-you quotient with this Soaked-Flour Whole Wheat Bread recipe and think out of the (bread)box by using kombucha instead of a traditional sourdough starter.
Beverages
Add a twist to the cocktail hour with a Kombucha Dark and Stormy.
MBG suggests portioning kombucha into ice cube trays to make “fun ice cubes for … your favorite cocktail drinks.”
Additional sources:
http://www.sarahwilson.com/2014/02/how-to-make-almost-sugar-free-fermented-…
https://www.cleaneatingmag.com/clean-diet/make-your-own-kombucha
https://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/drink/how-to-make-homemade-kombucha…
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/05/26/benefits-of-kombucha_n_5392881.html