#037: Health Benefits of Kombucha and How to Brew it at Home. March 10, 2014

Transcription

1 1 #037: Health Benefits of Kombucha and How to Brew it at Home March 10, 2014 Introduction The 5 am Miracle - Episode #37: Health Benefits of Kombucha and How to Brew it at Home [Intro Song] Good morning and welcome to the 37th episode of The 5 AM Miracle. I am Jeff Sanders and this is THE podcast dedicated to dominating your day before breakfast. My goal is to help you bounce out of bed with enthusiasm, create powerful lifelong habits, and tackle your grandest goals with extraordinary energy. In this week s episode I share a few of the amazing

2 2 health benefits of kombucha and then I go in-depth on my own homebrewing process that I have been using for the last 2 years. But first, let s begin with the Tip of the Week! [Musical Interlude] For this week s Tip of the Week segment, I would like to talk about the Power of Minimalism and Simplicity. Two weeks ago I had a minor freak out. I had overbooked myself and my schedule was completely insane. I was running from one activity to the next, trying to get everything done on my list without any regard to what actually mattered. The problem that I later identified was that I was justifying why every single task was important, instead of extracting my must-do tasks from a huge pile of good ideas. In other words, I was stressing myself out and all of my chaos was optional. I could have made many more choices that would

3 3 have simplified the mess and allowed me to relax. And, that is exactly what I did. It was late on a Thursday, after I had finished my weekly review, and I had this epiphany that I didn t want to enter in my weekend on Friday so overbooked. I wanted a relaxing weekend. Shocker! So, I started cancelling plans, deleting tasks, and saying no to everything. I quickly realized that my stress was disappearing with every click of the mouse. The more stuff I let go of, the better I felt. I had an immediate feeling of peace and calm. Then, when I woke up on Friday, I had a rejuvenated feeling. I was excited. I was looking forward to the work I was doing instead of dreading it. My schedule was clean and simple. I had only a select few items that I wanted to work on, and nothing else. As a I moved through my day and new ideas popped into my head, I simply moved the idea to a new list that I would scan after my must-do tasks were finished for the day.

4 4 Now, for the last two weeks, I have operating on a highly simplified schedule. I only look at tasks that have to get done and I only spend time on projects that are critically important. Because of this switch, I am more relaxed, more focused, and more excited about the work I m doing. Surprisingly, I have also found more time for exercise, hiking, and other fun activities that I truly thought would have to wait for months before I would have time for them. Just a few days ago there was a massive ice storm here in Nashville. Every school and most businesses were closed for the day and I thought it would be a great time to stay indoors and do catch up on some writing projects I needed to get to. An hour later, I took my pug Benny out for a walk and I realized that I was missing a huge opportunity. Ice storms don t happen very often in the Mid-South. So, I cancelled my writing plans for the day, put on my winter gear, grabbed my camera, and went out for a 5-mile hike in the middle of the ice storm. It was awesome! I took some incredible pictures and had a fantastic

5 5 time trying to crawl myself over the icy hills of Percy Warner park. I included one of the pictures from my hike in the show notes page, which you can find at JeffSanders.com/37. And, the best part was that this normally very busy park was virtually deserted. I was one of a handful of people who took advantage of the great weather and had a fantastic time! For my recommendation, I highly encourage you to take a second look at your commitments. My guess is that you have said YES to many things that should have said NO to. There are probably many tasks that can be deleted or postponed for a distant future date. If you are feeling overwhelmed like I was, take an hour and slash the trash. Get rid of all of the non-essential tasks so you can easily make the time for your highest priorities -- like hiking in an ice storm! [Musical Interlude] I have been brewing kombucha at home on a

6 6 consistent basis for more than 2 years and, on average, I drink about 16 ounces every day. Kombucha is the first ingredient in my morning smoothie and I usually drink another glass later in the day as well. I previously discussed kombucha back in episode #12 of the podcast when I related it to habit formation. It s definitely true that brewing kombucha is a great habit that stuck with me and won t let go. So, in case you missed episode 12, or you forgot, or you re just really curious, what exactly is kombucha? Great question. What is Kombucha? Kombucha, spelled K-O-M-B-U-C-H-A, is a standard black tea with one exception, it also includes a SCOBY, spelled S-C-O-B-Y, which stands for Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast. If you have never seen a SCOBY, you might think it looks like an alien or a mushroom, or a creature that has no business being called food. Because of the SCOBY, kombucha has a unique smell that permeates the room it s in. If you have ever smelled a this stuff fermenting, it can be a bit much to take in at first.

7 7 I relate it to drinking your first beer, mostly because like beer, kombucha is a fermented beverage that tastes funky at first. I don t notice the smell anymore, but it s certainly still there. If you are new to kombucha and you just want to give it a try, I recommend a trip to your nearest organic grocery store, or you can order it online (I have a link in the show notes). If you want to go the hardcore route, which I highly recommend, you can brew it at home. Disclaimers I will take a minute here to mention a few disclaimers: 1.I am NOT a licensed physician or doctor of any kind, so you should confirm my advice with a doctor you trust. 2.Secondly, kombucha has not been scientifically studied nearly enough to validate the claims that most people make about it (including me). That doesn t mean kombucha is unhealthy -- it just means it needs to be studied more -- much more, in my

8 8 opinion. 3.Kombucha is full of nature s wonder. There are many probiotics and other goodies in the brew that may cause you to experience side effects. Drink a small amount at first and then slowly drink more over time. Do your research if you have any concerns. Kombucha is a health food and you could experience detox symptoms similar to drinking vegetable juice. 4.Lastly, kombucha is potentially alcoholic, depending on how you brew it. If you have concerns about consuming alcoholic beverages, do your homework BEFORE you brew or drink anything. The average brew will not contain significant amounts of alcohol, but your results at home may vary. Benefits of Drinking Kombucha 1.Detoxing with Probiotics a.the primary benefit of Kombucha comes in the form of powerful probiotics. b.probiotics are organisms like bacteria or yeast that aid the immune system and provide you healthy forms of bacteria, which your body can use to fight infections and dramatically improve

9 9 digestion. c. In other words, probiotics make you poop, a lot, but that s a great thing. d.if you suffer from any form of digestive issues, kombucha can be a huge help. 2.Kombucha is also full of antioxidants, which help fight free radicals, which is a form of cancer-prevention, and it helps improve liver function. 3.My personal experience has shown that kombucha is great for hydration and definitely helping with digestion. The probiotics are easily the greatest benefit. Why Brew Kombucha at Home? First, It s waaaaay Cheaper Home Brewed Kombucha costs a lot less than buying factory-style kombucha at Whole Foods. How much less? Check it out: A 16-ounce (500 ml) bottle of GT s kombucha costs around $3.49 USD here in Nashville at Whole Foods,

10 10 while a 16-ounce glass of home-brewed kombucha costs me approximately 29 cents. In other words, it s 12 times cheaper! Second reason why you should consider brewing kombucha at home: the kombucha is customizable. There are many recipes online that you can try if you want to spice up your brew. I m more of a traditionalist with my kombucha, meaning that I don t add any extra to it, but I have tried a few variations that certainly taste better than my normal batch. Also, you can make the kombucha even healthier by adding chia seeds, fruit, supplements, or just about anything else you d like. Final reason why you should definitely start brewing kombucha at home: it s such a fun process! No joke, it s a lot more fun than normal cooking because the SCOBY is so bizarre and fun to play with. If you are at all curious about brewing kombucha, the fun factor should entice you right away!

11 11 How to Brew Kombucha at Home The brewing process of kombucha is a step-by-step procedure in which no single step is too difficult. It takes 3-4 weeks from start to finish, but there is no part of this process that is hard. I wrote a blog post showing exactly how I brew this stuff myself, and you can read all about that with the link in the show notes. The brewing process is fascinating. In order to have a glass every day I brew two different batches on alternating weeks in order to always have something fresh and ready to drink. Considering it takes days for one batch to complete a brew cycle, you could start a batch today, another one in a 7 days, and another one 7 days later. I will share my recipe and methodology, which I highly recommend, but as I said, there are about a billion different methods to make kombucha. Experiment. Try out a few different recipes for yourself and customize what works for you. If you follow these instructions fairly closely, you

12 12 should end up with some really stellar kombucha. If you don t, feel free to me or ask questions in the comments section of the show notes page. How to Get Your First SCOBY Before you begin, you will need your own SCOBY, that mushroom thing I mentioned earlier. There are 3 options to get one: 1.Get one from a friend who has an extra SCOBY for you to use. 2.Order one online. I have a link in the shownotes to GetKombucha.com. 3.Create your own SCOBY using a store-bought kombucha. Here s how that works: 1.Buy a 16-ounce or similar-sized kombucha from a local store, like Whole Foods. 2.Drink 2/3 of the kombucha and leave the remaining 1/3 in the jar 3.Remove the lid of the jar and place cloth and rubber band on the top of the jar 4.Place jar in an undisturbed spot for 10 days 5.Inside the jar you should now find a small SCOBY and a little kombucha that you can use for your

13 13 first batch. #1 Collect Your Supplies Now, for the first step, collect your supplies. 1.1-Gallon Glass Jar 2.1 Cheese Cloth, Tea Towel, or Large Coffee Filter 3.1 Rubber band 4.1 Wooden or Stainless Steel Spoon 5.1 Large Stainless Steel Pot Leak-Proof Glass Jars ::: you could use mason jars, glass soda bottles with resealable lids, or another glass container that seals #2 Prepare Your Ingredients 1.1 SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), also known as a mushroom, mother, mother ship, or mother culture ::: see instructions below on how to get your first SCOBY 2.6 ounces of kombucha from a previous batch or store-bought brew 3.1 Gallon of Distilled Water 4.1 Cup of Organic Cane Sugar

14 Bags of Organic Green or Black Tea Bags ( must contain caffeine) 6.OPTIONAL: chia seeds, fresh fruit, or other fun ingredients #3 Brew! 1.Heat up distilled water in large pot to nearly boiling 2.Mix in sugar and tea bags 3.Remove from heat and let stand for 6-8 hours or until tea is room temperature (you can cover the pot with a lid during this time if you desire) 4.Pour the tea, SCOBY, and kombucha from previous batch into the 1-gallon glass jar 5.Cover the jar with the cheese cloth, tea towel, or coffee filter 6.Seal the cloth onto the jar with the rubber band 7.Place jar in an undisturbed spot for days 8.Remove SCOBY and 8 ounces of kombucha from jar, placing in a separate container for use in the next batch 9.Pour remaining tea into smaller glass jars and seal closed so no air escapes (The goal here is to create a carbonated beverage, but don t be surprised if you end up with little or no carbonation. That process takes skill).

15 Place small jars in an undisturbed place for 3-4 days 11. Place small jars in the refrigerator until cool (OPTIONAL: add fresh fruit to jars before placing in the refrigerator) 12. Drink 1-2 jars of kombucha per day I see my kombucha jars every single day and I have a 3x5 index card on top of the jars with a date. The date represents the final day of fermentation when I get to bottle up the kombucha and make my next batch. ONCE AGAIN: if kombucha is new to you, start slow and drink more over time. The probiotics could cause you to experience some crazy intestinal issues. Don t say I didn t warn you. Extra Credit 1.Brew multiple batches in alternating time periods so you and your friends and family can all enjoy kombucha every day. 2.Try many variations of tea. The only requirement is that the tea is caffeinated so the SCOBY can grow. 3.Add fresh fruit, chia seeds, or green vegetable juice

16 16 to the mix. 4.Create a stellar brew and persuade your friends and family to try it out. They will think you re crazy. That s okay. Make them try it anyway. 5.Share your first kombucha experience on the show notes page. I definitely want to hear about your first brew. As always, if you have any questions about kombucha, feel free to send me an at Jeff@JeffSanders.com or send in a voic message for the podcast at JeffSanders.com/podcastquesiton. [Fade In Music] Announcements Just 5 quick announcements here at the end of this episode. First, as I first mentioned in episode #28, at the start of the new year I began a BurstFIT program from Dr. Josh Axe and it has been a huge success. It is an explosive workout and I have already seen

17 17 great results. I have modified his program and created my own version, but the basic structure is great. My 2nd announcement is the Burr Grinder that I mentioned I bought in episode #35, has also been fantastic. I bought the highest rated coffee bean grinder on Amazon and it has lived up the hype. The grinder is much quieter than my older spinning blade model and it definitely improved the flavor of my espresso! Crazy! My 3rd announcement is that if you re looking to significantly boost your productivity, I think you would love The 5 AM Blueprint. The 5 AM Blueprint is an affordable way to get direct, customized feedback from me to create an effective schedule for your ideal day. And you can learn much more about it at 5amBlueprint.com. Announcement #4: i f you have not yet joined The 5 am Club, you can easily do so today for free. When you join the club you will get a free copy of

18 18 The 5 AM Miracle ebook, which shows you exactly how to wake up each morning with vigor and make enormous progress on your biggest goals. To join The 5 AM Club AND jump start your morning - visit 5amMiracle.com. My Final announcement is that for my next podcast episode I will be discussing what to include in your weekly review checklist. This is THE system I use to never forget any important upcoming task or event. Final Thoughts As always, I would be grateful if you would rate my podcast in itunes with a full 5 stars. That helps tremendously with keeping my podcast visible so that people who have never heard of it can discover it. Just head on over to JeffSanders.com/itunes Also, if you would like to see all of the resources I mentioned in this show, please visit the show notes page at JeffSanders.com/37, as in Episode 37. Well, that's it for this episode of The 5 AM Miracle.

19 19 Until next time remember, you have the power to change your life, and the fun begins bright and early. [Fade Out Music]