Kombucha for Healthy Skin

 

Got skin problems, extra pounds, mood swings, digestive problems, insomnia? Suffer no more! Kombucha is here to help! Tadaaa!!

Kombucha is a fermented tea full of probiotics and amino acids that help maintain a balanced ecology of the intestinal flora. Consuming foods rich in probiotics strengthens the immune system, fights and prevents allergies, naturally detoxifies the body, increases energy levels and brings a feeling of well-being.

Kombucha helps bring the body back to balance, so it can heal itself naturally. It is a healing drink that works together with a heathy diet. Here are some of the healing properties that have been credited to this fermented drink:

• Detoxifies the liver
• Improves skin complexion
• Improves digestion
• Alleviates constipation
• Boosts energy
• Rich in antioxidants
• Helps prevent and clear up Candida and yeast
• Lowers glucose levels
• Reduces blood pressure

Kombucha as well as other lacto-fermented foods create and maintain a healthy intestinal microflora which is key to healthy skin. Absorption of nutrients (including vitamins and minerals essential for healthy skin) happen mainly in the first parts of the small intestine (the duodenum and jejunum). The walls in this part of the intestine are composed of little finger-like protrusions called Microvilli, which increase the absorption surface and are lined by cells called Enterocytes. These cells are the ones that absorb the nutrients to pass onto all parts of the body (including the skin). Once their job is done they travel to the top of the microvilli and then get shut off. We need to keep activating these cells by eating foods rich in probiotics such as kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, raw kefir, and other lacto fermented foods to we keep nourishing our skin and body.

I’ve been drinking kombucha for several years now and it has become my morning coffee, my weight loss pill, my knock me out – every night pill, my skin beautifier and my cheer-me-up drink.

If you decide to give Kombucha a try, start with a small amount, 4 oz in the morning on empty stomach. This will help you observe the direct effects Kombucha has in your system. Since Kombucha works as a detoxifier, make sure you drink plenty of water to help your body flush out the toxins. If you feel comfortable you can drink 4 more oz for dinner.

For the most part, I drink 16 oz of kombucha daily, but we are all different, so make sure you monitor your reactions. Headaches and loosen stools are sometimes normal effects of your body adapting and flushing out toxins.

Kombucha has become more and more available not only at health food stores, but also at regular grocery stores. You also have the option of making your kombucha at home. It is extremely easy to prepare, it is as simple as making tea!

Here’s the basic Kombucha recipe from my book “Healthy Gut Happy You.” 

Cheers to healthy skin! 😉

Kombucha recipe

Ingredients:

1 gallon glass container

3 quarts filtered, room temperature water (make sure the water you use has no chlorine. It kills the live organisms that populate in the kombucha.

1 cup organic sugar

3 bags organic black tea

2 bags organic green tea

1 cup starter liquid (already made kombucha)

1 SCOOBY  (The yeast you need to fermented the tea)

Kitchen towel

Rubber band

How?

1. Bring one quart of water to a boil for a few minutes. Turn off heat and add tea bags. Let it sit for about 15 minutes.

2. Discard tea bags and add sugar. Mix until sugar has dissolved completely. Let it cool completely (this takes several hours). Note: Do NOT skimp on the sugar. The bacteria will not have enough sugar to feed on if you do not add the right amount of sugar, and therefore will not ferment correctly. By the time the kombucha is ready to drink there will be virtually no sugar left in it.

3. When the tea has cooled completely, add it to the glass container along with the remaining two quarts of water.

4. Add the starter liquid and gently place the SCOBY on top with clean, dry hands. Make sure the water is at room temperature; otherwise it will kill the SCOBY.

5. Cover with cloth and secure with rubber band.

6. Place the kombucha container in a dark, ventilated, warm place. The culture strives in warmth (your kitchen countertop should be fine).

7. Let it ferment for 7 to 10 days. Simply leave it alone for that period— do not disturb it.

8. After 5 days you can taste your kombucha by inserting a straw and taking a sip. It shouldn’t be too sweet or too sour. You will notice a new fi lm starts forming on top of the liquid, which are new organisms that are created during the fermentation process. This is normal, as it is a live drink. The extra SCOBYs that form can be used to make more kombucha, for beauty purposes, or can be donated to your soon-to-be-kombucha – obsessed neighbors.

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