Is Kombucha LCHF? What is it like?
DaniKetoTaylor
Posts: 25 Member
researching Kombucha want to know everyone's thoughts.
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I am a huge fan of Kombucha, and used to brew my own. I have a scoby dormant in the fridge, waiting for the urge to strike to start brewing again. I do incorporate Kombucha into my LCHF routine. I especially drink it when I am feeling run down, like I might be getting sick. I have been able to avoid getting a cold for about 4 years now...haven't been sick with a cold or flu in a very long time.
Kombucha has immune system boosting qualities due to the fact that it introduces healthy bacteria, like a probiotic does, into the gut where it works magic. It improves digestion as well as helps to keep you healthy, and some people will see an end to constipation when drinking Kombucha. Plus I think it tastes great. I absolutely love it.
I must admit that when I went LCHF, I decreased my consumption somewhat, afraid of the carbs. But at about 7g carbs per half a bottle of the GT variety I buy, I find that as long as I eat at keto levels that day, I will be fine as far as total daily carb count is concerned.
I know there are a few folks who brew their own here, and I don't know how their experiences have been. It's hard to tell how many carbs might be in home brewed Kombucha. It really depends on how long you let it ferment. The longer it goes, the fewer carbs I would imagine.
I love it !0 -
I forgot to describe the taste. Kombucha is a fermented tea, usually made with either black tea or green tea as a base, to which different flavours can be added. It is effervescent, like a soda pop, but not nearly as sweet. It can even have a mildly alcoholic taste to it. Some of my homebrewed stuff almost tasted like a light beer.
You can buy it with different flavours, but I would caution against the sweeter fruitier flavours which have more juice in them, making the carb count higher. Just check the labels. You can also make it yourself and flavour it with various fruits or ginger. I love ginger Kombucha, and would double ferment adding ginger. Tastes like a kind of sour gingerale. I also used to include some herbal tea in with my green tea. I loved a hibiscus/rose hip blend which made my Kombucha a reddish pink.0 -
Thank you soooo much!0
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I like and drink Kombucha tea every day too. It can be high in carbs so I just have a few ounces (2-3) instead of a whole bottle so as to keep the carbs / sugars in check.0
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Ditto the above. I drink it daily. One cup (1/2 bottle). I have tried about 20+ flavors and 4 different brands. For my taste buds, its GT Synergy. If I gave a rating of the taste alone (1 to 10) I would rate GT a 9 or 10. The next best competitor, a "5" at most.
The taste is a like a low carb ginger ale or hard cider. I absolutely love it.
I love the ginger ale/ginger berry. They also have a grape with chia seeds that is great, citrus, Lavender #3, I think every thing I get from GT is very good.
I'm in the midwest (Michigan) and we have a Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market and sometimes they go on sale for $2.00 a bottle, I gladly pay that much and as high as $3.50 a bottle.
I save the bottles and ferment water kefir in them (the bottles are explosion proof). I'm experimenting with a ginger ale water kefir now. I hope it tastes as good as Kombucha, but doubtful.
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan
Keto / The Recipe Water Fasting / E.A.S.Y. Exercise Program
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I have researched and now brewed my own kumbucha. Love the taste & would explain it the same as Dan.
My 2nd batch is just about ready. My 1st batch was great, a huge success. This batch I did 10 black tea bags & added one low carb berry tea. It has a pink tinge now. I only use organic tea & know what is in it. Will be interesting to taste the final product. Will let you know.0 -
I've been brewing my own since August. I love it. I drink it daily, anywhere from 8-16 ounces. I brew mine first fermentation at least 14 days to get the best properties out of it, and the most sugars eaten by the fermenting. I then do a second ferment (with ginger in all, and then strawberries, blueberries, or a combo) for 5-7 days, depending. I find that ironically, I hate the storebought strawberry varieties, but in homebrew, that's my personal favorite. I leave a little plain for my guy (he's not a fan overall) for helping with indigestion when he's desperate.
For me, who is NOT a beer drinker (meaning I've had it, but never enjoyed consuming it), and as I let mine get pretty not-sweet, this drink reminds me of the yeastiness of beer, the bubbly dryness of champagne, and the tannin flavor of wine. The fizzy factor does NOT affect my stomach the same as carbonated water at all. It's like my body knows the difference in bubble type.
It is definitely an acquired taste (I had to hold my nose to drink it the whole first week)... It has a warming effect on my body, but it's not unpleasant. It's also energizing for me.
It has helped balance out my bowel issues (no gallbladder just complicates everything!). I'm working on gut health. It has lots of B vitamins and such naturally. Making your own tastes light years better than any I've gotten in the store. It can be made to taste.
Should anyone decide that they want to start brewing and is willing to pay shipping, I have an active scoby hotel and would be more than happy to share. I need to get some Ball canning jars and/or some more glass bottles, as my rotation of 20 some odd goes quickly!0 -
Within your carb amounts it shouldn't be a problem.
By the gallon? Probably not.0 -
This is interesting. Never heard of Kombucha before. I do love my tea though, so may have to check it out.0
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This is interesting. Never heard of Kombucha before. I do love my tea though, so may have to check it out.
Walmart carries about 4 flavors of the GT brand Syngery Kombucha near the Naked and other juices. It's about $3.50+ per bottle depending on where you live. Other places like health food stores and Whole Foods, etc. will carry them too - and may even carry starter kits. The ready to consume product will be refridgerated, whereas the starter kits would be near the bagged and loose tea areas.
There are too many different types available to try, but my favorite things are - it's fizzy (replaces soda urge except for maybe once a quarter), it's not quite sweet (but any lingering sugars in it don't trigger my insulin resistance because they're mostly metabolized by the fermenting process), and I feel great drinking it!!
I stumbled on it accidentally while looking for someone who made their own Kimchi or naturally fermented pickles...0 -
I LOVE GTs too. Want to brew my own soon. I look forward to it, like I used to for soda.0
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Thanks for the info @KnitOrMiss0
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I always thought it was made with fermented mushrooms so that thought turned me off...am I wrong or is there different types out there?0
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The SCOBY looks like and can be referred to as a mushroom but it's a simbiotic relationship between yeast and bacteria (not a mushroom at all). The SCOBY eats the sugar in the tea, resulting in a fermented beverage full of probiotics. The SCOBY is kept to brew further batches and you don't consume it.0
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How many carbs are in a home brew with 15 day dit?0
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I use 1 cup of sugar to 1 gallon of brew. I do a 14-day first ferment, add ginger and berries, and do a 7-day second ferment. Most calculations show the sugar to be in the range of 4-10 grams of sugar carbs per 16 oz, though I've not tested this. Mine tastes very strong and intense, but not vinegary, if that gives a point of reference. The GT brand shows to have 7 grams of carbs per 8 oz., and that was my initial marker for comparison. My flavor is not sweet and far more yeasty/intense, so I've taken an average of homebrews, and I use that number. One can use slightly less sugar, but not by much, or it puts your brew at higher risk for mold issues.
I drink 16 oz daily, and it has yet to kick me out of nutritional ketosis. The remaining fermented sugars do not affect my insulin resistance the same way that regular sugars do.0 -
The SCOBY looks like and can be referred to as a mushroom but it's a simbiotic relationship between yeast and bacteria (not a mushroom at all). The SCOBY eats the sugar in the tea, resulting in a fermented beverage full of probiotics. The SCOBY is kept to brew further batches and you don't consume it.
You CAN consume the SCOBY. There are many recipes out there to make jerky out of it, or gummies, or candy, or any number of things. I personally have not done this, as I still have a hotel I'm maintaining. From handling the SCOBYs, they are flexible but firm - and a little tough if trying to tear "across the grain," so I imagine without treatment they don't "chew" easily.
But they are healthy to consume. I know several folks who add them to their chicken feed, and it's doubled the depth of the yellow yolks (or more), giving a better nutrient profile.0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »The SCOBY looks like and can be referred to as a mushroom but it's a simbiotic relationship between yeast and bacteria (not a mushroom at all). The SCOBY eats the sugar in the tea, resulting in a fermented beverage full of probiotics. The SCOBY is kept to brew further batches and you don't consume it.
You CAN consume the SCOBY. There are many recipes out there to make jerky out of it, or gummies, or candy, or any number of things. I personally have not done this, as I still have a hotel I'm maintaining. From handling the SCOBYs, they are flexible but firm - and a little tough if trying to tear "across the grain," so I imagine without treatment they don't "chew" easily.
But they are healthy to consume. I know several folks who add them to their chicken feed, and it's doubled the depth of the yellow yolks (or more), giving a better nutrient profile.
You got it! You can consume the SCOBY but you don't have too
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