For those who believe you are what you drink, kombucha is a wonderful addition to their diet.
Alexia Prokopiou and Dédrik Lourens of Akasha in Bloemfontein, which brews kombucha on a micro scale, say there are several health benefits to this drink.
Alexia explains kombucha is a lightly fermented tea naturally rich in organic acids and more living probiotics than we can count. It is made with tea and sugar, which is fermented with a culture of bacteria and yeast.
The symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast – called scoby – can be hundreds of years old and feeds on sugar to create a naturally lightly carbonated drink.
“Kombucha dates back thousands of years,” Dédrik explains.
“It is one of the oldest forms of preservation, thought to originate from ancient China. There is also a history of this fermentation process in Korea and Japan – and later in Russia and Poland.
“It is only in modern times, around the year 1980, that kombucha was made in the western world in places like Australia and the United States.”
Dédrik explains the drink is normally made with black tea, but South Africans like to use rooibos or green tea instead.
Alexia says they use raw herbs to flavor the kombucha during a second fermentation process.
The health benefits of kombucha is numerous.
“I am a firm believer that your health starts in your gut.” she says.
Some of the benefits include:
- It is filled with probiotics, which aids digestion and combats issues like bloating, gas and even constipation.
- It helps with nutrient absorption because it aids a healthy gut microbiome.
- It is an immune booster because the gut and the immune system are closely linked, and it contains antioxidants the support the body’s defense mechanism.
- It contains glucaric acid, which is thought to help the body detox by aiding the liver in eliminating toxins.
- The acetic acid in kombucha also aids in metabolism, so it is good for weight management.
- Healthy gut means healthy mind so it is also good for the mood and your mental space.
Dédrik, along with Allan Mwenyeheri that is originally from Malawi, handles the brewing process for Akasha.
“He brings new ideas to the workshop and runs the workshop looking after the scoby when we are out of town,” Dédrik says.
Kombucha, beet kvass and other fermented drinks will be available from the Akasha stall at the French Market at Villa Avianto on Saturday (02/09). The market starts at 08:00 and is open until 15:00.
