Recipe Alert: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Homemade Kombucha

The trendy probiotic drink is typically sold bottled, but you can save money and customise the flavours by making homemade kombucha yourself. Here's how.

By now, we all know the benefits of probiotics: balanced gut bacteria, a boosted immune system, and less bloat, for starters. And now that there's a huge focus in the news on digestive health, there's a resurgence of probiotic waters and juices. But if that £5-per-bottle kombucha habit is getting expensive, try this recipe from The Roasted Root to make homemade kombucha.

Below is everything you need to know, from the confusing terminology (like, erm WTF is SCOBY?) to each and every step in the brewing process. Once you have the base down, it's easy to experiment with flavour combos to find the mix-and-match you love best.  Enjoy...

How to Make Homemade Kombucha

Large pot

1 or 2-gallon glass jug/container

Stick-on or floating thermometer

Cheesecloth and rubber band

Glass, sealable bottles (such as flip cap bottles)

Ingredients

1 kombucha SCOBY (you can purchase online or grow your own by following steps below)

1 gallon spring water (don't use tap water because it likely has chlorine or fluoride in it)

10 black or green tea bags (whichever you prefer)

1 cup organic cane sugar

1 cup 100% fruit juice (optional, for flavouring)

Step 1: Brew the Tea

In a large pot, heat the gallon of spring water until boiling, then remove from heat and add the tea bags. Steep for 15 minutes and remove the bags. Add the sugar and stir well. (Whatever you do, don't skip this step, as the SCOBY grows and ferments from the sugar—more on this in step 2).

Step 2: Add the SCOBY

SCOBY, or Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast, is the ingredient that transforms tea into kombucha through a sugar fermentation process (which you started in Step 1 when you added the sugar). After your tea is done steeping and has cooled to 75-80 degrees, transfer to a glass jug and add the SCOBY that's now grown. Place the thermometer in the jug, cover with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band.

Step 3: Allow to Ferment

Place the jug in a dark, slightly warm environment (like a closet) and allow to brew for 7-10 days. The ideal temperature is between 75-80 degrees; any higher and you risk developing mould. (Below is what a healthy SCOBY looks like. If you begin to see mould similar to bread mould, throw the batch away and start again.) Your SCOBY will continue to grow in size—this is normal—but if it starts to become overgrown cut a few slices off to keep it healthy. After 7-10 days, your kombucha is complete—the longer you let it brew, the stronger the taste. 

Step 4: Remove the SCOBY

Now that your kombucha is done, slice the SCOBY off and place in a glass jug with enough kombucha to barely cover it, then cover the jug with cheesecloth. Let the SCOBY sit until you are ready to make another batch. If you like the taste as is, pour the kombucha into sealed glass bottles and place in the refrigerator until ready to drink. A batch typically lasts 3-5 days once the seal is broken.

NOTE: Steps 5-6 are optional, but often followed to develop more flavour within the kombucha. 

Step 5: Flavour the Kombucha

If you'd like to add more flavour to your kombucha, pour into a mixing bowl and add one cup of 100% fruit juice, or one cup fresh fruit and half-cup cane sugar. Stir, then divide into glass, sealable bottles. Place in the dark room where you grew your SCOBY and leave for three days. 

Step 6: Strain and Serve

After three days of fermentation, strain out any additional pieces of SCOBY that grew. Pour kombucha into sealed bottles and place in fridge until ready to drink. Be careful upon opening—the carbonation builds pressure in the bottles similar to shaken soda.

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Proven Tummy Slimming Secrets for Women

Women everywhere are wondering how they can have tighter, leaner and meaner abs.

Whether you’ve had babies, or just want to shed some of that winter weight; there are many exercises out there that provide you with the all over good looks you want, and the flat belly secrets to getting you on track to bikini wearing days ahead. Here are some of the best-kept tummy slimming secrets on the market for women everywhere that want to learn more.

You cannot expect to have a flatter stomach just by not eating anything anymore. Just like you cannot expect a flat stomach by doing thousands of crunches every night. You have to have a healthy balance or rhythm between eating healthy and exercising so you can have a balance that works with one another. Of course, knowing what to eat and knowing what exercises to do is another story.

Posture Means a Lot More Than You Think

Having great posture gives the illusion that you’re taller and slimmer than you are. It can also help you work on those abs in no time. With the help of these exercises and practising working on your posture, you’re able to have a stronger, leaner six pack in no time. Always sit and stand up straight and start seeing the results soon!

Remove Stress in Your Life

Stress can cause unnecessary bloating and digestive issues, as well as a wide assortment of other problems along the way. If you can beat the stress that is in your life, you can overcome other obstacles and ensure that you get on the right eating and exercise plan. When you have a brighter outlook on life, you can achieve more, even that flat belly.

Go With Oatmeal

Oatmeal has a lot of fibre in it that helps to beat bloating. Whether you have abs or not, having less bloat can help you better work on the muscles, so the abs can actually show. Not just oatmeal has fibre, though, there are a number of other foods rich in fibre, including supplements that provide the ideal amount that you may need each day to combat the effects of bloating that come about, and is a common problem for women.


Hydrate Every Day

One of the essential slimming secrets is drinking water throughout the day helps the body detox, get rid of toxins and hydrate fully. Wonderful things can be done when enough water is in the system. Drinking a glass or two of water in the morning after you wake up can help you feel refreshed, while also helping flush anything out of the body. You will see slimming results and also your skin will look more radiant and healthier.

Having a slimmer, toner body, in general, is a goal that everyone has. It is up to you, though, to get out there and get it. You need to see the results that you want, and you have to be the one to achieve them. When you learn proven tummy slimming secrets and you put your mind to it and do the right moves, reduce the amount of stress in your life, and have the right vitamins and minerals on a daily basis; you can have a slimmer belly and be ready for bathing suit season that is coming up!

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4 Reasons to Detox with Tea

Every single day we are consuming toxins that our bodies were never meant to, causing weight gain, weariness and even chronic illness. Tea detoxing helps fix and prevent this by giving your body a chance to “reset” itself and to absorb an extraordinary amount of benefits from the tea. Detoxing with tea is simply a 2 or 4 week cleanse that will reignite a healthier and skinnier body – all by drinking a powerful combination of teas on top of your normal regiment.

1. Boosts Metabolism and Suppresses Appetite

Many crash diets promise weight loss benefits through starvation, which is unhealthy and ineffective for serious long-term weight stability. Detox teas, on the other hand, are a natural drink containing antioxidants that has been proven to boost metabolic rate, allowing the body to burn up calories faster. Since the tea also stabilizes sugar levels, it works as a very effective and natural appetite suppressant as well.

2. Burns Fat and Reduces Bloating

Studies have also shown that tea increases fat oxidation which essentially means that your body selectively burns fat as an energy source. Also, ginger and peppermint, key ingredients to many detox teas, have been shown to reduce bloating and help to rid the body of excess gas and water.

3. Improve Skin

The antioxidants found in detox teas work to prevent damage to your skin. Drinking tea also helps your body to stay hydrated, which is a key element to youthful skin. On top of that, it helps to repair existing damage, giving your skin a more healthy glow post-detox.

4. Boosts Immune System

All the antioxidants found in detox teas makes it an unmatched drink for a healthier you. These antioxidants boost your body’s disease-fighting immune cells which helps prime your body against bacteria and viruses. Starting a detox cleanse will not only safeguard your immune system but kick-start an overall healthier you.

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Winter Drink to Shed the Pounds

The 3 ingredient winter drink that can help you shed the pounds

Egg nog, mulled wine, hot chocolate…the festive season is full of calorie laden drinks but there is one thing you can sip on this Christmas that will help you shed the pounds. 

This warm winter drink, whipped up using ingredients you’ll probably already have in your cupboards could help you lose weight faster and aid digestion. 

Diet experts say that drinking lemon, honey and cinnamon, mixed in a cup of hot water is the secret to kickstarting your weight loss.

Christmas can very quickly descend to this…

Cinnamon, used in ancient medicines, has an anti-inflammatory property and is packed full of antioxidants. Plus, a small study published in the Journal of Preventative Medicine showed that the spice, when added to people’s diets, helped them lose more fat than the control group who didn’t.

Honey also has antibacterial properties and lemon contains nourishing vitamins that keep the body healthy. Plus, drinking lemon with honey can reduce bloating and therefore the size of your belly before you slip into your NYE number. 

 

Drink your way to weight loss.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Method:

1. Mix together in cup of hot water. Enjoy.
2. Other than the many health benefits of the ingredients itself, another reason this drink can help you drop the pounds is by providing a sweet, spicy and warming alternative to fatty drinks you might otherwise be sipping on.

Image:  © Provided by Associated News   / SOURCE ARTICLE