http://www.marksdailyapple.com/16-t.../#axzz3dpcMR5me

Good timing - just got this link in my email about 16 things that affect your gut bacteria. It is from Mark Sisson of Primal Blueprint.

Separate observation I have about supplements versus getting your probiotics and prebiotics from real food - I think it can be a buyer beware situation. Since probiotics are basically live bacteria (that's why we get so many from yogurt/fermented foods), if a supplement isn't kept at the correct temperature, you may be paying for useless already dead "bugs". Just a thought.

Janet, with good reason! Kombucha is one of the things that might have messed my liver up and I was drinking the commercial and very expensive ones from the store (my doc has seen it before, he actually said NEVER drink the home made ones as they can injure the liver).

I drank it because I found it an excellent replacement to my daily glass of wine - I actually liked it better! Sadly wine never messed up my liver but kombucha did :-(.

Barb, I liked the comment from someone that of course our early ancestors ate fermented foods. If they found rotted fruit or vegetation, they were not going pass it by.

Jean, thanks for the RealPickle tip! They too have carrots and beets (yum)and I will be on Cape late August. Know the store to find them.
OK, I will start to "Ferment" with one small jar and test on myself first

Thanks for the komubucha warning, I'll stick to Seltzer..and wine. There is light Italian frizzante in the summer...close enough

Komubucha has always frightened me too, so I stay away.

Jean

Curious as to what problems others have experienced or read about kombucha? This is the common answer I have found:

Kombucha is dangerous and has been linked to deaths. MYTH. This one is repeated a lot, and it usually starts with a sentence like this: “There is no scientific evidence that kombucha promotes health, just anecdotal reports. However, it has been linked to both illness and death.” (With never an acknowledgement that the last sentence is an anecdotal report, and there’s no scientific evidence that kombucha is harmful.) Let’s clear up that report, though, because it’s scary. Fermentation expert Sandor Ellix Katz sums it up nicely: “In 1995 the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report ran a story headlined, ‘Unexplained Severe Illness Possibly Associated with Consumption of Kombucha Tea,’ with possibly being the operative word. In two separate incidents, weeks apart, two women in Iowa had very different unexplained acute health episodes. One of them died. Both drank kombucha daily and made it from the same original SCOBY. The Iowa Department of Public Health immediately issued a warning to stop drinking kombucha ‘until the role of the tea in the two cases of illness has been evaluated fully.’ But they were never able to explain how kombucha may have been related to the illnesses, and 115 other people were identified who drank kombucha from the same mother without problems. When the mothers and the kombucha that possibly made the women sick were subjected to microbial analysis, ‘no known human pathogens or toxin-producing organisms were identified.’” - See more at: http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/03...h.UFDOvCoZ.dpuf

One thing I have been concerned about is the truth on label of GT's Kombucha drinks. It lists a very small amount of carbs and sugar, but when drinking it, I felt what I would describe as a sugar rush. Not sure how they come up with the amount on the label since the sugar amount would be changing as it ferments. Any input would be appreciated.

Since I don't really like the taste and drank 4 ounces at a time almost like medicine plus it is so expensive, don't have to worry about it a lot!

My fear of kombucha is an irrational reaction to how the scoby looks and nothing to do with anything I have read. Also I tend to avoid all fermented foods that require the addition of sugar. It seems impossible to know the actual carb content of any fermented food and I feel safer (carb count wise) avoiding those foods that start out as pure sugar.

Jean

My daughter felt the same way when she saw my Bubbie's dill pickles. She thought there was something wrong with them. The cloudy water bothered her.

She makes her own pickles and her pickle juice isn't cloudy.

A year after I lost 35lbs by completely eliminating sugar and starch, I THEN began getting yeast infections for the first time in my life! I had been a lifelong sugar and wheat ADDICT with no yeast problems whatsoever. Huh? Isn't it supposed to be the other way round? Apparently my doctor thought so: he told me to cut back on grains. I said I haven't eaten a grain in 3 years! All he could suggest then was to take an acidophilus pill every day. After six months of taking them religiously sometimes twice a day, and supplementing with kefir drinks, the problem has resolved. But my experience does seem to be contrary to the perceived wisdom. It goes against the grain, so to speak

I feel 1000% better when I regularly eat local yogurt or kefir (from small local dairies, cow/sheep/goat). Good energy levels, joint pain, all feels better. Not sure why but I think it's probably the high-quality "bugs" for probiotics.

A couple of years ago I was really into fermenting - yogurt, kefir, veggies (sourdough, but that's out now), making my own apple cider vinegar. Life got in the way, and I stopped. But I think I need to start again. All the summer veggies coming in ... I need to get back to it.

Kefir...now that is something I do want to try. Keep looking in different stores and they all seem to be loaded with sugar...but maybe like kombucha, is at least some part of that is fermented away?

Jey, keep looking. There is a Russian kefir (I am so sorry, name escapes me) that is grass-fed and isn't loaded with sugar. Even my local supermarket carries one of the popular brands that is just plain, with little or no sugar. But you are right, most of them are fruit-flavored and loaded with sugar (just like most yogurts).

Whofan, if you remember the name of the grass-fed kefir that is low in sugar, please share. Good chance it might not have found its way down South, but I can hope. So far, the only kefir that wasn't super high in sugar was a low fat version that I didn't try.

General comment on buying sauerkraut and pickles in regular grocery stores (sorry if everyone else already realized this and I was the only dumb one) but most of them aren't fermented so they contain no probiotics. Even some of the sauerkraut that was fermented to begin with was then pasturized to make it easier to ship and have a longer shelf life. A lot of the commercially sold stuff is made with vinegar instead. In my area, I have to go to Whole Foods or Earth Fare to get the "real" ones.

Kefir is really easy to make, no sugar needed. It's a lot easier than yogurt, which is simple enough. All you need is the kefir grains and some whole fat milk.

From a website called "Homemade Mommy"

Making kefir is a pretty simple process – you do not need to maintain a constant temperature like with yogurt. You basically add the grains to milk, set it in a pantry or countertop for 18-24 hours and voila! Kefir! Then you simply strain out the grains and put the finished kefir in the fridge. You then reuse the grains again (you don’t need to rinse them and if you do rinse them make sure not to rinse with chlorinated water – it will kill the kefir!) in a new batch of milk. When you need to slow down the process (read: you are leaving town for a week), you just put the grains in milk and put them in your fridge while you are gone. With each subsequent batch your kefir grains will grow and you can share them with friends and family. I absolutely love that part – what a way to build a community of healthy people. - See more at: http://www.homemademommy.net/2012/0...h.ABLhdJl3.dpuf

Jean