KOMBUCHA!

Anyone who knows me knows I love tea. I'm a tea hoarder. I currently have about 10 boxes of different teas sitting in my kitchen. Tea is a great alternative to coffee or soda, it adds the caffeine or flavor you are craving without adding the calories.

All natural teas contain less than 5 calories (most are naturally calorie-free) and can be drank at anytime of the day. I've never been a fan of tea since the first time I tried it at a Chinese restaurant when I was young. Since then, my horizons have expanded and the first tea I really enjoyed was a shaken iced passion fruit tea from Starbucks. As I started becoming obsessed with it, my kitchen began piling up with different brands and flavors.

I recently started drinking Yogi Detox  every night before bed and it has significantly added to my weight loss journey. The flavors of roots and harsh 'ground' taste' aren't exactly pleasant, but they do grow on you (thanks to the spicy tanginess of it). I just watched an old episode of Dr. Oz where he was suggesting adding teas throughout the day to aid in weight loss. He mentioned to drink 2 cups of white tea after lunch to stimulate fat burn. I prefer Tazo Berryblossom White.

Last year, I was introduced to G.T. Kombucha's Synergy Chia Cherry. Kombucha is a fermented tea, but little is known about its benefits to the human body. There is some speculations and very few complete studies conducted on the tea. It is made with live bacteria and yeast, and you can often times see the mother (the slimy bacteria) which scares a lot of people. The tea is fizzy and is said to be praised by the Chinese as a immortal tea. I know when I drink the tea I feel a lot more energized and reawakened. I just got done finals (reason for my MIA fit) and drank these almost every day. I have tried most the Synergy flavors that are well stocked in health food stores and Whole Foods so I decided to give a brief overview of each one.

Gingerade: Although this isn't a from the "Synergy" sector of Kombucha, this is my favorite everyday Kombucha. I love gingerale and ginger beer and this tastes eerily similar. Ginger has so many healing benefits such as relieving nausea (I always drink ginger juice after a night of drinking), preventing colds/flu, aiding in absorption, maintaining blood circulation, and preventing a laundry list of chronic diseases and cancers. The flavor of the gingerade Kombucha is very tolerable and can be drank often.

Synergy Trilogy: This is another everyday favorite of mine. The flavors are mild and add just enough "juicy" flavoring to the tea. It is mixed with raspberry, lemon, and ginger juices for the perfect combination of sweet and sour. Raspberries are loaded with antioxidants and have recently been found to aid in weight loss. They also have great anti-inflammatory properties. Lemons are a super food: they help with infections, lowering bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol, preventing certain cancers, and curing the common cold and flu, just to name a few.

Synergy Grape and Cherry Chia: The chia synergies are loaded with 8g of fiber in each bottle! The texture might be a little daunting to those unfamiliar with chia (especially slimy chia in liquid), but chia is a natural way to lower blood sugar, increase energy, detox the body, and help with weight loss. Once you are over the initial texture (it took me about 3 bottles) you will definitely fall in love with the way these taste. They are also great for that boost before a workout!

Lavender No 3: This is my all-time favorite Kombucha. My Mom loved lavender and she collects every type of lavender soap, cream, shampoo, bath oil, etc imaginable. She claims that it has natural calming properties and it does. When I was shopping in Chicago Health Food store, I saw this flavor for the first time and decided to pick up this flavor since I have yet to try it out. It was kind of a mixture of floral and fruity and was really refreshing even if it was raining out. Lavender relieves bloating, soothes the nerves, calms the body, and can soothe a headache.

Synergy Cosmic Cranberry: This is what I am drinking as I write this blog. I have had it a few other times and its either a hit or miss for me. Today, I'm not really feeling the flavor so much, I'm not sure if the juice mixed with the Kombucha wasn't ripe or what (they use fresh-pressed juice in their teas). I had it about a week ago and thought that one was delicious. Like I mentioned, it is made with all-natural unsweetened juice from cranberries which are loaded with antioxidants and phytonutrients (plant based nutrients). Cranberries also have been known to prevent against UTIs, support the immune system, help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and so many other great benefits!

Multi Green: This is by far my least favorite. I am not a fan of seaweed and that's what this flavor tastes like to me. I know a bunch of people who swear by the Multi-Green version, but it's just not for me. It is made with blue-green algae, chlorella, and spirulina, which are all basically nutrient rich algae found in sea plants. The health benefits in this version probably outweigh all the other flavors combined, but I just can wrap my tongue around the awful flavor. 

Citrus: The citrus flavor is very refreshing and only contains lemon juice. It's a lighter version of the Synergy Trilogy with all the benefits of lemons. 

I can't wait to try more Kombucha flavors. Each bottle varies in price from $3-$5. I actually found them on sale for 2/$5 at Dominick's a few weeks back but I'm not sure if they even stock them anymore. However, most health food stores and Whole Foods have a substantive selection to chose from.