Kombucha/Kefir/Kimchi/Apple Cider Vinegar

[LynnThese4reSEXPEOPLE]

I attended a presentation on the book the Glucose Revolution and started doing a bit of reading. Very interesting - now I'm wondering whether to try any/all of the above and whether they will help shift the lbs!

Any thoughts?

They are all digestive aids IMO and not weight loss solutions! Good for your gut. I'm not a nutritionist though- just read alot. You'd need to clearly check the packaging in terms of carbs/sugars etc. Kombucha can taste fairly sweet, but apparently is low sugar.

I've tried multiple kefirs. I often buy the Biotiful, plain flavoured one. There are fruity flavours, but they are much higher in sugar. I've tried a few which tasted like fizzy, off milk- so not pleasant at all. Trial and error I'm afraid.

Kimchi- again, I've tried a few. Some are rather spicy, which I don't mind, but I sometimes struggle to know what to eat it with. Or do you just eat it from the jar?

I've never just drunk cider vinegar, but use it in dressings, marinades etc

If its good gut bacteria, there is also sauerkraut, which is also easy to make yourself.

I agree with everything SM4 wrote above! They’re definitely aids to digestion and really good for you but whether they actually help weight loss I don’t know.
I also like Biotiful kefir, I’ve also tried other brands but always found them wanting and always go back to Biotiful, and again I only drink the plain not flavoured one.
Sauerkraut is brilliant but make sure it’s raw and ’live’ and fresh - not from a jar in vinegar but from the chilled cabinet. I recommend Vadasz ‘raw garlic and dill sauerkraut’ as it’s delicious (I add it to salads, a tub lasts a couple of weeks).
I use apple cider vinegar in dressings but make sure you use one with the ’mother’.
I drink Kefir most days (just a small glass), and have done for two years, and since doing so have stopped needing to take antihistamines (having suffered from hayfever since I was a teen, I’m now 48)…I know it’s purely anecdotal and it could be coincidence but…well who knows?

I've just started making jun tea (like kombucha but made with green tea and honey). I've had some good batches though the weather is a bit warm for it just now. I don't know about weight loss but it's refreshing and I think it's good for the gut microbiome. Yeo valley kefir yoghurt is good.

I love AVC, as well as homemade sauerkraut and kimchi. I can’t tolerate dairy or tea but I do make my own water kefir! I take all of these to maintain gut health.

I saw the research showing cav reduced blood sugar spikes after eating - which could directly help with weight loss or which could just make you feel less hungry.

I bought a blood glucose monitor and tested the theory by eating the same breakfast (small serving overnight oats) several days in a row with and without cav. Oddly consistent results and the cav did have some impact on my glucose spike.

However eating a portion of salad before breakfast pretty much halved the spike. I don't recommend salad at breakfast but it's easy enough to eat some veg first in most meals.

I have a carrot salad before meals. It helps to stop insulin spiking. And with it, I have a teaspoonful of apple cider vinegar and one olive oil as a dressing. I love it.

@ConnieSaks what is water kefir? Do you eat it with a spoon or drink it (not sure I can drink a yoghurt-like thing!)

@ZickZack carrot salad sounds yummy!

So I had ACV this morning with water and apple juice (1tbsp:2tbsp:2tbsp). Was manageable with a straw! Tried kombucha as well - that was really good and I'd definitely have it again!

Please can you tell me the ingredients for the carrot salad?

@LynnThese4reSEXPEOPLE its a drink - similar to kombucha but tastes (imo) nicer and nothing like yogurt! I make various flavours - raspberry & rose, lemon & ginger & blueberry & hibiscus - plus cranberry & orange for Christmas! Though plain is just as good (which I add to AVC!). I’ve even made AVC kefir!

You need water kefir grains - I have loads going spare if anyone living in South London wants any! Can be a bit of a faff though - especially as we go through a minimum of 10 litres a week!

Shredded carrots, 1 or 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon of olive oil is literally all I do 😅my nutrionist told me about it. Seems so simple but I find it does help keep me full.
It's also great for balancing hormones /stopping insulin spikes after carb heavy meals and I now have one small bowl before lunch and dinner. I know you can also add some coconut oil and/or honey if you want a bit more flavour.

@ConnieSaks @ZickZack yum on both counts! I shall purchase some kefir and try it 😃

@ZickZack thanks for the carrot recipe - it’s delicious 😋 Am making it every day! Fussy D.C. loves it too!

Following with interest! Particularly interested in the (flavoured) water kefir, can anyone explain the basics of how to do this?

1 get some grains - I bought mine from Ebay but depending on where you live you may find someone willing to give some away. They multiply and grow if looked after well
2 get a fermenting jar - this can be a simple jar with a piece of cheesecloth and a rubber band over the top.
3 add grains to water, add some sugar, raw cane sugar organic molasses or coconut sugar are good as they contain trace nutrients.

4 I add some chopped raisins or other dried fruits
5 leave to ferment, the time it takes will vary depending on volume of grains, amount of water, the temperature
6 filter/strain the grains off and repeat 1-5. Take the liquid and either drink as it is or add some additional fruit or juice for flavour and do a second fermentation and then drink it.

@Berthatydfil - love the name!

I also add (organic) lemon to my first ferment (one lemon covers 3 batches) and a little bit of salt. Water needs to be filtered and all dried fruit is organic too (my grains are very fussy and don’t thrive otherwise!) - though I now add more to the compost bin than keep! It’s a bit like having a tamagotchi!

That's geeYt! Glad you're enjoying it. I started eating them 9ish weeks ago and still have around 5 a week before big meals

@Hawthornberry can you put the grains in a little muslin or a tea strainer?

I just put the grains in the jar (after everything else is in!) and use a fine sieve to strain them out (after taking out the lemons and dried fruit). I used to put the dried fruit in a muslin bag but found it a pain and not necessary. You can’t put anything metal in with the grains ( they are very fussy!).

@ZickZack I made a big batch this morning and had some for breakfast!

I have been eating lots of fermented food this year which coincided with a lot of weight loss. I think it probably helps by boosting the gut bacteria which are associated with fat burning (this was in one of the zoe podcasts). In addition to your list I also eat a lot of raw milk cheese which is very yummy in addition to being great for the microbiome. I have roquefort most days for breakfast.

I tested the injestion of acv before a meal with my cgm and it reduced the glucose spike by around 20%. I only have it in salad dressing now though due to concerns on the long term impact on tooth enamel.

Slightly off topic so apologies but I've been following this thread as I'm quite interested in finding out more about kefir and kombucha.

I can't tell you the joy I got getting an email notification with the subject line: Lynnthese4areSEXPEOPLE in my inbox.

You made a partridge fan very happy. And I'm loving all the ideas so thanks everyone.

@ConnieSaks Can you make the water kefir without sugar/dried fruit?

Not that I’m aware of - you can though just use sugar at the first ferment stage (never tried that myself).

The sugar feeds the grains and they ferment it to provide the unique taste and slight fizz, and without it they will starve and die.

Dried fruits provide some flavour and trace nutrients although you can avoid it if you use unrefined sugar source such as molasses.

Water kefir uses sucrose sugar as food and milk kefir uses lactose sugar as food although you don't have to add anything extra to milk as it contains a lot more trace nutrients and protein.