Some of us feel we have been over-indulging for the holidays.  January is a good time to make a fresh start working towards a better life style. Here is one great tip for you; get probiotics into your tummy.  There are probiotics in pills.  You can also drink kefir which I do or eat raw sauerkraut or kimchi. And then there is kombucha tea. Last year in June I posted about my kombucha tea adventures: it is a fermented beverage that has been a favored health drink for thousands of years and no, it doesn’t taste like tea once it ferments.  I’ve been drinking some daily for almost a year now.  I have to say my tummy loves it.  People with celiac have tummy/gut issues and generally need to take a probiotics every day. People on antibiotics should also take probiotics. This is a natural probiotic; you can buy it bottled in the refrigerated section of your health food store or even regular grocery store in the health foods aisle.  But, you can also make your own.  I find it easy to make and really cheap. I drink some most every day; about a cup a day, more or less.  Here is the link to a really great article on tummy/gut health that you might want to read: https://www.verywell.com/how-to-have-healthy-gut-bacteria-1945326?utm_campaign=health_tod&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_content=8689384&utm_term=bouncex3

Check my old post on it for directions on making your own. https://myworldwithoutwheat.wordpress.com/2016/06/08/kombucha-tea-for-great-health/  I find making it to be so easy; here is my current recipe – ingredients: 1 big quart black tea bag, 1 regular tea bag, filtered water and a heaping half cup of sugar.  Directions: heat 2 cups of water to a boil, add the tea bags, let it brew for ten minutes.  Remove the tea bags and add a heaping half cup of granulated sugar. Stir well to dissolve it. Then add enough filtered to make 4 cups of tea.  I bottle up the just finished batch of kombucha while it cools, reserving a cup of tea; usually from the bottom of the glass jar.  Add the 4 cups of room temperature sweetened tea to your kombucha jar; the scoby and cup of tea are already in it. Add 4 more cups of room temperature filtered water.  Put a fresh paper towel on the top and secure with a rubber band.  Put in a dark warm place for a week and taste; it should be fairly strong in flavor.  I pour it into glass pint containers and put a lid on.  I put it back in the dark spot overnight and then I like to flavor each bottle; some of my favorite ways are:

1. half a vanilla bean; take it out after 24 hours, dry it off and save for next week: it lasts for several batches;
2. a small cinnamon stick; remove after 12-24 hours, dry off and save for next week: it lasts for several batches;
3. 1-2 ¼ inch wide slices of fresh ginger; remove after 12-24 hours, dry off and save for next week: it lasts for several batches;
4. a 1-2 inch section of lemon peel; just wide enough to easily fit in your bottle; remove after 12-24 hours;
5. fresh fruit juice; about ¼ to 1/2 cup; what every flavor you like.  I have even used fresh grape juice.

Let me know your ideas for what you use to flavor your kombucha tea.  Enjoy and be healthy!