The Renegade Pharmacist Makes His Renegade Soda
The Renegade Pharmacist makes a wonderful coconut water kefir, a drink that is rich in beneficial bacteria and no sugar.. It has a natural fizz and a great refreshing taste that makes it a perfect alternative to soda. Whats more it contains trillions of live good bacteria!
Kefir can come in either water or milk form usually as a kefir yogurt. Like yogurt, kefir is a probiotic food, containing lactic acid bacteria (LAB). It is famous for its longevity properties, as some of the oldest living people in the world, from Bulgaria and the northern Caucasus, use it as a staple in their diet.
Nobel Peace Prize winning scientist Dr. Metchnikoff had a theory that the lactic acid bacteria in the fermented milk were responsible for these populations’ exceptional health and longevity. He believed that there was a connection between disease and the microorganisms in the digestive tract, and believed that bacteria in the fermented milk products consumed by these populations competed with the harmful microorganisms in their digestive tract. His studies regarding the contribution of LAB to the functions of the digestive and immune systems may have laid the foundations for the field of probiotics.
The importance of probiotics for a healthy gut.
A healthy gut is the key to optimal health. Ancient healing practices such as Ayurveda and Chinese medicine state that many diseases begin in your gut and so healing should be focused there too.
Your gut naturally contains millions if not trillions of beneficial and pathogenic (bad) bacteria. More and more research is emerging on just how important these organisms are to your overall well being.
Our diets and fast paced way of life has a big impact on the balance of good and bad bacteria in our gut. An over-consumption of refined foods, use of prescription medication, alcohol and leading a high-stress lifestyle can all disturb that balance.
The presence of too much bad bacteria in your gut leaves you with a weakened immune system and you are more susceptible to disease. A healthy balance allows the body to eliminate harmful toxins, chemicals and other unwanted products from the system.
Maintaining a healthy balance of good and bad bacteria within the gut may be the answer to delaying the onset of degenerative disease in the elderly such as Alzheimer and dementia. Many alternative medicine programs also utilize probiotics to treat patients who suffer from PTSD, autism and mood disorders with positive effect.
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Recipe For Coconut Water Kefir/Renegade Kola
Ingredients
- Water kefir grains: Purchase water kefir grains from a good source. Get them from Amazon.
- 1L Coconut Water: When living at my second home in Thailand I like to get ready made coconut kefir made from real fresh organic coconuts. However when in England I make my own using coconut water from cartons. Try to source the freshest most natural unadulterated coconut water possible.
- 6 tablespoons Demerara Sugar/Coconut sugar: You want to use the purest sugar possible to ferment the grains as refined sugar reduces the final quality and taste.
- Ginger, lemon, lime or any other fruit juice for taste.
- Cloth, rubber band, sieve, 2L jug, second measuring jug to pour into bottles, 250ml bottles that can be sealed with a lid.
Directions
- Stick the water kefir grains into the 2L jug.
- Add the coconut water and sugar to the jug and mix well.
- Cover with the cloth and seal with a rubber band.
- Leave for 48hrs in a dry place at room temperature.
- Sieve the mixture into another measuring jug to pour into bottles. Now add your flavouring. I love to make ginger juice by grating ginger and adding fresh lemon or lime.
- Then pour the filtered mixture into the 250ml bottles.
- Seal the lid and store in a fridge over night.
- After 24hrs of so you will now have a drink that’s super healthy, abundant in probiotics, fizzy, refreshing and with a great taste
There are lots of other different fruits you can add to get the favorite flavor you prefer.
Featured image came from pixabay.com.
For more info on kefir check out the source article and article 2
