In an attempt to create a drink that is more healthful than our water which has become too acidic, I began researching electrolyte drinks. One of the subjects I uncovered during this exploration is water kefir, a homemade probiotic beverage made with chlorine- and chloramine-free water, sugar and water kefir, or Japanese Water Crystals. Water kefir crystals are colonies of bacteria found in our digestive systems which consume sugar and minerals (such as calcium). They compete with Candida for nutrients, so they help balance out a system overrun with candida. Water kefir is full of b vitamins and is said to balance electrolytes. When left to ferment, it will turn into vinegar. Although it is slightly acidic, I suspect it will make your system more basic, since this is the action of vinegar. For more on water kefir, see the Wikipedia entry on the subject. Information on the subject abounds on the Internet.
Click here for a brief historical view of water kefir.
In our family we have found water kefir to create a sense of well-being and to have significant positive health effects, including greater patience, better ability to handle stressful situations (and talk out problems), better sex drive, and better health generally. Our son has improved digestion (as evidenced by much smaller dark circles under his eyes even though he is only drinking a little of it), much better patience and tolerance for frustration, and better ability to listen and respond. We have been using homeopathy, but now I do not feel as much of a need for our homeopathic remedies. I am actually at a loss as to when to take them because we don’t have the symptoms we used to have which told me to when to take them. I find myself a little astonished at this because our homeopathic remedies are so powerful.
I am also growing kombucha (is this the root source of chai tea?) on our kitchen counter but haven’t tasted it yet–maybe today. I am getting very interested in making naturally-yeasted black rye bread (have you read Healing with Whole Foods yet? I am just getting into it and it’s chock-full of great information!). There have been many interesting experiments in our kitchen so far this year, and there are more to come! Stay tuned.