Wayne's Thoughts on Beverages Other than Seattle Kombucha

Here's some of my thoughts on other beverages and beverage categories. I'll probably write about these in more detail in future blog posts. Thanks for reading and sharing our journey to wellness with Seattle Kombucha!

Any suggestions, comments or questions? Send to wayne@seattlekombucha.com. : )

Flavored Waters
Personally I don't drink any flavored sparkling waters because I find the extracts they use taste awful or are too boring/dull. The artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols and erythritol they use also taste awful, are not very good for you health-wise, and don't make me feel good overall. I have only found one or two taste decent to me, and I don't care enough to seek them out. I personally would rather have unflavored sparkling water that tastes good, or Seattle Kombucha.

So I usually prefer drinking unflavored still or unflavored sparkling water in between tea, coffee or kombucha. If you find an excellent flavored sparkling water that you think would have me change my mind about flavored waters, please let me know. Drop me an email to wayne@seattlekombucha.com

Energy Drinks
I can't find a good reason to drink any of the popular energy drinks. I find most of them taste awful, and I don't like the BS hype or side effects of most of their ingredients. So I stick with drinking hot tea, cold tea or coffee if I want caffeine.

If I know I will need or want some caffeine throughout the day, I'll usually make myself a small insulated container of strong, great tasting, full of polyphenols and antioxidants green tea to sip on throughout the day.

That said, we are working on some new, more healthy-for-you energy drinks and some coffee beverages.  What do you look for in an energy drink? What are you drinking to get an energy boost these days? Do you supplement with ginseng or any natural or chemical stimulants?

Drop me an email to wayne@seattlekombucha.com

Coffee
Although most recent coffee research about the antioxidant levels in coffee helps people feel good about drinking coffee every day, it's important to realize that coffee (caffeine) is a serious, non-regulated drug. And it is toxic to your body above certain levels. Just because something like 75% of Americans drink coffee, and like 67% have at least one cup a day doesn't mean that everyone is being smart about their coffee consumption. The sugar in many coffee beverages is off the charts. The caffeine levels too.

For years I haven't drank much coffee. Lately I'm back to drinking it, almost daily, but I try to stick to only one cup per day. Why? 1. To not overdo it on the caffeine. It makes me jittery and unable to focus if I consume too much. And 2. to not overdo it on the laxative and diuretic effects of coffee.

What coffee are you drinking these days? Store bought? Cold brew? French press? wayne@seattlekombucha.com

Juicing
I go through cycles when I feel like I need more vitamins after a workout and I'll start juicing fruits and vegetables again. It usually happens in the winter. I usually juice a mix of organic leafy Power Greens (baby spinach, kale, chard), organic celery, organic ginger root, organic apples, organic carrots and organic cilantro. Sometimes I'll throw in some grapes for extra sweetness. There are MANY great recipes you can try.

I chose to invest in a macerating juicer to extract more liquid, vitamins and flavor from each pound of organic produce. You can spend thousands on these, but they usually sell for a few hundred dollars. You can usually find one second hand like I did for about $100.

Just remember, if you are going to make juice, or buy juice, go easy on the sugars. It's easy to forget that the things that balance out the vegetable/fruit juice blend are usually the most sugar rich - apples, carrots, ginger, grapes, etc. Too green and you probably won't drink it. Too sweet and you'll overdo it on the sugars and calories.

Reminder... Disclaimer... I'm not a doctor. And this is not to be construed as medical advice. I am just sharing about my personal experiences. For any health related concerns or questions, please speak with your doctor or other health professionals for advice. : )