Kevita Vs. Kombucha

Tonight I had a Kombucha craving and drove to my local Walmart, looking for their usual stash of GT Dave's Synergy Kombucha. I was disappointed that their kombucha stock was empty, so I begrudgingly went for something that looked similar: a Kevita Sparkling Probiotic drink.

The Kevita boasts a wide range of healthy probiotics and a wide range of flavors, including lemon-cayenne, blueberry-cherry, pomegranate and hibiscus-cherry, among other flavors. I went for a strawberry-acai coconut.

My first impression was overall very good. It had a nice carbonation, a lightly sweet, fruity flavor and the probiotics were noticeable. The probiotics smelled slightly like yogurt, which I actually kind of enjoyed. The healthy, energetic feeling that follows after drinking a kombucha is hard to describe, but I felt the same way after drinking the Kevita.

I can't say with certainty that I liked the Kevita Sparkling Probiotic drink more or less than GT Dave's Synergy Kombucha. Kevita Sparkling drinks do have a slight taste of stevia, which I'm not a huge fan of. However, overall the bubbly / fruity sensation was enjoyable, and I can say that I'm excited to have another sparkling probiotic option.

On a side note, at about $3 a bottle, these probiotic drinks are expensive, and I hope they do go down in price. I'm not rich, and it's sad to me how expensive it is to be healthy. My hope is that products like Kevita will provide the necessary competition to drive down the price of probiotic and other healthy drinks.

Vegan B12 Sources

Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is an absolute powerhouse of most of the essential B vitamins. Usually, nutritional yeast is also fortified with B-12. 

Supplements: In today's highly sterilized world, vitamin B12 is mostly found in animal products such as milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt and meat. Therefore, it is wise for vegans to consider taking a supplement and / or consider eating B12 fortified foods.

Fermented Foods: Fermented foods such as kombucha, rejuvelac and sauerkraut are said to contain B12. In her book, "Soak Your Nuts," popular raw vegan author Karen Calabrese says, "I have been a vegan for over thirty years and rarely supplement with B12. I believe that the fermented foods, like sauerkraut and rejuvelac, in my diet are to credit". Popular raw vegan Jay Kordich also promotes tempeh as a source of B12.

Vegan Yogurt: Most vegan yogurts are fortified with B12 now, and they're a healthy and delicious way to get your B12.

Kombucha: You can check the labels for Kombucha, and you'll see that many brands contain a good amount of vitamin B12 (Link).

Vegan Milks:

Cereal: Many cereals are vegan by default, and they're usually fortified with B12.

Organic Produce: One significant study reveals that plants "grown on soil fertilized with cow dung showed substantially higher levels of B12 than those grown without cow dung, the increases for barley and spinach being statistically significant" (Link).

Just as humans can get B12 from organically grown greens (especially greens fertilized with manure), cows that are pasture fed are also able to get enough B12 without the need of a supplement. However, when cows are taken off the pasture, they must get their vitamin B12 from supplements (again, this is similar to humans).

Of course, cows do not wash, sterilize or spray pesticides on grass before they eat it. As a result, they have no problem getting enough B12 from organic pastures.

Natural Drinking Water: "Adventist health scientist Matt Steele wondered about this for a long time. Vitamin B12 is almost the universal product of bacterial action. So it dawned on him that it might have come from natural drinking water -- which would have had many bacteria in its catchment area. He tested the water in the Yarra River near Warburton Adventist Hospital in Australia. The river water there is good drinking quality. When he tested it, he found one litre (two pints) of the water contained the Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin B12" (Link).

"Mud Baths" and Bare Feet: While I don't recommend bare feet because of the possibility of stepping in infected animal feces, soil is one common source of B-12. "Recently, I met with a Jain Saint who has been living Vegan life for last 6 years. He was not aware about B-12 bacteria. I suggested him to take B-12 dosages. What he told me is unique way to take b-12 by putting legs inside soil (as you know B-12 bacteria are there in soil) for at least 2 hours, so that body skin will absorb all essential bacteria and minerals. According to him, like our body absorbs oil while massaging with it, our body will absorb what it needs. He also said that bare feet walking on the earth also helps. According to him, we should live as much as close with earth, sunlight, fresh air, fresh and organic food, less and less artificial food" (Link).

Eggs and Dairy: Another option (that is not vegan) is to add grass fed dairy and/or free range eggs into your diet.

Itchy Skin and Other Skin Problems

Skin Problems such as eczema, bird mites, morgellans, bed bugs and scabies torment many people. Here are some possible natural solutions to try that may help alleviate such skin problems.

1) Stress

"In a study published in the American Journal of Pathology in November of 2008, it was demonstrated that stress could bring on the type of skin inflammatory response that produces chronic itch." Link 

For some natural stress relief tips, check out my post HERE

2) Diet

"Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food" - Hippocrates (Father of Medicine)

Moving towards a plant-based diet may be a good place to start. This may include avoiding processed sugars, meats and dairy for a while at least. That being said, we all need to be eating enough protein, calcium, and *natural* sugars! There are ways to get protein from plant based foods such as almonds, cashews, beans, coconuts/coconut oil, avocado, etc. Also, we generally need at least 100-150 grams of carbohydrates per day. It is generally better to eat natural sugars (found in fruits, for example) than processed sugars.

3) Homeopathy.

"Homeopathy .... cures a larger percentage of cases than any other method of treatment and is beyond doubt safer and more economical and most complete medical science." - Mahatama Gandhi

"I can't manage without homeopathy. In fact, I never go anywhere without homeopathic remedies. I often make use of them." - Paul McCartney

"The introduction of homeopathy forced the old school doctor to stir around and learn something of a rational nature about his business. You may honestly feel grateful that homeopathy survived the attempts of allopaths to destroy it." - Mark Twain

Homeopaths have had great success at alleviating skin problems in the past. Visiting your closest homeopath may be a great place to begin healing your skin.

4) Kombucha

Kombucha is a tea that is full of probiotics. Probiotics are necessary "good bacteria" that help kill bad bacteria and parasites living in - and on - our bodies. Many people have had their skin improve after only a few days of drinking this ancient health drink. Personally, I have found that when I drink this tea I feel revitalized, energized and naturally awake. You can brew your own from home, or to find out where to buy, go to: http://www.synergydrinks.com

5) Triphala/Neem Leaf

Triphala is a supplement from India used as a natural cleansing agent. It has been used to treat mites such as Scabies (link). Taking Neem leaf has a similar cleansing effect. These supplements can be bought at your local health store or online stores such as Amazon.

6) Peppermint Oil/Tea Tree Oil spray

One man on a bird mite forum at birdmites.org has battled bird mites for 5 years. He said, "For my skin, the main relief I have found is in a $6 bottle of peppermint oil from the health food store. Please note: it is way too strong to apply without diluting it with water. I put in about 1 or 2 drops per ounce of tap water, into a mini-spray bottle."

Another lady from the same site reported something similar: "They also do not [like] peppermint oil and will leave you alone. I can now sit on some of my furniture and sleep through the night. There is hope!"

You can purchase peppermint and tea tree oils with a 4 oz. spray bottle at a health food store for under $20. Simply fill the bottle with water and add 2 drops of the oils per ounce of water and spray your body before going to bed.

7) Diatomaceous Earth (food grade)

DE is a product that has been used by farmers for centuries to rid their chickens of mites. Although DE is lethal to mites, it is not harmful to human or pet skin, and some people even sprinkle it on their sheets to sleep on. This method also helps protect against the equally tormenting pest: bed bugs. Food Grade D.E. is edible, and many people mix a tablespoon with a glass of water every day. This can help get rid of internal mites and worms.

8) Menthol

To get rid of mites that infest honey bees, bee farmers often use menthol vapors (link). Mites can also attack humans, and menthol can chase these mites away as well. One way to get menthol vapors into the air is by steaming them in a wax tart burner. A wax tart burner, some tea candles and about a half pound of menthol crystals can all be found on Amazon or Ebay. Place an ounce or so of menthol crystals in the wax tart burner, light the candle and leave the room (be sure not to breathe the air). This will get the vapors into the lungs of mites and possibly even bed bugs, driving them away.

9) Epsom Salt

Taking a bath in Epsom salt can help rid our skin of unwanted problems. Also, pasted below is another way that people have found success using Epsom Salt. This method may work on both mites and bed bugs:

"Having lived with these mites for two years I have stumbled onto something that gets them off the skin. Epsom salt. I took a one pint empty Listerine bottle filled it with 2 inches of epsom salt and shook the bottle until completely dissolved. I showered with dawn dish washing liquid and then poured the salt solution over my body from head to toe. I got out of the shower and used a blow drier to dry off. I didn't use a towel because that would have wiped the salt off. After I was dry my skin had a light white covering of salt. I went to bed. The salt rubbing off my skin while in bed was the worst part of dealing with this. Off and on during the day I keep pouring a little more salt water over my skin. This is the first thing I have tried that actually made the things fall out of my scalp. I have only been doing this for 3 nights and my skin feels normal for the first time in 2 years. People may not understand that these "things" make the skin secrete some type of clear fluid that not only covers their skin but also covers the mites and makes it difficult for any type of meds. to reach them. My husband and I both have these things on our skin and the salt solution is working for my husband also. This site: http://www.saltinstitute.org/29.html has a lot of salt cleaning ideas. I hope that this gives people some relief from these horrible things that have robbed us all of our normal lives. Also soak your combs and hair brushes." Rita recommends that this protocol be continued for 3 months after the itching has stopped. She stated that when her and her husband's skin started getting clear, they increased the amount of salt from 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups per pint of water. (link)