“Different bacterial species need different nutrients to survive. These bacteria cause cravings based on how many are present and what foods you eat. Because the gut is linked to the immune system, the endocrine system, and the nervous system, those signals could influence our behavior. …
“For instance, some bacteria prefer fat and others sugar. They have a little contest in your gut to see which ones will dominate. So often your cravings and food choices are coming from within you based on your own bacteria. …
“By adding cultured foods and prebiotics (food for bacteria), and by removing highly processed foods and sugar, we cause our bacteria to change; and in turn, they change our desire for certain foods.”
Read the rest @
The Gut Can Make You Crave Sugar Or It Can Set You Free
http://www.culturedfoodlife.com/the-gut-can-make-you-crave-sugar-or-it-can-set-you-free/
polination.blog 
Your nutritional posts are much appreciated, oh hyphenated one, especially the digestive info lately, as I continue to recover after recent months of severe gastrointestinal disorder. Care & feeding of the inner swamp.
But, but… now I want a Big Mac and large fries! (Well, one of those Oklahoma Beef burgers and the big, fresh-not-frozen fries from a different establishment.)
š
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Your cultures are bagged, boxed, labeled and sitting on the Honey Do shelf with cash for the postage. He said he’ll go to the po as soon as he gets to a good stopping place.
You’ll need milk and sweet tea to feed them when they arrive, which should be Wednesday or Thursday. Priority is supposed to take 2 days unless there’s an Act of God, but it’s winter, so who knows. My last ship got held up by a blizzard and arrived on Friday. But the culture was still viable, so no problemo.
The first ferments (or two) will likely be slow, due to shipping stress. Add a cup of milk to the kefir in a glass jar, cap and let it sit out of direct sunlight. It should be cultured and ready to drink in 24 hours. (Don’t forget to strain out the grains for more kefir.)
Add up to 3 quarts of COOLED tea to the SCOBY in a glass jug. If you don’t have a gallon jug, you can cut the SCOBY and divide the tea up appropriately. It won’t care. Cover with a clean cloth, secured with a rubber band on the neck. (I’ve heard fabric softener is bad for the brew. I dunno. I never use it.)
I use 2 bags of green tea and 2 bags of black tea made with 1 cup of sweetener in a quart of boiling hot water. Brew 15 minutes. Remove bags. Add 2 quarts cooled water. (Filtered, chlorine is bad for the SCOBY.)
It may be cool enough at this point to put the SCOBY in; the bacteria can be killed by heat, so that’s the most important thing. COOL tea.
I used white sugar, but one of my fermenty FB group peeps said it’s not good for the long-term health of my SCOBY, so I got some unrefined organic sugar and some coconut sugar and will start using them tomorrow when I brew again.
In my fermenting area (77 degrees pretty constantly), I do a week of first brew with the SCOBY, then decant into GT’s bottles and leave for another week of second brew. The second brews need to get a lid twist once every day or two to release pressure. Then they go in the fridge where they are ready for consumption.
If you need more specific directions, go to YouTube and google kombucha. There are a lot of people there who will be happy to show you how to do it. š
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Booch tips:
First brew is done when the liquid tastes like flat ginger ale. Second brew is done when you like the flavor and fizz. Over-brewed booch tastes like vinegar, which you can use in salad dressing.
To flavor booch, add stuff to the bottles when decanting. I just got confident enough about my basic brew to try adding flavors. I liked the one where I added a Tblsp of craisins and the one where I added a half tsp of ginger marmalade. The others, not so much, so I won’t mention them. š
Since I had good results with craisins, Dearest got me some raisins and dried cherries to try tomorrow. I’m very eager to taste the cherries brew! The hardest part about fermenting is the WAITING.
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P.S., I will email the tracking number when I get it.
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If you don’t have GT’s bottles, google “brew bottles.” You can buy a dozen with clampy lids for about $12 to $20. It’s important to use glass designed to withstand the pressure of carbonation so you don’t get yourself a bottle bomb going off in your kitchen.
GT’s is a live culture booch brand, so they’re good. Grolsch beer also I’ve heard has clampy lids that are reusable. Canning jars work too if that’s all you’ve got. The brew doesn’t care, so long as it’s glass and strong.
If all you have is canning jars and standard metal lids, put some plastic wrap over the top before screwing on the lid. This is also a good tip for salad dressing and tomato sauce. Acids rust those lids very quickly if you put the metal lid straight on to the jar.
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