We are Giving away FOUR 64oz Growlers!

We are giving away a 64 oz growler to FOUR lucky winners! 

We love to hear testimonials from our customers and now is your chance to tell others and win a free growler. Fill out the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win one of four 64 oz growlers. Winners will pick up their growler at their local store that carries our kombucha. Giveaway ends April 14, 2018, and winner will be contacted via email or Facebook messenger. There are five ways to win. Be sure to click link below to enter. Good luck!

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Growler Cleaning Instructions

In order to refill growlers, it is required to follow these cleaning and sanitizing directions.

For those refilling growlers of Purely Living Kombucha, it is necessary and vital to properly clean and sanitize your growlers before refilling. Because our kombucha is made from real fruit, you may find fruit pulp sticking to the growler after usage. In addition to sanitizing, it is also necessary to clean out pulp in the growler. A useful tool to clean out pulp is this cleaning brush.

To sanitize, you may use bleach. Otherwise, another non-toxic sanitizer that is safe for people and the environment is called Star San, which is also a non-rinse cleaner. If using bleach, add 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of bleach to a growler filled with water. If you let this solution soak overnight, it may help to stop the pulp from sticking. Be sure to rinse out bleach solution completely. For Star San, only about 1/2 teaspoon is needed per growler. Follow directions on Star San container.

Are There Toxins in YOUR Tea?

Tea has incredible health benefits, but you may have heard that tea can be a source of toxins. However, not all teas are the same. How can you find a tea that is safe?

Tea is an incredibly healthy food. It is found to not only be high in antioxidants, but studies have found that it may help with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, weight loss, lower cholesterol, and mental alertness. Tea also appears to have antimicrobial qualities in which studies show tea my help to fight bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Many studies have confirmed tea to be highly beneficial. Unfortunately, other studies have revealed tea to contain toxins.

What kind of toxins have been found in tea? Past studies found tea to contain cadmium, arsenic, lead, and aluminum. One study done found lead and aluminum in teas including organic. With the highest lead and aluminum content found in Oolong tea and the second highest aluminum content found in black tea. Another study found Chinese green tea to be the highest in total heavy metals. The highest levels were found in the lower quality, older teas which can build up higher levels of metal over time. In addition, neglected grounds and crops have bushes that are not properly maintained allowing tea leaves to touch the ground absorbing additional metals and bacteria directly onto the leaves. High quality, more expensive teas source their tea from clean crops using young, top leaves. Low quality teas use as much of the leaves as possible including the older leaves and is processed mechanically. These teas may not only have the toxins from the ground but may also contain the dirt itself.

Testing on non-organic teas also revealed very high pesticides in many of the popular brands of teas on the market. This includes teas advertised to be healthy and natural.

In addition, many tea companies use artificial and “natural” flavorings and coloring. Even organic teas can contain unhealthy, toxic flavorings and still be labeled organic as long as the non-organic ingredients do not total more than five percent of the product. Teas may also use spices for flavoring. Spices were found to be high in pesticides and contaminated with insects, mold, yeasts, bird droppings, and pathogens like salmonella. For additional information on these findings, click here.

Teas are also found to have added GMO ingredients. This includes modified corn starch and soy lecithin (most corn and soy are genetically engineered unless organic).

Besides the toxins in the tea, tea bags can be made of PLA (polylactic acid) which is corn-based and most likely a GMO product. Some tea bags are also made from plastic, such as nylon, thermoplastic, PVC or polypropylene. Paper tea bags are often treated with epichlorophydrin, which can turn into a carcinogen when in contact with water. And who knows what’s in those staples? Boiling this bag of chemicals is definitely an unhealthy choice. Using loose leaf tea will eliminate these issues.

How can you be assured that your tea is safe? China’s response to years of negative press about shady quality has been to convert many operations to organic to show growth and competitiveness in the industry. Fortunately, in recent decades, China has significantly increased their reporting requirements for exporting food products out of their country. Specifically, they now require a two-week government-run screening period for all products to be tested for food safety and purity (micro testing, heavy metals and basic pesticide screening) before it can ship out of the country.

Is your tea traceable? In addition to the standard testing run on teas, it is important that your tea is traceable, this helps to assure you know where your tea comes from and the details of that particular farm and crop. It is important that these farms are clean and are maintaining accurate testing and records with detailed information. This ensures accountability with the farmers.

How to increase tea benefits. Tea studies show tea can be very high in antioxidants. What better way to increase these antioxidants but by fermentation. Research shows fermentation increases availability of antioxidants. For further research information, click here. Kombucha, a fermented tea, can be a great way to receive increased benefits from loose leaf tea. However, it is vital that your tea comes from a reputable, traceable source. A company that sources directly from a reputable importer is Purely Living Kombucha. Their importer sources only from trusted farmers known and tested to have safe tea along with long term partnerships. Furthermore, additional testing is done along with visits to the farms on a regular basis to perform their own audits of the facilities making teas. In addition, all suppliers must be able to provide a full report from CIQ (China Inspection and Quarantine). Their importer also has careful monitoring of new developments at origin, and the ability to support higher quality standards. This importer has highly detailed information and can offer a degree of transparency and traceability not available when intermediaries are involved.

It is important to be educated consumers and make our food suppliers accountable. Consumers demanding to know how and where your food is sourced will require suppliers to increase quality and testing standards. Buying from these reputable suppliers will help eliminate dangerous foods that can damage the health of adults and children and give further assurance to our future generations.

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/10/26/whats-in-your-mug-the-toxic-truth-about-tea/

https://foodbabe.com/do-you-know-whats-really-in-your-tea/

https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/organic-labeling-standards

http://naturallysavvy.com/eat/spicy-shocker-you-will-not-believe-what-s-in-conventional-spices

https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodScienceResearch/RiskSafetyAssessment/ucm487954.htm

https://labdoor.com/article/can-organic-tea-cause-heavy-metal-poisoning

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26562854_Heavy_Metal_Contents_in_Tea_and_Heb_Leaves

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jt/2013/370460/

https://www.eatgreentea.com/tea-benefits/anti-bacterial/green-tea-is-antimicrobial/

Are You REALLY Allergic to Tea?

Is tea really the culprit when testing positive for a tea allergy? Maybe you could enjoy the benefits of tea again if you are careful in your tea choice.

Many people have been told they’re allergic to tea. Why are people finding themselves allergic to tea which is shown to be such a healthy food? Tea is high in antioxidants and studies have found that it may help with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, weight loss, lower cholesterol, and mental alertness. Tea also appears to have antimicrobial qualities in which studies show tea may help to fight bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Could it be you’re did not test a positive allergy to the tea itself but the toxins commonly found with tea? Maybe it was not the tea you had reactions with, but the pesticides, metals, and other toxins in the tea. Find out why you may not actually be allergic to tea here.

Do You Know What's In YOUR Healthy Food?

Your healthy food may have more ingredients hidden than what is listed.

As consumers, it is important that we know exactly what is in our food. Some packaged foods appear natural and healthy; however, looks can be deceiving. When reading the ingredients, you may see “natural” flavorings or colors. It sounds safe, but is it?

How about organic food? Even organic foods can contain unhealthy, toxic flavorings and still be labeled organic. If the non-organic ingredients do not total more than five percent of the product, it can still be labeled as organic.  

The terms “artificial flavorings” or “natural flavorings” can be used without revealing origination and hide several ingredients that companies are not required to reveal. “Natural” additives can include anything broken down in nature that comes from any plant or animal matter, even bugs. These plants or animals can be grown using hormones, pesticides, or toxic chemicals and can also be grown in questionable conditions. A “natural” flavoring or color could consist of a chemical taken out of glands from a beaver or Natural Red #4 made from dried and ground up cochina beetles, for example. Even MSG can be labeled as natural flavoring. Artificial flavorings can include ingredients produced by fractional distillation and chemical manipulation of various chemicals like crude oil or coal tar. It is unfortunate that consumers are not able to know the source of these flavors and colors.

How about extracts, essences or juices? That sounds healthier. However, even extracts, essences, juices, and other ingredients that look natural can be made from a product that is genetically engineered, grown with chemicals, and grown in questionable conditions.

Are spices safe? Non-organic spices can be high in pesticides and can be contaminated with insects, mold, yeasts, bird droppings, and pathogens like salmonella. According to the FDA, “Spice shipments from 79 countries were examined for Salmonella, and we found that 37 of the 79 countries had Salmonella-contaminated shipments . . . We also found that approximately 12 percent of the spice shipments offered for entry to the U.S. during a three-year period (FY 2007 to FY 2009) were adulterated with filth such as insects and animal hair.” Therefore, non-organic spices are sterilized with toxic chemicals or radiation. Remember, these non-organic, toxic spices can be used in products that are labeled organic if the product still has 95% of organic ingredients. In addition, the processing and chemicals used in drying the spices and making them into powder may also be toxic.

Even my healthy drink? Check the ingredients in your products. Drinks, such as tea or coffee, and even kombucha and other health drinks, including organic, are notorious for adding in flavorings. Making a healthy drink taste good can be difficult without adding in flavorings. Juices used for flavorings are pasteurized which can denature a product and kill anything healthy. When buying food and drinks, make sure you know where the flavoring and color comes from. The best form of color and flavor is from unheated, whole food without the additives, chemicals, and without the heating and denaturing of the natural product. Natural or artificial flavors and colors, extracts, essences, juices can turn a healthy product into a toxic product.

Be sure to look for a product that uses only real food for its flavors. This will help prevent unknown additives and increase nutritive value. Your body will also be able to utilize the nutrition more effectively by consuming the food in its original, whole form. For a highly recommended product that uses only raw, whole food for it’s flavor, click here.

https://www.naturalnews.com/036308_natural_flavors_MSG_aspartame.html
https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodScienceResearch/RiskSafetyAssessment/ucm487954.htm
http://naturallysavvy.com/eat/spicy-shocker-you-will-not-believe-what-s-in-conventional-spices

Increasing Antioxidants in Your Lifestyle

Studies indicate that free radicals can cause many conditions, including macular degeneration, cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ulcers and inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis and lupus (1).  Antioxidants are well known for their ability to fight against many of these diseases by protecting against the damage of free radicals in our body. Most antioxidants come from fresh fruits and vegetables. Many supplements also contain antioxidants, but studies show that supplements are not as effective as food sources and could, in fact, cause damage depending on the type and quality of the supplement.

Being able to increase consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is not always easy. Our access to the food sources and busy life styles make it more difficult to prepare and consume fresh produce.

An effective way to increase antioxidants is through consuming fermented plant-based foods. Studies show that plant-based foods which are fermented increase availability of antioxidants. “The ability of fermentation to improve antioxidant activity is primarily due to an increase in the amount of phenolic compounds and flavonoids during fermentation . . .”(2) In addition, “fermentation induces the structural breakdown of plant cell walls, leading to the liberation or synthesis of various antioxidant compounds. These antioxidant compounds can act as free radical terminators, metal chelators, singlet oxygen quenchers, or hydrogen donors to radicals.”(1)

An effective way to increase antioxidants that is both delicious and convenient is to consume Purely Living Kombucha because it is made with raw produce. Purely Living Kombucha uses only raw fruit, honey, ginger, and cacao along with low temperature dried whole teas. Purely Living also has an extra long fermentation time which further increases antioxidant availability. The color and the flavor of Purely Living Kombucha comes only from the raw ingredients, no artificial colors, flavors, extracts, pasteurized juices, or essences are used. The bright color and flavor is clear evidence as to the high amounts of antioxidants. Quality and purity can also be assured with our product and facility being FDA regulated. Purity is also assured in every aspect of our ingredients and fermentation including eliminating water and air-borne toxins. This is why customers testify as to Purely Living Kombucha being so powerful and effective. 

(1) https://www.livescience.com/54901-free-radicals.html

(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24799248

Raw Ginger

Purely Living Ginger Honey Kombucha is made with freshly cut, raw, organic ginger. It is one of the favorites among our customers. Our honey ginger not only tastes great but has many health benefits. Raw honey alone has many benefits, but today we will look at raw ginger.

Pain & Inflammation: Ginger has been shown to be effective in pain relief and reducing inflammation. "Ginger was as effective as mefenamic acid and ibuprofen in relieving pain." (1) According to study results, ginger "exhibits anti-inflammatory properties by suppressing the transcription of inflammatory mediator genes." (2) Another study published in Cancer Prevention Research journal found that ginger reduced inflammation markers in the colon within a month. Reducing inflammation can be beneficial for many health issues including arthritis. Professor Roufogalis, executive director of the Herbal Medicine Research and Education Centre, states "That's the nice thing about ginger, it affects the pain pathways directly but also relieves the inflammation which in itself causes pain."

Nausea: Ginger is known to be a remedy for nausea. According to studies, ginger has been proven effective against nausea for pregnancy, motion sickness, and chemotherapy.

Diabetes: Ginger has been studied and shown effective against diabetes. "Ginger may be of great value in managing the effects of diabetic complications in human subjects." (3)

Anti-bacterial and Anti-viral: Ginger exhibits antibacterial activity on both oral and respiratory pathogens. (4)(5) It is also shown to be anti-viral. "Fresh, but not dried, ginger is effective against HRSV-induced plaque formation on airway epithelium by blocking viral attachment and internalization." (6)

Brain Function: Studies show ginger is helpful for memory and brain function. "The cognitive enhancing effect and neuroprotective effect occurred partly via the antioxidant activity of the extract." (7)

Digestion: Ginger is known to aid in digestion. "Ginger accelerates gastric emptying and stimulates antral contractions in healthy volunteers." (8)

​The flavor from Purely Living Ginger Honey Kombucha comes only from raw honey and raw, organic ginger. You can be assured our fresh ginger is not refined into a powder or juice. We do not alter the ginger through heat, pasteurization, or chemicals. It is pure, raw, and organic.

1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19216660

2. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691509000775

3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17010224

4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12630492

5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18814211

6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23123794

7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21197427

8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18403946

Blueberries

As you probably already know and see by the color of our kombucha, the fruit Purely Living uses is raw and cold-pressed to retain antioxidants and nutrition value. According to the National Cancer Institute, ​"Antioxidants are chemicals that interact with and neutralize free radicals, thus preventing them from causing damage. Antioxidants are also known as 'free radical scavengers.'” (1) A 2008 study by Cornell University, measured cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) “The objective of the study was to determine the cellular antioxidant activity, total phenolic contents, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values of 25 fruits commonly consumed in the United States. Pomegranate and berries (wild blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry) had the highest CAA values, . . . Apples were found to be the largest contributors of fruit phenolics to the American diet, and apple and strawberries were the biggest suppliers of cellular antioxidant activity.” (2) Our naturally colorful kombucha reveals the antioxidants it retains. Medical News Today states that “Blueberries contain a type of flavonoid known as anthocyanins, which are responsible for giving foods like blueberries, cranberries, red cabbage and eggplants their iconic deep red, purple and blue hues. Anthocyanins are responsible for more than just the blueberry's pretty blue color - they also contribute to the popular fruit's numerous health benefits.” (3)

Keeping the fruit raw in our kombucha is vital. According to whfoods.org, “We recommend enjoying raw blueberries — rather than relying upon blueberries incorporated into baked desserts — because, like other fruits, raw blueberries provide you with the best flavor and the greatest nutritional benefits.” (4)

1. National Cancer Institute, http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/antioxidants-fact-sheet

2. Department of Food Science and Institute of Comparative and Environmental Toxicology, Cornell University http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf801381y

3. Medical News Today, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287710.php

4. The World's Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=8

Important Benefits of White Tea

How can Purely Living White Tea Kombucha build your health? The fermentation process has been shown to effectively increase and release higher levels of antioxidants found in white tea.

Minimally Processed

White tea is unique in that it undergoes minimal processing than other teas because it is dried at low temperatures. This aids in the retention of higher levels of phytochemicals.

Inflammation

Researchers from Kingston University found that the high antioxidants in white tea can help protect against cancer and heart disease. White tea is also found to reduce inflammation along with aiding in the protection of elastin and collagen in our body. "We were testing very small amounts far less than you would find in a drink," Professor Naughton, from the School of Life Sciences at Kingston University and a leading inflammation specialist, said. "The early indicators are that white tea reduces the risk of inflammation which is characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers as well as wrinkles.” Researchers from Kingston University tested 21 plants and herbs but were surprised to find white tea outperformed them all.

Cancer

Studies have shown that white tea has significant effects in reducing and preventing cancer. For instance, studies were done researching the effects of white tea with colon cancer cells. The results had shown that white tea had antioxidant and antiproliferative effects against cancer cells, but protected normal cells against DNA damage. White tea extract increased a specific type of cell death in laboratory cultures of two different types of non-small cell lung cancer cells, indicating that the tea may have an anti-cancer effect also, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

Fat Metabolism

Catechins, an antioxidant found in white tea, are known for excellent anti-cancer properties along with other health benefits including cardiovascular treatment and reduction of body fat. Because of white tea’s young leaves and the minimal environmental exposure and processing, white tea has been found to be high in Catechins. Dr. Marc Winnefeld, Research Laboratory Manager at Beiersdorf’s Research & Development Center, researched the effect of white tea on fat cells. Dr. Winnefeld says "the extract solution induced a decrease in the expression of genes associated with the growth of new fat cells, while also prompting existing adipocytes to break down the fat they contain." His findings are published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism.

Diabetes

Another benefit of white tea, according to American Diabetes Association, is that research has shown tea to reduce risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. According to an article by PubMed.Gov white tea is shown to reduce diabetes associated with abnormalities. This includes reduction in blood glucose; increase in liver weight, glycogen, and insulin sensitivity; reduction in LDL cholesterol; and improvement in glucose tolerance. According to PubMed.Gov, a study done on white tea showed that it not only improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, but it also helped reduce oxidation damage on the brain from diabetes.

Historical Benefits

Kombucha is not a new health beverage. Its benefits have been documented in history. Early to mid-20th century, German medical research had recognized kombucha to be effective as an intestinal regulator and beneficial in cases of digestive disturbances, constipation, hemorrhoids, kidney stones, gall bladder problems, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, cholesterol, high blood pressure, angina, gout, gouty eczema, arthritis, anxiety, headaches, and fatigue. The director of “Academy of Chemists” at Braunschweig recorded that kombucha invigorates the entire glandular system, harmonizing and balancing metabolism, and unwanted fat deposits removed or prevented. (Irion H, Lehrgang fur Drogistenfachschule, Rudolf Muller Publ., Vol 2, 1944). Russian scientists’ research continued to establish efficacy in wound healing (Markarjan G, Dissertation, TEZI, 1953) and infectious wounds (Matinjan A, TEZI, 16, 1953) and various intestinal diseases (Nurazjan A, Diss, TEZI, 1954). Russian hospital settings, in particular, showed antibacterial benefits and efficacy in tonsillitis, enterocolitis, inflammatory internal diseases, stomach catarrh due to deficient acid production, intestinal inflammation, dysentery, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and sclerosis. Professor Barbancik and Dr. R Sklenar, MD, later report and confirm these various therapeutic successes with kombucha.

Research has shown fermentation to increase bioavailability of antioxidants. Thus, combining the benefits of our top quality white tea with the benefits of our time-consuming kombucha fermentation creates an incredible powerhouse! Enjoy the delicate taste of Purely Living White Tea Kombucha while knowing the effective benefits it gives your body.

Sources

http://www.kingston.ac.uk/news/archive/2009/august/10-White-tea-could-keep-you-healthy-and-young-looking/ https://nccih.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/092110.htm https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25236244 http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/food-beverages/tea https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2748751/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/5254153/White-tea-may-help-combat-obesity-say-experts.html https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15640470

Cannery Public Market Thoughts on Kombucha