Our family enjoys lots of outdoor activities during the warmer months, but heat, humidity, sweat, and thirst just seem to go hand in hand, don’t they? Â To stay hydrated and comfortable while you are enjoying all that summertime recreation, skip the sports drinks full of GMO high fructose corn syrup or hidden artificial sweeteners and opt for the delicious, healthy, fermented drink from Russia – kombucha tea.
I have a number of videos with recipes on how to make kombucha various ways but have never done one on how to pack it safely in a lunch or cooler.
Kombucha must be packed in glass containers as it has an acidic, vinegar quality to it (don’t let that fool you – it tastes yummy) that will leech chemicals from plastic and metal from stainless steel. Ideally, the glass should be clear, not colored.
Kleen Kanteens and other stainless steel bottles are NOT appropriate for kombucha tea and neither is food grade plastic – ever!
But packing glass in a lunchbox with a young child is a bit of a dangerous venture, wouldn’t you agree?
In this short video below, I show you how I pack kombucha tea in a picnic basket or lunchbox to ensure that everyone stays safe!
Packing Kombucha Safely in a Lunchbox (Video)
In essence, all you need to do is empty the small glass seltzer bottles available at the supermarket. Small sparkling water bottles work well too. Syfo seltzer is a good brand in my area. Then fill them a little more than halfway with kombucha and safely tuck it into a foam sleeve before placing it in the lunchbox. That’s all there is to it!
Don’t Pack Commercial Kombucha in School Lunches
One word of caution. It is recommended that you do not pack bottles of commercial kombucha in a child’s lunchbox that are labeled as containing tiny amounts of alcohol. GT’s Kombucha with the black lid is one brand labeled in this manner. Only pack small bottles of home brewed kombucha or transfer commercial kombucha into small, unlabeled bottles. Misguided school lunch police have been known to suspend students from school for having store kombucha bottles in their lunchbox.
Source
Mad As a Hatter, Dr. Kaayla Daniel
More Information
Want to know more about kombucha? Â These articles provide more detail for your research.
Fluoride in Kombucha: Should You Be Concerned?
Can Candida Sufferers Drink Kombucha?
Does Kombucha Prevent Grey Hair?
Batch vs Continuous Brew Kombucha
Have You Tried Kombucha?
Kombucha: Drink It and Wear It?
Jun Tea: Â Kombucha Champagne
What a cool idea! Thank you. I really enjoy your informative videos. Keep ’em coming.
Is stainless steel really a problem? There is a local kombucha company here that brews in stainless steel tanks.
Kombucha is Great and sooooo Healthy….I have found that you need to keep Kombucha COLD all the time though. If it sits out for a period of time (several hours 3-4+) and someone drinks it warm…they might (in my case) feel a little icky (if it’s such a word). I believe it is best and taste the best COLD.
@Linda the soda sleeves are available at the grocery store usually by the beer or soda cans LOL
Nourishing Traditions says its ok to store Kombucha in stainless steel. I know some people that even say its safe to brew in stainless steel. I have personally been leery of doing either, but wonder if it really is safe.
This is perhaps before stainless steel was found to leech metal alloys (nickel etc) when an acidic liquid or food is in it. There is an article on the WAPF website about this.
I DO NOT agree that brewing/storing kombucha in stainless steel is safe. This is a recipe for heavy metal toxicity. If you already have heavy metal issues, this is particularly foolish. If you can’t brew kombucha safely best to not drink it at all. Just use glass .. simple solution.
Hi Sarah,
I read where Organic Pastures Dairy Co. claimed Kefir caused and/or exacerbated the children to get sick in California– in a letter McAfee stated, “We do know that at least two of the most sickened children did not drink raw milk,….but drank OPDC after it had been ‘fermented and cultured with store bought Kefir cultures ‘ ”
He said the Kefir cultures came from an online store, but didn’t say which one. I had just ordered kefir culture from an online source (Cultures For Health), and couldn’t help but wonder after reading that portion of his letter. How do we know what we are buying is safe? My order is for water kefir because I can’t get the raw milk in my area. Still I wonder. How do we know what is safe?
Thank you for all you do to keep us informed.
Joie
I trust Cultures for Health. I doubt it was from this source. I could be wrong, but this company is a quality source. Why don’t you call Organic Pastures and just ask?
Just watch those grains and sugars. I eat grains but they are a small amount of my diet in comparison with most Americans where grain based foods are the staple. You also need to exercise. Trying to maintain your figure just with diet is a losing proposition. You need to move your body in a way that you enjoy be it gardening, yoga, the gym whatever. I actually hate predefined workouts and the gym in general. I prefer sports and activities for my exercise. They key is to do what you enjoy. Moving your body should not be an unpleasant activity which is why this blog has a fitness aspect to it as well (new fitness post tomorrow 🙂
Also Linda, you should not feel ANY guilt about eating saturated fats! Saturated fats are the MAJORITY of my diet … 50-60%. Without saturated fats, I would be 30 lbs heavier overnight I guarantee it. I should show you my chubby pictures from college when I was eating lowfat.
1 vote here for posting the college photos! I agree with other posts- Sarah you look so great and I was amazed when you’ve stated your age previously! You really are a great promotion for traditional foods! (and I’d love to see the difference you experienced when you were eating low fat).
Hahahaha. I showed one of them at my talk in St. Louis. Lots of hoots of laughter on that one especially the Flashdance 80’s hair. Very embarrassing 🙂 You’ll have to come and see me speak at a WAPF Conference to see them. LOL
Awww! Flashdance 80’s hair to boot! Be sure to bring them when you come “down under” for a WAPF promotional tour! You’re doing one of them soon aren’t you? My budget couldn’t stretch to a trip to the states for a WAPF conference, although I would LOVE to!
I just don’t want those photos to get loose on the internet. Waaayyyy too embarrassing.
Although the container itself is glass, the cap is made of plastic. Unless someone does not allow the bottle to bounce around at all and drinks the content in one sitting, wouldn’t you be bound to have kombucha to be in contact with the cap and leaches chemical?
No this is not a problem. Don’t fill the container full (see how high I fill it in the video) and you will avoid this to a large extent. Perhaps a drop or two might touch the lid but this is quite different than the entire container sitting in plastic.
Hi Sarah
I really enjoy your news letter it’s so informative and right to the point . I have been following Weston A Price Foundation eating guide for about 6 months. I love eating this way but lately I’ve noticed a slight weight gain. You look so trim and fit, I would love to know how you manage staying thin eating butter, cream, grains and even desserts. I remember reading a WAP blog and the members were asked what they generally ate, it was a surprising high in calories. It’s still hard for me to consume a lot of saturated fats without the guilt.
Thanks
Oops … answered you below.
What is the seltzer brand for the glas bottle?
And where can I find the foam stuff to protect the bottle ?
Thanks for letting me know…
Syfo seltzer … your grocery store carries the foam sleeves usually over near the soda or beer section LOL