The amount you should drink daily depends on your system and any digestive preconditions you may have. Some people need to start very small with 30ml per day; others can take up to one liter. The usual dose for those accustomed to the drinks is 100-250ml/day. 

Consuming these drinks every day is best to get the maximum benefit, but if you can only manage once every other day or two, that is better than not drinking them at all. Kefir can act very quickly, and you may start to notice a difference within as little as just 15 minutes to a few days.

As with many things, it’s not about the absolute amount you take but applying it consistently and steadily to get the most health benefit out of it. (Hence the name Bunny Turtle Ferments.)

Our kefirs (Milk Kefir and Water Kefir Sodas) can last up to a month in the fridge, chilled to temperatures around 2-4C, while the fermented teas (Kombucha and Jun Tea) can last for several months. 

The warmer it is, the faster it will continue to ferment since it is a live and active product. While it doesn’t really “spoil” or go rotten per se (fermentation is a natural form of food preservation), it will continue to ferment slowly at fridge temps and get more sour/fizzy over time. So it’s more about the flavor profile changing, and at some point, it becomes less desirable on the palate.

Fermented tea, like Kombucha or Jun Tea, has a high profile of organic acids reputed to help promote gut motility, purification, and protection of liver cells and support joint health. They are also probiotic, which generally supports gut health; however, they are not as probiotically diverse as the kefirs.

Milk kefir is probably the best studied among the probiotic drinks and is found to have up to 40-60 strains of probiotics, while water kefir has slightly less, with up to 30-40 strains. Both vastly outnumber the probiotic diversity of regular yogurt, which usually has at most 4-6 strains. And when it comes to gut health and balance, greater diversity makes the microbiome more capable and resilient.

The symbiotic cultures that make milk kefir preferentially digest the lactose in milk to make more of themselves and their healthy secondary byproducts. As a result, the final product is very close to, if not completely, lactose-free.  

While the fermentation process dramatically reduces the presence of lactose, it does not significantly affect the protein or casein content. Therefore, those allergic to milk should not consume dairy-based milk kefir. However, those allergic to milk can still get a diverse range of probiotics by consuming vegan water kefirs and nondairy-based milk kefirs made with nuts or other non-dairy kinds of milk.

Our Bangkok Kombucha and water kefir sodas (strawberry or ginger) are all completely plant-based and suitable for vegans. Our milk kefir is made with cow milk, and the Jun Tea uses honey; therefore, those two are not vegan.

We all need to take antibiotics for different ailments as directed by a doctor. Since antibiotics can often kill off both good and bad bacteria, they can have short- and long-term side effects. 

Short-term side effects of antibiotics can range from the following:

• stomach upset
• nausea
• indigestion
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• bloating or feeling full
• loss of appetite
• stomach pain or cramping
• excessive gas
• yeast infections, especially vaginal

Besides increasing antibiotic resistance, long-term, chronic (over) use of antibiotics can lead to harmful changes in the microbiome and gut balance, also called dysbiosis. This change is associated with a host of chronic degenerative diseases that affect glucose metabolism, the immune and cardiovascular system, and digestion, which raises the likelihood of obesity, chronic stress, and premature aging.

Both long- and short-term side effects may be lessened by increasing intake of probiotics from fermented foods and drinks or over-the-counter probiotic pills while or after taking antibiotics. You may consider consuming these along with your antibiotics to offset those side effects by first taking your regular dose of antibiotics and then waiting at least two hours before generously dosing with the fermented food, drink, or taking an over-the-counter probiotic capsule as directed a few hours before your next antibiotic dose. Repeat as needed, following instructions from your doctor about the dosage and timing of your antibiotics and over-the-counter probiotic capsules.

Kombucha and Jun Tea are fermented teas and use very related but distinct starter cultures of symbiotic colonies of bacteria and yeast or SCOBY. Besides coming from unique starter cultures, they also use different ingredients. 

Kombucha is more flexible in its ingredients and can be made with white, green, or black tea, and is always sweetened by sugar. 

Jun Tea is more specialized and only uses green tea and raw honey.

Drinks like kombucha, jun tea, and kefirs are fermented, and trace amounts of alcohol are formed during this process when yeasts break down sugar into carbon dioxide and ethanol. Bacteria then take that ethanol and break it down into the acetic acid, contributing to their characteristic tartness, sourness, and reputed health benefits. 

The trace amounts that may remain to serve multiple functions at those levels and are generally not considered intoxicating: as an anti-microbial to discourage mold, a solvent to help dissolve nutrients, and as a medium to ease absorption of those nutrients by the consumer. 

Kombucha and kefir typically contain less than 0.5% alcohol, which is in the range of non-alcoholic drinks and considered halal since it is the product of natural fermentation for food preservation while less than 1% alcohol.

A slight variation in ethanol levels may occur depending on various factors such as fermentation time, process, temperature, and individual culture. Those who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or otherwise avoiding alcohol for any reason may want to consult their health care practitioner before consuming any fermented products.

Almost anyone can consume fermented foods and drinks, but it depends on the individual and fermented food or drink type. 

• Milk kefir can be consumed by most who are lactose intolerant starting as young as 12 months of age when babies can start drinking cow milk. But it cannot be consumed by those who are allergic or intolerant to milk proteins.
• Kombucha, jun tea, and water kefirs are considered nonalcoholic (<0.5% alcohol) and halal; however, those avoiding any amount of alcohol (even trace amounts) may wish to abstain from those drinks.
• Those avoiding caffeine (e.g., children or those intolerant to caffeine) may wish to avoid kombucha, and jun tea since those are black and green tea-based and contain some caffeine, though much less than a typical cup of tea.
• Those who are severely immunocompromised may need to avoid any ferments due to the risk of secondary infection.
• Those who are histamine intolerant may also wish to avoid ferments containing histamines.