gardnermer

This is what it looks like up close And here's a shot of how it looks like today: I'm thinking it's mold :/. Either way I'm starting a new mother SCOBY tonight. I was planning on 1 cup of sweet tea and 1 bottle of kombucha. It took a while for my SCOBY to grow last time. Any tips in speeding up the process? Or a different mix to use?

I'm holding out for now. This morning the top was much thicker. I'll post another photo tonight. This would be day 7 of the first fermentation.

Help! So I grew a SCOBY from a plain bottle and this is what she looks like: It took a few weeks, but totally worth it. I started my first batch of tea 5 days ago, and I finally opened (took over the towel and rubber band) to see if it was ready for 2F. Here is what I saw: Is this mold?? Do I need to start all over? If my SCOBY doesn't have mold on her, is she safe?

Yesterday I had a friend tell me the way I was eating "wasn't sustainable" and I would "have" to splurge. We were going to a friend's birthday that night that was at an ice cream parlor...Apparently I was just going to "have to have" sugar. I went later that afternoon and saw Fed Up! (documentary about sugar and our food industry). After seeing it I wanted to ask my friend if a diet without cocaine also "wasn't sustainable." Apparently sugar is 5x more addictive than cocaine. I've also had my mom tell me that she "protected" me from eating beets for 18 years and it was a shame I wasn't "protecting" myself now...She was just joking but still funny.

I knew food could affect my hormones! I've tried to do research in the past to find foods i could eat to boost my levels. I'm an endurance athlete and I've been on BC until about June last year. I ended up with some bad poison ivy and in that whole processes forgot to start my new pack of pills. I decided to go back on them when my next period came. Well, I kept waiting, and waiting, and waiting. In October I got my levels checked and my hormone levels were basically like post menopausal low. (I'm 29). I did a dose of progesterone to try to get my period to start. No dice. In December my period finally started. I had cut back exercise around mid November and gained 10 lbs. I wasn't below 18% body fat before losing my period. I got my levels retested and they were back to normal ranges. Then I started working out again at a low level (9-12 hours a week versus 18-25 hours a week I'd been doing into October). And in January, no period. Still wasn't down in weight. I saw an endocrinologist in December and she said I was classic workout + weight loss = no period and if I lost it again i'd have to be on BC to reduce the damage to my bones and lining, etc. I'm really kind of doubtful that this was the cause. I felt like something wasn't right in my body (Part of the reason I'm doing the whole30!!) So I went back on it in February. I'm not thrilled about this. I'm debating trying to come off of it in May once I'm through my next major competition. Any advice or suggestions? I figure that I should see if my body likes this way of eating and I can keep my period and not be on BC. I'm not sexually active so it's not a big deal for me to not be on some kind of BC.