Because we all really want to know if it’s good for us.
Do a quick search of kombucha online and you’ll find that the fizzy drink (produced by fermented tea, sugar, fungi, and bacteria) supposedly supplies sky-high energy, quells pain, fends off certain cancers, detoxes your body, helps you shed weight, and turns your immune system into a fortress. Guzzlers of the health beverage preach these promises, too.
But is our beloved kombucha really a health elixir in a bottle?
“I would be wary of calling kombucha a remedy or a magic food,” a dietitian at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. After all, glorifying one food over another (kale is king!) isn’t the way nutrition works. A healthy diet is all about variety.
Here are the four potential health benefits to keep in mind before you take a swig.
The probiotics in kombucha can help your gut.
“Because it’s fermented, you see more of that probiotic push in kombucha,” And that’s where most of the drink’s health benefits lie: probiotics, a.k.a. good gut bacteria.
“The gut microbiome is often called the forgotten organ — it’s really important to foster that health,” After all, a healthy gut microbiome can help fend off issues like diarrhea and IBS and help your whole body function at its best.
Fermented foods may also improve the health of your intestinal cells, boost your immune function, and cut your risk of allergy and chronic disease, These benefits aren’t unique to kombucha itself, but rather probiotic-rich or fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and yogurt.
The antioxidants in kombucha can help you stay healthy.
Past packing a probiotic punch, just how much (and how) kombucha can keep you well is a bit murky. As with other teas, you can sip a slew of antioxidants and polyphenols.
These compounds support healthy cell function and help you stay healthy overall, but commercial brews may not supply as much, author of Dressing on the Side (and Other Diet Myths Debunked). Check labels to make sure you’re choosing kombucha versus a kombucha-like product and look for actual tea in the ingredients list. Or you can simply drink green tea for tea-related health benefits.
Kombucha can help you cut back on sugary drinks.
Beverages are the number one source of added sugar in the American diet. Replacing sports drinks, juice, and sweetened tea and coffee with kombucha could help you dial back. One 16-ounce bottle of GT’s Kombucha Gingerade contains 4 grams of sugar compared to 28 grams you’d find in the same-sized Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte, for example.
“Since it’s lower in sugar compared to other options, it’s often a better choice and a step to cutting back on sugar from drinks overall,”
Kombucha can help you stay hydrated.
Generally, you should sip a minimum of 8 cups of water and other unsweetened beverages (like seltzer or black tea) a day. Drinking kombucha can also help you meet your hydration needs
